The Company
MDA National is a not-for-profit doctor’s mutual, also known as an MDO (Medical Defense Organisation). We exist solely to protect our members at every stage of their career and promote good medical practice throughout Australia. We have been supporting medical practitioners to keep on practicing with confidence since 1925. Remaining true to our ‘doctors for doctors’ ethos, we are owned and governed by doctors, caring for the wellbeing and interests of doctors.
We take pride in a workplace culture focused on people, collaborative relationships, and continuous improvement. With our commitment to personal growth and development, great leaders, and passion for excellent member service, we provide an environment which encourages you to be the best version of yourself.
The Role
Based out of our Sydney Office, Please read formal qualifications section before applying.
The Senior Manager, Clinical Support Services leads the Clinical Support Services function within the Claims, Advisory & Education (CAE) division and provides specialist clinical expertise to support internal decision making across claims, medico-legal matters, and high risk member management. This role ensures that the clinical team operates as an internal advisory function ensuring medico-legal advice, claims management strategies, educational content and underwriting decision-making are clinically sound, evidence-based, and aligned with contemporary medical practice standards.
The function plays a critical role in supporting the management of impaired practitioners and high-risk members, strengthening case strategy through clinical reviews, and contributing clinical insight to governance forums and industry engagement activities. Clinical Support Services maintains clear professional boundaries by focusing on internal clinical support, rather than providing direct clinical advice to members.
While the function operates as an internal advisory body, the Senior Manager’s influence extends beyond the CAE division, providing portfolio-level clinical insight that drives risk prevention, informs underwriting decisions, and supports the organisation’s broader strategic objectives.
Key Deliverables and Responsibilities
Strategic Clinical Leadership
- Set the strategic direction and operating model for the Clinical Support Services function, ensuring clinical expertise is applied consistently, rigorously, and in alignment with organisational strategy and risk appetite.
- Provide portfolio-level clinical risk insight, contributing expert medical perspective to governance forums, including the Underwriting Committee, and informing organisational risk decisions with evidence-based clinical analysis.
- Identify and monitor emerging clinical risks and trends, translating medico-legal and clinical intelligence into actionable insights that inform underwriting, education priorities, and proactive risk prevention strategies.
- Represent the organisation’s clinical perspective in industry engagement, regulatory forums, and external stakeholder interactions, strengthening the organisation’s profile as a clinically credible and trusted medical defence organisation.
Clinical Governance & Quality
- Establish and maintain robust clinical governance frameworks, ensuring all clinical reviews, advice, and recommendations are evidence-based, professionally defensible, and consistent with current medical standards and practice.
- Provide oversight and quality assurance across all clinical outputs produced by the team, maintaining the integrity and accuracy of clinical advice informing medico-legal strategy, claims decisions, and risk management.
- Ensure the clinical advisory capability remains contemporaneous, drawing on evolving clinical evidence, medical standards, and regulatory developments to continuously strengthen internal practice.
Complex & High-Risk Matter Management
- Lead the clinical response to complex, sensitive, and high-risk matters, including impaired practitioner management, high-risk member reviews, and requests for clinical support on significant claims or medico-legal cases.
- Participate as an active member of the medico-legal call roster.
- Ensure member-facing clinical support is accurate, empathetic, and reflective of contemporary medical practice, maintaining the organisation’s commitment to member wellbeing.
- Oversee the delivery of the Doctors for Doctors service, ensuring it operates with appropriate clinical rigour and sensitivity.
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Drive meaningful collaboration with Claims, Medico-Legal, Education, and Underwriting functions, ensuring clinical insight is embedded throughout the claims lifecycle, prevention activities, and portfolio risk management.
- Contribute clinical expertise to case strategy discussions, committee deliberations, and cross-functional initiatives.
- Participate in clinically-led events, industry engagements, and MDA education and risk prevention activities in line with agreed organisational priorities.
Operational Leadership
- Develop and maintain practices, procedures, and protocols that ensure Clinical Support Services operates efficiently, consistently, and to a high standard.
- Lead, coach, and develop direct reports by setting clear expectations, providing regular constructive feedback, and conducting performance reviews to build capability and ensure alignment with organisational priorities.
- Foster a safe, inclusive, and high-performing team culture that models accountability, open communication, and continuous learning.
- Recognise and reward high-quality work and behaviours that embody the organisation’s values, cultivating a motivated and collaborative team environment.
Skills, Experience and Qualifications
Behavioral Capabilities
- Proactive and results-oriented, approaches complex clinical and organisational challenges with sound judgment and a constructive mindset.
- Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and a commitment to remaining current with evolving medical evidence, practice standards, and regulatory developments.
- Highly collaborative, builds and sustains trusted relationships across clinical, legal, and operational functions.
- Demonstrates accountability, resilience, and adaptability in navigating a complex and dynamic operating environment.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate clinical complexity into clear, actionable guidance for legal, operational, and executive audiences.
Technical Capabilities & Professional Experience
- Established standing as a clinical authority, with the ability to provide expert medical opinion that is credible, evidence-based, and defensible.
- Substantive clinical experience, underpinning a deep and current understanding of medical practice, clinical standards, and the challenges faced by healthcare practitioners.
- Proficient knowledge of financial services and insurance, with medical indemnity experience highly regarded.
- Demonstrated ability to provide strategic clinical advice at senior management level.
- Proven leadership capability, including experience leading and developing high-performing clinical or advisory teams.
- Strong project management skills across strategy and operations.
Formal Qualifications
- Medical degree and current or prior registration with AHPRA — essential.
- Postgraduate qualifications in a relevant clinical specialty, medico-legal practice, or health law — highly regarded.
What’s on offer?
- Attractive remuneration.
- Fantastic opportunity to join a well-established organisation with an outstanding team culture.
- Contemporary approach to staff development.
- Commitment to flexible working including a hybrid working environment.
- Modern St Leonard’s Office Location
- 24/7 access to Employee Assistance Program.
- HBF health insurance discount option.
- Generous health & wellbeing allowance in addition to salary package.
- Income protection insurance.
- 1 week of MDAN Additional Leave per annum.
- Up to 10 weeks Paid Parental Leave.
- Opportunity to purchase 2 weeks additional leave per year.
How to Apply
Please click the ‘Apply’ button and upload a copy of your CV.
Please also endeavor to include a cover letter as we are interested in getting to know as much about you as we can via your application!
For further information on MDA National’s work, culture and values, please visit:
Our website: https://www.mdanational.com.au/
Our social media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/118617/
To obtain a copy of the position description or to speak about this role in greater detail, please contact Nick Prest via email at humanresources@mdanational.com.au.
