Director of Nursing in aged care: salary and role guide 2026

The Director of Nursing is the most senior clinical leadership role in a residential aged care facility. It's also one of the most demanding — and, in the current regulatory environment, one of the most consequential.

Over more than 20 years recruiting across aged care and purpose-driven sectors, I've seen the DON role evolve enormously. What was once primarily a clinical supervision position has become a complex leadership function that spans clinical governance, regulatory accountability, workforce management, and strategic planning. The expectations have risen sharply, and the salary market has moved to reflect that.

If you're a registered nurse considering this career step, or an aged care provider trying to understand what this role is worth in the current market, this guide gives you a realistic, up-to-date picture — grounded in what I'm actually seeing in placements across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

What does a Director of Nursing do?

The Director of Nursing holds strategic accountability for the clinical quality and safety of everything that happens in a residential aged care facility. This isn't just clinical oversight — it's a governance function that sits at the intersection of clinical practice, regulatory compliance, workforce leadership, and strategic planning.

The core responsibilities of the role include:

• Clinical governance — establishing, implementing, and continuously improving the facility's clinical governance framework, including risk management, medication management, infection control, incident investigation, and quality improvement programmes
• Regulatory accountability — ensuring the facility meets its obligations under the Aged Care Act 2024, the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (effective 1 November 2025), and the Aged Care Rules 2025; managing ACQSC audits and responding to compliance notices
• AN-ACC oversight — holding senior accountability for the Australian National Aged Care Classification assessment process, ensuring residents are accurately classified and that the facility's funding position reflects the actual complexity of care being delivered
• Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) — holding responsibility for identifying, investigating, and reporting notifiable incidents under SIRS; building a facility culture where incidents are surfaced and addressed, not minimised
• Workforce leadership — managing and developing the clinical team across registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and personal care workers; setting clinical standards; building professional development pathways; and maintaining the 24/7 registered nurse coverage now mandated by the Aged Care Rules
• Statement of Rights — embedding a rights-based approach to care delivery consistent with the Statement of Rights introduced under the new Aged Care Act, ensuring residents and their families can access information, advocate for themselves, and raise concerns safely
• Strategic planning — contributing to the facility's strategic direction, including workforce planning, service development, and quality investment priorities; reporting to the CEO or executive team on clinical performance indicators
• Stakeholder relationships — managing complex relationships with residents and their families, GPs, allied health professionals, specialist services, and the ACQSC

Under the Strengthened Quality Standards, the clinical governance requirements that sit with this role are more detailed and more rigorously assessed than ever before. Standard 5 (Clinical Care) and Standard 2 (The Organisation) together require providers to demonstrate — with evidence — that suitably qualified clinical leadership is in place, that the workforce has the skills and knowledge the standards require, and that clinical quality is improving over time, not just maintained.

The DON is the person who makes that demonstration possible, or impossible.

Director of Nursing vs Clinical Manager vs Facility Manager

Three titles that frequently appear in aged care leadership discussions — and that are often confused, particularly by people outside the sector. The distinction matters, both for career planning and for providers building a leadership structure.

Director of Nursing (DON) or Director of Clinical Services (DCS)

The most senior clinical role in the facility. The DON holds strategic and governance-level accountability for all clinical services — they don't just manage the clinical team, they own the clinical governance framework and are responsible for its effectiveness. In multi-site organisations, a DON may hold accountability across several facilities. The role reports directly to the CEO or General Manager and typically has a seat at the senior leadership table.

Title conventions vary. "Director of Nursing" and "Director of Clinical Services" are used interchangeably across the sector. Some providers also use "Clinical Services Director." The responsibilities are broadly consistent regardless of title.

Clinical Manager (or Clinical Care Manager)

In larger facilities, the clinical manager sits below the DON in the leadership hierarchy, with operational accountability for the day-to-day delivery of clinical quality — supervising nursing staff, reviewing care plans, managing clinical rosters, and supporting the governance framework established by the DON. In smaller facilities (generally under 60 beds), the clinical manager and DON may be the same role.

For a detailed breakdown of the clinical manager role, qualifications, and career path, see our clinical manager in aged care role guide.

Facility Manager (or Aged Care Facility Manager)

A distinct and complementary leadership function. The facility manager is accountable for the overall operational and financial management of the facility — hospitality, maintenance, administration, occupancy, and budget — as well as the organisation's compliance performance at a facility level. The facility manager may or may not have a clinical background. In most facilities, the DON and facility manager work closely together, with the DON holding clinical accountability and the facility manager holding operational accountability.

The short version: the DON owns clinical quality and governance; the clinical manager owns day-to-day clinical delivery (in larger facilities); the facility manager owns operations and finance. Understanding these distinctions is important for both candidates and providers structuring leadership teams.

