The Department of Health holds an annual recruitment round for part-time board director and chair positions for:
- public health services, including Ambulance Victoria and HealthShare Victoria
- public hospitals, including multi-purpose services and Early Parenting Centres.
These positions provide an opportunity for members of the Victorian public to contribute to the strategic leadership in delivering integrated health care to all Victorian communities.
The department is committed to growing and strengthening boards to reflect the rich diversity of Victorian communities.
Applications for the 2025 annual board appointments have closed. The next annual recruitment for 2026 is expected to start in late October 2025.
Public health service boards
Public health services include Victoria’s major metropolitan and regional health services such as:
- Austin Health
- Monash Health
- Bendigo Health
- Latrobe Regional Health.
Public hospital boards
Public hospitals include:
- Victoria’s rural public hospitals, such as Beaufort and Skipton Health Service, Mildura Base Public Hospital and South Gippsland Hospital
- Multi-purpose services, such as Alpine Health and Orbost Regional Health
- Two Early Parenting Centres – The Queen Elizabeth Centre and Tweddle Child and Family Health Service.
For the complete list of public health services and public hospitals, visit our Public hospitals in Victoria page.
Diversity on boards
We are committed to growing and strengthening boards and committees to reflect the richness of diverse Victorian communities. It is our responsibility to ensure the leadership of our health system is culturally competent, inclusive, accessible, and safe.
We encourage applications from all Victorians with interest in upholding human rights and expertise in public health, including:
- First Nations people
- people from all age groups and abilities
- people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and gender diverse, Intersex, Queer and Asexual (LGBTIQA+)
- people who live in rural and regional Victoria.
Board Director Capability Framework
The Framework
The Board Director Capability Framework (the Framework) has been developed to help board directors and chairs understand what is important in building an effective board to oversee the Victorian public health system.
It also informs potential board directors about the personal attributes and range of capabilities needed to serve on a Victorian public health service board.
Attributes and capabilities of board directors
Board directors, as leaders of public health services, are an integral part of the Victorian health system.
Appointed by the relevant portfolio Minister, directors are selected for their ability to contribute to good governance and support a culture of inclusiveness and integrity.
All the attributes outlined in the Framework are essential, however some capabilities will depend on the strategic outlook of the organisation and may be prioritised by a board based on its strategic focus.
We also recognise that board directors will continue to develop their capabilities while on a public health service board.
Eligibility requirements
The eligibility requirements are underpinned by the principle of supporting a culture of integrity, transparency and actively managing conflict of interest.
The following criteria apply to applicants who are Victorian Public Sector employees:
- Current employees or contractors of the Department of Health (including an employee on secondment to the department) are not eligible for these board appointments.
- Current employees of a health service are not eligible for appointment to the board of their employing health service.
- Current employees are eligible for appointment to the board of another health service (subject to employer approval) unless that health service has announced plans to explore an amalgamation with their employing health service.
- Former employees of a health service are eligible for appointment to the board of that health service if their employment ended more than 18 months before the closing date for applications.
Employees of the Victorian Public Service are employees of:
- Victorian Government departments
- Statutory authorities (including public health services, public hospitals and multi-purpose services), and
- other entities (but excluding local government and universities)
- Please note that health board chairs and directors are classified as public officials and not Victorian Public Sector employees.
The document - Board Eligibility criteria for Victorian public sector employees - provides further information for Victorian Public Sector Employees, including guidance for eligibility for remuneration:
Term of appointments
All recommendations for appointment and reappointment are based on what serves the best interests of the entity (and the community) and not the individual.
While there is a maximum number of years or terms that can be served on a board, it is not guaranteed that existing chairs and directors will automatically be reappointed to serve the maximum allowable tenure.
The document - Tenure of board directors, provides further guidance for boards and directors (including chairs):
Personal information and privacy consent form
The department collects personal information as part of the application process. By submitting an application, you are consenting to the department collecting and using the information as outlined in the Personal Information and Privacy Consent Form.
If you choose not to disclose information that is required to assess eligibility and undertake probity checks, the progress of the application may be affected. Please read the Personal Information and Privacy Consent Form before starting your application:
Board position descriptions
Downloads
Reviewed 24 April 2025