Most job ads for technical leadership roles hide the actual day-to-day demands behind generic compliance language. This Townsville position at James Cook University lays them out plainly.

You will run the laboratory and technical support operation for anatomy and pathology teaching. That means directing a team that prepares specimens, manages the Human Bequest Program body donations, and keeps every activity inside strict legislative and safety rules.

The salary sits at HEWL 8 level: $111,960 to $128,567 plus up to 17 percent superannuation. Applications close 9 August 2026.

The role combines people leadership with hands-on technical oversight. You set strategy for the unit while staying close enough to operations that you can step in on complex embalming, prosection or dissection work when needed. Prosection involves careful removal and preparation of specific body structures so students see them clearly during classes. Embalming uses chemical preservatives to maintain tissue for months or years of repeated use in teaching.

You also handle governance for the Human Bequest Program. This JCU initiative accepts donations of bodies from northern Queensland residents for medical and health science education. Donors undergo a formal registration process, and the manager ensures all records stay confidential while meeting reporting obligations to state authorities.

Work health and safety forms the backbone of the job. You develop policies, deliver training, and audit facilities so staff and students work in a compliant environment. Queensland legislation sets the standards here, and the successful candidate brings proven experience applying those rules in a lab or clinical setting.

Special conditions apply. You need a current First Aid Certificate, a Queensland C-class driver licence, a Working with Children Blue Card, and documented Hepatitis B vaccination with serology results. The Blue Card is Queensland’s working-with-children check; it screens criminal history and other relevant information before anyone works in roles that could involve students or young people.

Strong organisational skills matter because the calendar includes teaching semesters, external client bookings, and donor program cycles. Problem-solving shows up daily when equipment fails, specimens need special handling, or stakeholder questions arrive from academics, hospital partners or donor families.

You already know the usual application mistakes. Generic cover letters that repeat the job ad get ignored. Resumes that list duties instead of measurable outcomes get filed away. Candidates who skip the ethical and licensing elements of the role signal they have not read the position description.

Here is the practical sequence that works for roles like this one.

1. Download the full position description from the JCU careers site and print it. Highlight every responsibility that mentions compliance, team leadership or technical preparation.
2. Map your last three roles against those highlights. Write one concrete example for each—such as “Led a four-person team through annual WHS audit with zero non-conformances” or “Managed donor consent records for 28 bodies in a single year while maintaining 100 percent confidentiality.”
3. Write the cover letter as a direct response to the first-ninety-days outcomes the ad implies: safe facilities, trained staff, compliant donor program, and reliable specimen supply for teaching.
4. Attach the required documents exactly as requested: current resume plus the tailored cover letter. No extra attachments unless the ad asks for them.

Applications go through the JCU portal. You complete the form, upload the two files, and submit before the 11:55 pm AEST deadline on 9 August.

Townsville offers the practical advantages of a regional university city. The Bebegu Yumba campus sits in tropical North Queensland with access to the Great Barrier Reef region and a growing health precinct. Relocation assistance can be negotiated for the right candidate.

JCU lists standard professional benefits including five weeks annual leave plus loading, 15 days sick or carer’s leave, up to six months paid parental leave, study assistance, and an employee assistance program. The superannuation rate reaches 17 percent through UniSuper.

One action this week will move you forward. Open the position description link on the JCU site, read it once, then spend thirty minutes listing your three strongest matching examples. That single list becomes the backbone of both your resume bullets and your cover letter.