Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor- Intellectual Disability Mental Health

Position Summary

The Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor of Intellectual Disability Mental Health will provide academic and strategic leadership in intellectual and developmental disability mental health through research, teaching, clinical capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. The role leads a translational and co-designed research program focused on improving mental health outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, with a strong emphasis on health services, systems improvement, and evidence-based practice.

Working closely with NSW Health, government agencies, healthcare providers, and people with lived experience, the position will strengthen clinical and research capacity across NSW and nationally. The appointee will contribute to innovative education initiatives, mentor emerging researchers, and foster collaborative partnerships across the disability and mental health sectors.

Reporting to the Director of the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health, the role also contributes to teaching and research within the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UNSW Medicine & Health. At Associate Professor level, the role includes nationally recognised research leadership, influence on policy and practice, and mentorship of researchers and sector stakeholders to advance intellectual disability mental health research and service development.

If an interested applicant is a psychiatrist, there is the opportunity for an affiliated clinical academic appointment with South-Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

Some key skills required:

At Level C:

• An MBBS/MD or PhD or equivalent distinguished experience in psychiatry, psychology or other health discipline, with extensive experience in intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
• Proven commitment to proactively keeping up to date with discipline knowledge and developments.
• Demonstrated experience in development and delivery of education and training in intellectual and developmental disability mental health, including face-to-face and online methods.
• Evidence of productive relationships and engagement with external stakeholders, including Government and the community.
• Demonstrated academic excellence with research outcomes of high quality and high impact.
• Proven ability to work in co-design with people with lived experience of intellectual and/or developmental disability.
• Experience in successfully recruiting and supervising high calibre students.

At Level D (In addition to the above):

• Demonstrated leadership experience, including managing teams and driving outcomes in complex stakeholder environments, or successful track record of liaisons between government and the disability sector.
• Leadership of projects which design, build capacity in, deliver and/or evaluate mental health services for people with intellectual disability and/or autism.
• Established national track record of mental health research.
• Capacity to mentor, provide advice and guidance to clinicians and academics in this or a related field.
• Proven leadership in developing significant productive relationships and engagement with external stakeholders, including Government and the community.