Director of Nursing (DON) – Day Surgery

Director of Nursing (DON) – Day Surgery | Hawthorn, VIC Lead the launch of a new Eye Surgery Day Hospital | Commencing April 2026 A rare leadership opportunity is available for an experienced Director of Nursing to lead the opening of a brand new eye surgery day hospital in Hawthorn, backed by one of the

world’s largest eyewear and vision care organisations .

This role offers the unique opportunity to build a service from the ground up, shaping clinical standards, patient experience, and workplace culture from day one.

About the Role:

Commencing April 2026, you will play a pivotal role in establishing and leading day surgery operations, ensuring delivery of safe, high quality patient care while building a high performing perioperative team.

You will also have the opportunity to be actively involved in the recruitment process, building and shaping the perioperative team, contributing to workforce decisions alongside executive and operational leadership. Your team will include:

Anaesthetic nurses

PACU nurses

Scrub/Scout nurses

Theatre technicians and support staff

Working closely with surgeons and operational leadership, you will drive clinical governance, workforce capability, and operational excellence as the service grows.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead clinical governance, safety, and quality standards across the day surgery service

Build and mentor a high performing perioperative nursing team

Establish workflows, operational processes, and patient care standards

Shape team culture and service delivery from inception

Partner with surgeons and executive leadership to ensure smooth service launch and growth

Maintain strong clinical leadership presence within perioperative services

Occasional hands on clinical support may be required

About You:

You are an experienced DON or perioperative nursing leader who enjoys building teams and creating positive clinical cultures. You bring strong clinical governance and operational capability, experience leading teams through service development or change, and a collaborative leadership style that supports safe, high quality patient care.

Experience within the ophthalmology or day surgery environment will be highly regarded , along with excellent stakeholder engagement and leadership presence.

You will bring:

Current AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse

Perioperative or day surgery leadership experience

Strong clinical governance and operational capability

Experience leading teams through service development or change

Excellent stakeholder engagement and leadership presence

If you're ready to lead something new and leave your mark on a growing service, I would love to speak with you.

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