Director of Nursing salary overview

Salary ranges for Directors of Nursing in aged care vary significantly depending on facility size, provider type, geography, and the scope of the role. Based on what I'm seeing in the market — across placements and candidate conversations across 2024 and 2025 — here's a realistic picture.

Overall range

Directors of Nursing in residential aged care typically earn between $130,000 and $170,000 in base salary. The spread reflects meaningful differences in role scope — a DON in a 50-bed NFP facility carries a materially different workload and accountability profile than a DON in a 200-bed private facility. Roles at the upper end of the range generally involve larger or more complex sites, multi-site accountability, significant leadership team management, and board-level reporting.

By facility size

In larger facilities, the DON role often carries a broader strategic mandate — contributing to workforce planning, quality investment decisions, and sometimes multi-site clinical oversight. Providers in this tier are competing for a smaller pool of candidates with the right combination of governance experience, leadership capability, and regulatory knowledge, and salaries reflect that.

By provider type

NFP providers typically offer base salaries at the mid-to-lower end of the range but have access to salary packaging arrangements that can make a significant difference to take-home pay. Employees of NFP aged care providers that are Public Benevolent Institutions (PBIs) or health promotion charities can package up to $15,900 of their pre-tax salary as a living expenses benefit under ATO FBT exemptions, effectively reducing their taxable income. At a salary of $145,000, this can translate to several thousand dollars of additional take-home pay annually — a material benefit that's worth factoring into any salary comparison with private operators.

Private (for-profit) providers typically offer higher base salaries than their NFP counterparts and don't offer salary packaging benefits. For DON-level roles, private operators in competitive metro markets — particularly Sydney — tend to lead the market on base salary.

Government-operated residential aged care (state government aged care services, public hospital-affiliated facilities) follows Award and enterprise agreement structures that may sit at the lower end of the DON salary range but generally include strong leave entitlements and defined superannuation benefits.

By location

Geography has a meaningful impact on DON salaries, consistent with the broader cost-of-living and workforce supply dynamics across Australian states and regions.

• New South Wales (Sydney) — highest average, driven by cost of living and competition from both private providers and hospital-affiliated services
• Victoria (Melbourne) — broadly in line with national averages; competitive across NFP and private providers
• Queensland — slightly below NSW/VIC at the mid range; regional Queensland is an exception (see below)
• Regional and remote locations — salary loadings of 10–20% above metropolitan equivalents are common across the sector for DON roles, reflecting workforce supply constraints. Some providers also offer relocation assistance, accommodation support, or additional leave provisions to attract candidates to regional postings

For a broader view of how salary and workforce dynamics are shaping the sector, see our analysis of aged care workforce challenges in Australia.

Senior RN or clinical manager considering the step to Director of Nursing? Patterson Recruitment places DON and Director of Clinical Services roles across NFP and private aged care providers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and nationally. Gab Patterson has 20+ years' experience in purpose-driven recruitment and a strong network of senior clinical candidates who aren't always visible on job boards. Register your interest here and we'll be in touch.

Qualifications and requirements

Non-negotiable essentials

Current AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse (RN)

This is the foundational requirement — not optional, not negotiable. Under the Aged Care Rules 2025, the person responsible for clinical care delivery in a residential aged care facility must hold current, unconditional AHPRA registration as a registered nurse. The DON is that person. AHPRA registration must be maintained throughout employment, and providers are required to verify and document it as part of their workforce governance obligations under Standard 2 (The Organisation).

Bachelor of Nursing (or equivalent recognised qualification)

The pathway to AHPRA RN registration requires a Bachelor of Nursing, or a pre-2000 equivalent qualification that AHPRA has assessed as equivalent. Enrolled nurses — regardless of experience or seniority — cannot hold a DON role. The registered nurse qualification is the regulatory threshold, and there are no exceptions.

Substantial aged care clinical and leadership experience

Most providers recruiting for DON roles expect a minimum of ten years' post-registration nursing experience, with significant time in aged care at a clinical management level. Candidates who have moved directly from acute care or other healthcare settings without substantive aged care experience will generally find it difficult to be competitive for DON roles — the regulatory specificity of the aged care environment, and the current complexity of that regulatory environment, makes sector experience genuinely important.

Strongly expected at DON level

Knowledge of the Aged Care Act 2024 and Strengthened Quality Standards

The new regulatory framework that commenced 1 November 2025 is now the operating environment. DON candidates who cannot demonstrate working knowledge of the Strengthened Quality Standards, the Statement of Rights, provider obligations under the new Act, and the ACQSC's assessment approach are at a genuine disadvantage in a recruitment process. Providers need a DON who can lead the organisation through the new requirements, not learn them on the job.

