Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Manager – Home and Community Care

🎯 Role Definition

The Manager – Home and Community Care is a senior operational and clinical leader responsible for the delivery, quality and sustainability of in‑home and community‑based services. This role blends strategic program management, clinical governance, workforce leadership, and stakeholder engagement to ensure safe, person‑centred care, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement across home care, community nursing, allied health, case management and support services.

Key SEO phrases: home care manager, community care manager, care coordination, case management, clinical governance, home and community health services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Case Manager / Senior Community Nurse with demonstrated team leadership.
Program Coordinator or Team Leader in home care, community health, or aged care.
Clinical Nurse Consultant or Allied Health Lead transitioning to operational management.

Advancement To:

Regional Manager, Home & Community Services
Director of Community Health / Director of Home Care Operations
Head of Aged & Community Services or Executive Manager, Primary & Community Care

Lateral Moves:

Clinical Governance Manager
Quality & Compliance Manager (Healthcare)
Workforce & Training Manager (Community Services)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the day‑to‑day operations of home and community care programs, ensuring service delivery aligns with organisational strategy, funding agreements (e.g., NDIS, Medicaid/Medicare, Local Health District contracts) and client outcomes.
Develop, implement and monitor service delivery models and care pathways that improve client independence, transition of care, reablement and community integration.
Directly manage, mentor and develop a multidisciplinary team (community nurses, allied health clinicians, care coordinators, support workers), including recruitment, performance management, rostering and workforce planning to meet demand.
Oversee clinical governance and quality frameworks across home visits and community services, ensuring evidence‑based practice, clinical supervision, competency assessments and clinical escalation pathways are in place and actively used.
Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, accreditation standards, funding body requirements and organisational policies (including infection prevention and control, privacy, medication management and duty of care).
Develop and manage program budgets, control costs, allocate resources effectively and produce monthly/quarterly financial and KPI reports for senior leadership and funders.
Lead development and continuous improvement of individualised care plans and case management processes to ensure person‑centred care, risk mitigation and clear outcome measurement.
Implement and optimise electronic health records (EHR/EMR), client management systems and rostering platforms to improve documentation quality, data capture, referral workflows and reporting accuracy.
Manage referrals, intake and triage processes to prioritise service allocation, reduce waitlists and ensure equitable access for vulnerable, rural and culturally diverse populations.
Establish and oversee incident reporting, complaints management and critical incident reviews; lead root cause analyses and implement corrective actions to reduce recurrence.
Design and deliver workforce training, orientation and competency programs including mandatory training, clinical upskilling and cultural safety education to maintain high standards of care.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with hospitals, primary care, aged care providers, social services, housing and community organisations to support seamless transitions and integrated care.
Lead contract management activities—negotiating service agreements, monitoring funder deliverables and preparing tender responses and funding proposals related to community services.
Drive population health initiatives and outreach programs (e.g., chronic disease management, falls prevention, health promotion) tailored to community needs and organisational priorities.
Monitor and report on quality indicators, performance metrics and client satisfaction surveys; use data to drive service redesign, continuous improvement initiatives and evidence‑based decision making.
Provide clinical leadership for complex case reviews, palliative and end‑of‑life care planning, risk escalation and multidisciplinary case conferences.
Champion culturally safe, trauma‑informed and person‑centred care practices; implement strategies to improve access and outcomes for Indigenous peoples, CALD communities and other priority cohorts.
Oversee medication safety in community settings by implementing medication reconciliation processes, training staff on safe administration and liaising with prescribers and pharmacists.
Coordinate emergency preparedness and business continuity planning for home and community services, including pandemic response, natural disaster protocols and contingency rostering.
Lead recruitment, retention and staff wellbeing initiatives to reduce turnover, improve morale and promote a resilient, high‑performing workforce.
Ensure privacy, consent and confidentiality practices are upheld across home visits, telehealth consultations and digital communications.
Facilitate regular stakeholder engagement—community forums, clinical governance committees, advisory groups and consumer representative meetings—to incorporate lived experience into service design.
Plan and oversee outreach and telehealth programs to extend reach into rural and underserved areas while monitoring clinical effectiveness and client satisfaction.

Secondary Functions

Support program evaluation, grant reporting and outcome measurement using quantitative and qualitative data; prepare clear reports for funders, boards and external auditors.
Contribute to organisational strategic planning by providing operational insights, demand forecasting and recommendations for service expansion or consolidation.
Collaborate with IT and digital teams to specify requirements for telehealth platforms, mobile documentation and secure client portals.
Participate in cross‑sector working groups addressing discharge planning, reablement strategies and social determinants of health.
Mentor emerging leaders and support succession planning by facilitating leadership development, shadowing and formal mentorship programs.
Oversee procurement of clinical supplies, assistive technology and home modifications aligned with client safety and funding constraints.
Coordinate volunteer programs and community partnerships to enhance social support and reduce isolation for clients.
Provide expert input to policy reviews, accreditation preparations and external audit responses related to home and community care services.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Clinical leadership in home and community health: community nursing, case management or allied health supervision.
Care coordination and case management: assessment, care planning, reassessment and multidisciplinary case conferencing.
Regulatory & funding compliance: knowledge of NDIS, Medicare/Medicaid, local health regulations, aged care standards and accreditation processes.
Risk management & incident investigation: root cause analysis, corrective action plans and safety culture promotion.
Budgeting & financial management: program budgeting, variance analysis and funding reports.
Electronic health records (EHR/EMR) and care management systems proficiency (e.g., Pathways, CareSystems, Cliniko, TiMMS, MyHealthRecord).
Quality improvement methodologies: PDSA, Lean, Six Sigma or continuous quality improvement tools.
Data analysis & KPI reporting: extracting, interpreting and presenting service performance and outcome metrics.
Workforce management tools: rostering, time & attendance systems and staff scheduling optimization.
Contract management & tender writing: preparing service agreements, funding proposals and delivering on contractual KPIs.
Telehealth and digital health delivery models: remote monitoring, virtual consultations and digital engagement.
Medication safety systems and community medication reconciliation processes.

Soft Skills

Strategic leadership with the ability to translate strategy into operational plans.
High emotional intelligence and clinical judgement in complex, high‑risk situations.
Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership building across health, social and community sectors.
Excellent verbal and written communication: reporting, presentations and consumer engagement.
Change management and the ability to lead teams through service redesign.
Cultural competence and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Problem solving and critical thinking with a continuous improvement mindset.
Coaching and mentoring skills to develop clinical and operational capability.
Resilience, adaptability and ability to manage competing priorities.
Client‑centred advocacy and the capacity to incorporate lived experience into service design.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Social Work, Allied Health, Health Administration or related field.

Preferred Education:

Postgraduate qualification in Health Management, Public Health, Nursing (Master’s or Graduate Diploma) or Business Administration (MBA).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nursing
Social Work
Allied Health (Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology)
Health Administration / Public Health
Health Services Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10+ years in community health, home care, aged care or related clinical services, including at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or management role.

Preferred:

7+ years’ progressive experience with a track record of operational leadership in home and community care programs.
Demonstrated experience managing funded programs (NDIS, Medicare/Medicaid, state health contracts) and meeting contractual KPIs.
Experience with accreditation processes, clinical governance frameworks and quality improvement initiatives.
Prior success in workforce planning, rostering, budget management and cross‑sector stakeholder engagement.