Principal Dietitian

Reporting to the Head, Dietetics, you will a senior clinical expert who provides evidence-based medical nutrition therapy and leads specialized dietetics services within a designated clinical domain. The role is responsible for managing complex patient care, driving service development, maintaining clinical excellence, and ensuring high standards of professional practice.

The Principal Dietitian leads clinical education, staff development, quality improvement, research translation and service innovation initiatives while working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to meet the organisation's clinical and strategic objectives. The role also provides supervision and mentorship to dietitians and contributes to departmental planning and operational management.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a clinical expert in a specialised area of dietetics practice.
• Conducts advanced nutrition assessment, diagnosis, intervention and monitoring for patients with complex nutritional needs and multiple co-morbidities.
• Leads the development, implementation and review of clinical practice guidelines, workflows and work instructions within the specialty area.
• Participates actively in multidisciplinary care planning and clinical decision-making.
• Leads service development initiatives and evaluates the effectiveness of clinical services.
• Supervises, coaches and mentors senior and junior dietitians.
• Conducts clinical competency assessments and supports the professional development of staff.
• Plans and delivers clinical education programmes for students, dietitians and healthcare professionals.
• Develops and reviews patient education resources and nutrition education materials.
• Leads or participates in quality improvement, audit and service improvement initiatives.
• Leads or participates in research activities and facilitates the translation of research findings into practice.
• Supports workforce planning and operational requirements within assigned specialty areas.
• Participates in departmental strategic planning and service development initiatives.
• Manages patient feedback, service recovery and stakeholder concerns as required.
• Performs administrative and operational duties and deputises for the designated leader when required.

Essential Qualification Required and Area of Discipline

• Recognised Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics; OR
• Recognised Master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics; OR
• Recognised Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics.
• Completion of a recognised clinical dietetics internship.
• At least 8 years of experience in clinical dietetics preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced training or certification in specialised clinical nutrition areas would be advantageous.
• Active involvement in research, education or professional leadership roles would be advantageous.

Required Competencies and Capabilities (Skills, Experiences and Professional Licences)

Clinical Leadership

• Demonstrates advanced competency in specialised clinical dietetics practice.
• Manages or advises on highly complex and novel patient cases.
• Applies expert clinical reasoning and evidence-based decision-making.
• Identifies variation in practice and translates evidence into clinical standards.
• Determines when escalation, referral, additional expertise or formal credentialing is required.

Educational and Clinical Support

• Leads clinical teaching and supervision within an assigned specialty, programme or section.
• Guides Senior Dietitians in supervising junior dietitians, interns and students.
• Develops or reviews clinical supervision guidance and competency-development approaches.
• Designs, delivers and evaluates specialised education programmes for dietitians, students and other healthcare professionals.
• Identifies capability gaps and establishes learning plans to support safe, independent practice.

Strategy, Service and Programme Leadership

• Leads an assigned clinical specialty, programme, workgroup or section and remains accountable for agreed deliverables.
• Translates organisational and departmental priorities into specialty or programme plans.
• Establishes performance indicators and monitors progress within the assigned portfolio.
• Leads change implementation and evaluates its clinical, service, workforce and patient impact.
• Supports workforce and resource planning for the assigned portfolio.
• Contributes to departmental strategic planning.

Quality and Service Improvement, Safety and Research

• Leads clinical governance, quality assurance and audit activities within the assigned specialty, programme or section.
• Leads research, quality improvement, service improvement or programme-evaluation initiatives.
• Translates findings into clinical guidelines, workflows, education or service redesign.
• Defines relevant outcome measures and evaluates the impact of improvement initiatives.
• Guides staff in research translation, evidence appraisal and responsible innovation.

Digital, Data and Responsible Innovation

• Leads the implementation and optimisation of approved digital-care and data-enabled workflows within the specialty or service area.
• Guides the responsible use of artificial intelligence and automation in accordance with professional and organisational governance requirements.
• Uses clinical, workforce and service data to support service planning, evaluation and decision-making.
• Evaluates the benefits, limitations and risks of digital technologies within the specialty area.
• Supports the development of standards, workflows and governance processes for safe and effective digital practice.
• Develops staff capability and supports the adoption of digital technologies within the service area.

Leadership and Workforce Development

• Leads workforce capability development within the specialty or service area.
• Supervises, mentors and develops senior and junior dietitians.
• Identifies workforce risks and implements appropriate mitigation strategies within the service area.
• Supports succession planning, talent development and sustainable workforce deployment.
• Promotes staff wellbeing, a continuous learning culture and professional growth.
• Fosters an inclusive, collaborative and accountable workplace culture.

Communication and Stakeholder Management

• Demonstrates excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Builds effective multidisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
• Manages feedback, complaints and service recovery effectively.

Professional Requirements

• Demonstrates commitment to continuing professional development and reflective practice.
• Works effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrates a customer-service-oriented and patient-centred approach.
• Maintains high standards of professionalism, integrity and patient-centred practice.
• Possesses substantial clinical dietetics experience with demonstrated leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrates the capability to lead employees, leaders, projects and functions.