EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL RESILIENCE

• Australia's largest and most international university
• Establish and lead the global security risk function
• Protect research integrity and institutional resilience

About the organisation

With a footprint that extends across Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy, China and India, and comprising more than 20,000 staff and approximately 86,000 students globally, Monash University is Australia’s largest and most international university. In its short history, Monash has rapidly risen through global university rankings and firmly established itself among the world's best universities. Change has been the driving force of Monash’s growth and success, and it’s the foundation of the future as Monash redefines what it means to be a university. Deeply committed to the transformative power of education and research, Monash shapes the future through excellent and immersive education and purposeful research focused on addressing today’s global challenges.

About the role

Reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) and Senior Vice-President, and with a dotted reporting line to Monash’s Vice-Chancellor and President, the Executive Director, Global Resilience is a newly created executive appointment responsible for establishing and leading Monash's central global security and resilience function. The role will provide strategic leadership and coordination across the Monash Group, including international campuses, controlled entities, and institutional partnerships for the identification, assessment, and mitigation of complex global security risks, including foreign interference, research security and personnel-related risks. This encompasses optimising the management and strengthening staff awareness of these risks, and leading policy and process changes. The position will carry institutional accountability for the quality and consistency of global security risk assessments conducted across the Group, and provide authoritative advice and assurance to the University Council and its Risk and Audit Committee, the Vice-Chancellor and senior leadership on emerging and sensitive global security matters. The appointee will serve as Monash's primary interface with national security agencies and government bodies, including ASIO, DFAT and Home Affairs, and will chair the newly established Global Risk Advisory Group. In establishing a community of practice for global security risk and resilience, and leading a small team, the Executive Director will inspire high performance and drive organisational change.

About you

You are a senior executive with deep experience in a large, complex organisation with international operations in higher education, research, government or a closely adjacent sector. This includes a sophisticated understanding of how a research-intensive university functions, including the dynamics of international research collaboration, transnational education and researcher-to-researcher engagement. An Australian citizen, your background gives you genuine expertise in one or more of the following domains: national security, foreign policy, research security or international relations. International and multi-jurisdictional experience and exposure, and nuanced insights into geopolitics most relevant to the University, will be highly regarded. You are adept at operating across decentralised environments, exercising lateral influence without direct authority, and engaging credibly with discerning senior internal and stakeholders with diverse perspectives. Applying your judgement under pressure, precision and economy of communication and exceptional influencing skills, you are comfortable advising on matters with no clear right answer, synthesising complex intelligence, and making or enabling consequential decisions with speed and discretion. Adept at moving between strategic advisory responsibilities and hands-on operational engagement, you are motivated by the opportunity to enhance critical capability for an institution that shapes the future.

How to apply

Click ‘Apply’ to submit your CV along with a covering letter. For more information prior to application, please contact David Pleydell at SHK via email on david.pleydell@shk.com.au, quoting reference 3652034. Direct and third-party applications will be forwarded to SHK.

Applications close AEST 11.59pm on Friday 18 September 2026.