Chief Executive Officer - New Venture

Who We Are

Black Dog Institute is a leading Australian medical research institute focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental ill-health.

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to become the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of a new commercial enterprise with an established brand, credible intellectual property and a significant opportunity for profitable growth.

The organisation is a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of Black Dog Institute focused on developing and scaling mental health programs and education services.

Reporting directly to an experienced Advisory Board, the CEO will establish and scale the company, strengthen and grow its existing portfolio, and develop new AI and technology-enabled products and revenue streams.

The role will suit a commercially driven leader who enjoys building businesses, winning customers and delivering measurable results. You will combine strategic leadership with a willingness to work hands-on in a scale-up environment, while maintaining the quality, trust and scientific integrity associated with Black Dog Institute.

Selection Criteria

• A proven track record of building or transforming a business through a discontinuity, whether a start-up, spin-out, carve-out, turnaround or investor-backed transformation, with full profit and loss accountability. Not incremental growth of an established, stable business.
• Translating intellectual property or research into commercial products, and owning the roadmap from concept to market.
• Demonstrated success selling complex B2B solutions to enterprise and government, personally and at senior level, ideally to risk, compliance, legal or board-level buyers, not only learning and development functions.
• Fluency in agentic AI and its commercial application, whether through building AI products directly or through leading and governing the development of AI-enabled operating models. Able to make deliberate architectural choices about how AI is embedded from day one, rather than retrofitting it.
• The judgement to balance commercial ambition with the evidence standards and reputation the Black Dog Institute name carries.
• Ideally, experience in a scale-up, start-up, spin-out or similarly entrepreneurial environment.
• The resilience, resourcefulness and tolerance for ambiguity required to build a new company while continuing to serve existing customers.

Experience as a CEO, General Manager or senior commercial executive in education and training, enterprise technology, digital learning, professional services, workplace mental health or an adjacent sector would be highly regarded.

How To Apply

Please send:

• Your curriculum vitae; and
• A cover letter of no more than one page addressing the selection criteria.
• Applications should be emailed to Sign in to view email

All applications and enquiries will be treated in confidence.

Inclusion at BDI

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience where all candidates can fully participate in the process.We warmly encourage applications from First Nations peoples, culturally and racially diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others from underrepresented backgrounds.

Accessibility

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