Trade the city commute for an ocean view — and join a district-wide Child, Adolescent & Youth Mental Health Service that punches well above its weight.
We are partnering with a major public tertiary referral and teaching hospital on the NSW coast to recruit a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist to join their well-established team. This is a rare and highly sought-after opportunity to step into a genuinely supportive multidisciplinary service, with strong leadership, embedded academic links, and lifestyle you simply cannot buy back in the city.
Set on one of NSW's most spectacular stretches of coastline, this vibrant regional city sits just 1.5 hours from Sydney — close enough for a weekend in the city, far enough that you'll rarely want to leave. Think uncrowded surf beaches, a lively café and dining scene, world-class escarpment walks and mountain biking, and a genuinely warm community that welcomes newcomers. Housing is markedly more affordable than metro Sydney, with excellent public and private schools, a well-regarded university, and short, sensible commutes. Direct flights and rail connections make interstate and international travel easy, while the surrounding wine regions, national parks and coastal villages offer endless weekend options. For families relocating from overseas or interstate, this is the kind of place where you unpack once and stay.
About the Hospital & Service
You'll be joining a Level 6 principal referral and teaching hospital with over 510 beds, serving a catchment of approximately 400,000 people across a metropolitan and regional coastal district. The hospital is affiliated with a well-regarded university medical school, offering rich teaching, supervision and research opportunities for those who want them.
The mental health service is a comprehensive district-wide program including:
- Community-based Child, Adolescent & Youth Mental Health Service across three key sites, providing assessment, treatment and case management for children and young people up to 17 (18 if still in school)
- Youth Mental Health stream for 14–24-year-olds with first-episode psychosis and early mental illness
- Adolescent Day Program based at a co-located district hospital, offering structured sub-acute care for young people
- 24/7 Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre with a dedicated child, adolescent & youth stream, integrated with a busy tertiary ED (~50,000 presentations annually)
- Close working relationships with paediatrics, drug & alcohol services, specialist MH services for older people, and a full allied health team
You'll be joining an established consultant group with strong collegiate support, formal peer review, and a genuine culture of clinical supervision — not siloed solo practice.
About the Role
- Substantive Staff Specialist or Visiting Medical Officer appointment (open to discussion)
- Full-time or negotiated part-time fractions considered
- Mixed community caseload with opportunities to contribute to inpatient/PECC consult-liaison, youth stream, or the Adolescent Day Program depending on interest and experience
- Formal teaching, supervision of trainees and research time built into the role for those who want an academic profile
- Participation in a shared, sensibly rostered on-call arrangement with strong registrar support
What You'll Bring
- MBBS or equivalent and eligibility for specialist registration with AHPRA in Psychiatry
- FRANZCP with Certificate of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — OR
- Overseas-trained specialist assessed by the RANZCP as Substantially Comparable
- Demonstrated clinical experience in child and adolescent psychiatry across community and acute settings
- Excellent multidisciplinary teamwork, communication and consumer-and-family-centred approach
What's On Offer
- Highly competitive NSW Health Staff Specialist remuneration (Level 1–5, commensurate with experience), plus attractive VMO rates if preferred
- Salary packaging benefits (up to $9,010 living expenses + $2,650 meals & entertainment tax-free)
- Generous CPD allowance and study leave
- Full relocation assistance for interstate and international candidates, including support with AHPRA registration, family relocation, and housing
- Access to teaching, research and university appointments through a leading medical school
- Genuine work-life balance — most consultants live within 15 minutes of the hospital
- Dedicated support through the RANZCP Fellowship pathway for Substantially Comparable candidates, including supervision arrangements