Senior Principal Consultant, Work Injury Management

• Health, Safety and Wellness
• Full-time, fixed-term appointment through to 31 January 2027, with the possibility of extension
• Base salary of $120,317 - $134,893 + 17% superannuation (HEW Level 8)
• Based at UQ’s St Lucia Campus

About This Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced workers’ compensation professional to step into a senior role within one of Queensland’s largest and most complex organisations. Joining UQ’s Health, Safety and Wellness team, you will bring your expertise to a large self-insured workers’ compensation environment, managing complex physical and psychological injury claims and working closely with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.

This fixed-term appointment offers the chance to make an immediate impact, broaden your experience within a large self-insured organisation and work across matters that will genuinely draw on your technical expertise, judgement and stakeholder management capability. With the possibility of extension, you’ll have the opportunity to gain valuable experience within UQ while contributing to meaningful outcomes from day one.

This opportunity may particularly suit an experienced claims or injury management professional looking to broaden their self-insurance experience, step into a senior-level role, or gain exposure to a large and complex organisational environment.

As Senior Case Manager, Work Injury Management, you will have the autonomy to manage complex matters while also contributing your expertise across the broader team through strategic claim reviews, coaching, mentoring and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Manage a portfolio of complex physical and psychological injury workers’ compensation claims, from investigation and determination through to rehabilitation, return to work and claim resolution.
• Apply your technical expertise and professional judgement to complex matters involving rejection, cessation, review, appeal and common law claims.
• Coordinate medico-legal reports, submissions, reasons for decision and other complex claims documentation within UQ’s self-insured environment.
• Partner with injured workers, leaders, treating practitioners, medical specialists, rehabilitation providers, investigators and other stakeholders to achieve safe, sustainable and timely return-to-work outcomes.
• Provide specialist advice, coaching and mentoring to colleagues and stakeholders, including strategic review of complex and long-duration claims.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of Work Injury Management practices, policies and procedures, and provide leadership support across the team, including relieving the Work Injury Management Manager when required.

About You

You will be an experienced workers’ compensation professional who is comfortable navigating complex and sensitive matters, exercising sound judgement and building trusted relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.

You will bring:

• Undergraduate qualifications in a relevant field such as law, business, management or allied health, with at least five years of subsequent relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education and training.

• Strong knowledge of workers’ compensation principles and legislation, with demonstrated capability interpreting and applying Queensland workers’ compensation and rehabilitation legislation.

• Proven experience managing complex statutory workers’ compensation claims and common law damages claims.

• Highly developed investigative, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to exercise professional judgement and discretion in complex matters.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to negotiate, advocate and communicate sensitively with a broad range of stakeholders.

• A collaborative approach and demonstrated ability to establish trusted relationships with injured workers, leaders, health professionals, colleagues and other stakeholders.

• Leadership capability, including experience providing constructive coaching, mentoring and technical guidance to others.

• Demonstrated experience preparing complex management reports within a workers’ compensation claims management environment. Experience within a self-insured organisation will be highly regarded.

About UQ

At UQ, you will be part of a community of talented people working together to create positive change.

In addition to joining a collaborative and experienced Health, Safety and Wellness team, you will have access to a range of benefits designed to support your career, wellbeing and life outside of work.

These include 17% superannuation, 17.5% leave loading, flexible and hybrid working options, health and wellbeing programs, a heavily discounted Study for Staff program, on-campus childcare, affordable parking and salary packaging options.

Interested?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Lucy Beikoff, Director, Health, Safety and Wellness at l.beikoff@uq.edu.au

For application enquiries, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, quoting the job reference number below.

To apply, please upload your resume and a cover letter summarising how your background and experience align with the ‘About You’ section.

Applications received via email will not be accepted.

Other Information

Pre-employment checks may include verification of the right to work in Australia, qualifications and criminal history checks. This may also include checks relating to gender-based violence matters or other integrity and conduct requirements.

You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment. Employer-sponsored work rights are not available for this position.

We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognise that career pathways and opportunities differ. We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every criterion but can demonstrate their capability and potential relative to opportunity.

We are also happy to support accessibility requirements throughout the recruitment process. Please contact talent@uq.edu.au or +61 7 3365 2623 to discuss how we can assist.

Applications close Sunday 25 October at 11.00pm AEST (R-70087).

Acknowledgment of Country:

The University of Queensland (UQ) acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ is situated. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country.

Why Choose UQ?

At the University of Queensland, we are proud to be one of Australia’s leading research and teaching institutions, consistently ranking among the top 50 universities worldwide.

As a member of the prestigious Group of Eight (Go8) universities, UQ is widely recognised for its intensive focus on research and teaching excellence – evidenced by our numerous accolades including more teaching awards than any other Australian University and reflected in UQ being the number one recipient of ARC Fellowships and Awards nationally across all scheme years (totalling 452 awards worth $339 million).

Our state-of-the-art facilities, libraries, and cutting-edge research centres offer unparalleled opportunities for academic and professional growth. With five faculties, a number of globally recognised research institutes, and over 100 research centres, we attract an interdisciplinary community of more than 7000 staff, supporting more than 55,000 current students from over 137 countries.

Career Development and Support:

UQ is dedicated to supporting the career aspirations of our students and staff. Our comprehensive career services provide personalized guidance, skills development, and networking opportunities to help you achieve your professional goals. Whether you are a student seeking internships and job placements or a staff member looking for career advancement, UQ is here to support you every step of the way.

Diverse and Inclusive Community:

UQ values equity, diversity and inclusion and seeks to reflect the broader community by attracting and retaining high-quality staff from a range of backgrounds. Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion aims to ensure that everyone at UQ feels valued and empowered to achieve their full potential. We are particularly interested to hear from people who bring diversity to UQ – whether that be gender identity, LGBTQIA+, cultural and/or linguistic, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, or people with a disability.

Join the UQ Community:

Whether you are a recent graduate, an Academic, or an experienced professional, UQ offers a wide range of opportunities to help you grow and succeed. Explore our current job openings, discover our programs, and become part of a community that is dedicated to creating lasting, meaningful impact for the communities in which we live and work.

For more information about working at UQ and our employee benefits (such as generous leave provisions, 17% superannuation, flexible working arrangements, and health and wellness discounts) please visit Why Work at UQ.