Associate Professor/Professor - Social Work

About us

Curtin’s School of Allied Health offers professionally recognised courses in Exercise and Sport Science, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Social Work, and Speech Pathology. The Social Work Discipline offers graduate entry and undergraduate social work programs and is consistently rated highly in the Good Universities Guide. The Social Work Discipline is involved in research in key fields of practice, works closely with industry partners and has a growing number of higher degree research students. Social Work has strong connections to industry for both research and field education opportunities.

About the role

This role as the Social Work Discipline Lead is to promote social justice and human rights through teaching, research and community engagement. The role with the Curtin Social Work team involves contributing to research in violence and abuse across the life course, child protection and the care system, disability and mental health. Being part of the Curtin School of Allied Health offers staff opportunities for innovative interdisciplinary developments.
In this role you will

• Provide leadership in relation to school/faculty-wide initiatives.
• Actively mentor staff in teaching and research.
• Foster a culture of teaching excellence.
• Contribute to curriculum innovation and design in a variety of Social Work units.
• Contribute to the Teaching and Research goals of the Curtin School of Allied Health.
• Undertake nationally and internationally competitive and high-quality research that contributes to the Social Work Discipline’s research fields.
• Undertake high level administrative functions connected with leadership of course /teaching and research initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of a collegial and supportive working environment. Model a high standard of professional behaviour consistent with the University Code of Conduct and Vision, Mission and Values.  

• A flexible benefits package with excellent superannuation provisions.
• A vibrant campus with gym, child care, wellness programs, medical and counselling services.
• Curtin continues to be a leader in reconciliation in the Higher Education sector, being one of the first Universities to receive accreditation for an Elevate RAP - the highest level within Reconciliation Australia’s Workplace RAP Framework.
• The University has recently been named as one of Australia’s Inclusive Employers for 2019-2020 by the Diversity Council of Australia (DCA)
• A major global player, with well-integrated campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius and Dubai.

For further information on Curtin and all of our employee benefits visit https://about.curtin.edu.au/jobs/

We are looking for someone with

• A doctoral qualification in relevant discipline.
• Eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Work.
• A demonstrated record of achievement in and commitment to excellence in teaching and curriculum development in social work.
• Demonstrated achievement in the discipline through the scholarly development and delivery of high quality educational courses.
• A highly productive and established researcher with a record of regular research outputs in high quality refereed academic journals, consistent with an international reputation in the field.
• A significant record of obtaining research income, including nationally competitive research grants and/or fellowships.
• Demonstrated academic leadership experience in the discipline/profession and in community engagement.
• Significant experience in the supervision of higher degree research students.
• Demonstrated high level communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to foster the development of a collegial and supportive working environment and the ability to interact with students and staff with cultural sensitivity and safety.
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and sustain partnerships with academics and industry which contribute to the discipline’s impact.

Please apply on-line with a cover letter addressing the specific selection criteria and resume to enable us to assess your suitability for the role.

Applications close:  10pm AWST Thursday 7th July 2022  

Work Requirements

• Prior to appointment, the recommended applicant/s will need to have a current criminal record check in accordance with the University's National Police Certificate Assessment Procedures.  

Candidates should note that Curtin University has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and Procedures which covers all staff, students, campuses and activities, effective 21 February 2022. 

If you are invited to attend the next stage of assessments, you may be required to provide evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination status (or formally granted exemption) upon arrival, and if you are offered a role at Curtin, you will be required to provide evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination or exemption status prior to commencing employment.

Contact details

If you have a query in relation to the application process please contact our careers team on [email protected]

If you have any further queries regarding the role, please contact:

Angus Buchanan, Head of School – Curtin School of Allied Health via email on  [email protected] or

Donna Chung - Professor of Social Work, Curtin School of Allied Health via email on [email protected]

Inclusion and Diversity at Curtin

We are committed to ensuring that Curtin has an inclusive environment, free from harassment, in which all students, staff and the community feel respected, valued and welcome.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, women, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and are committed to making reasonable adjustments to enable people with disability to participate fully in our recruitment, selection and appointment processes.

We have received recognition in this area:

• Voted one of Australia’s Inclusive Employers for 2019-2020 (Diversity Council of Australia).
• Have become one of the first Universities to receive accreditation for an Elevated Reconciliation Action Plan.
• Achieved Athena Swan Bronze Accreditation (2018-2022).
• Voted 16th best workplace for new fathers in Australia (HBF - Direct Advice for Dads, 2019).

Curtin reserves the right at its sole discretion to withdraw from the recruitment process, not to make an appointment, or to appoint by invitation, at any time. We reserve the right to remove the advert earlier than the date on the advert.