AN-ACC expertise

The Australian National Aged Care Classification funding model has been the residential aged care funding system since 2022. A DON is expected to hold senior accountability for AN-ACC accuracy — understanding how assessments are conducted, how classifications translate to funding (currently $295.64 per resident per day), and how to identify and address under-classification. This is a clinical governance and financial sustainability function, and providers expect DON candidates to be across it.

Postgraduate qualifications in clinical leadership or health management

A Graduate Certificate or Master's in Aged Care, Clinical Leadership, Health Management, or a related field is not a universal requirement, but it's increasingly common among competitive DON applicants. Postgraduate study signals commitment to senior clinical leadership and often brings governance, quality improvement, and strategic planning skills that translate directly to the role.

Experience with ACQSC audits and compliance management

Demonstrated experience preparing for and managing Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission performance assessments — particularly under the Strengthened Quality Standards — is highly valued. Candidates who have led a facility through an audit, managed a compliance action, or implemented a quality improvement plan in response to ACQSC findings stand out.

Career path to Director of Nursing

There's no single route to a DON role, but there's a well-established pathway that the overwhelming majority of Directors of Nursing have followed. The consistent pattern is a career built through progressive clinical and leadership responsibility in aged care — not a sprint, but a considered progression that builds the governance depth and organisational judgement the role requires.

Stage 1: Registered Nurse

Everything begins here. After completing a Bachelor of Nursing and obtaining AHPRA registration, the early career phase is about building clinical competency — developing nursing practice, understanding aged care resident populations, and beginning to build the sector-specific knowledge that DON-level roles will eventually require.

Typical timeframe: 2–4 years as a bedside RN before the first leadership move.

Stage 2: Senior Registered Nurse or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

The step into a senior clinical role — either through expanded responsibilities as a Senior RN, or through a clinical specialisation in dementia care, palliative care, wound management, or another discipline common in aged care. This stage builds clinical depth, introduces mentoring and education responsibilities, and begins to develop the quality improvement literacy that senior leadership demands.

Typical timeframe: 2–3 years.

Stage 3: Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) or Clinical Care Coordinator

The most significant leadership transition on the pathway. As a Nurse Unit Manager, the candidate takes on management accountability for a clinical team, owns care quality for a unit, and begins to develop the governance, compliance, and operational skills that clinical management demands. This is typically also the stage where postgraduate study happens — a Graduate Certificate in Aged Care or Health Management strengthens the candidate's candidacy for the next step.

Typical timeframe: 2–4 years.

Stage 4: Clinical Manager

Full facility-wide clinical accountability — overseeing nursing staff across the facility, owning the clinical governance framework, managing AN-ACC processes, and working alongside the facility manager to ensure clinical and operational quality align. At this stage, the aspiring DON should be developing their governance expertise, building their ACQSC experience, and demonstrating the strategic capability that the DON role requires.

Typical timeframe: 2–4 years at clinical manager level before progression to DON, though the timeline varies considerably depending on facility size, governance complexity, and individual capability.

Stage 5: Director of Nursing

Total pathway from RN qualification to DON: typically 8–15 years. The lower end reflects candidates who have moved quickly through strong mentorship, targeted professional development, and progressive accountability in growing organisations. The upper end reflects a more typical progression — or candidates who have taken deliberate time at each stage to build depth before moving on.

The DON role isn't a destination reached by ticking boxes — it's the culmination of a career built through genuine engagement with clinical quality, governance, and leadership. Providers can tell the difference, and so can candidates who've built their career thoughtfully.

The DON role in 2026 — post-Royal Commission

The Director of Nursing role has changed more in the last five years than in the previous twenty. Understanding the current regulatory and operating environment isn't background knowledge for a DON candidate — it's core to the role.

The Aged Care Act 2024 and the rights-based framework

The new Aged Care Act commenced on 1 November 2025, replacing the Aged Care Act 1997 and introducing a fundamentally different legal framework for the sector. The new Act is rights-based — it places the rights and dignity of older Australians at the centre of provider obligations, rather than treating residents as recipients of a government-funded service.

For a DON, this means leading a clinical programme that goes beyond compliance with minimum standards. The Statement of Rights — which guarantees residents' access to information, choice, advocacy, and dignity — must be embedded in how care is planned, delivered, and reviewed. This is a cultural and governance challenge as much as a clinical one.

Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards

The Strengthened Quality Standards consolidate the previous eight standards into seven, with more explicit clinical requirements, a standalone governance standard, and more rigorous expectations of provider accountability. Standard 5 (Clinical Care) and Standard 2 (The Organisation) are the standards with the most direct bearing on the DON function. The ACQSC has been clear that common compliance failures include inadequate clinical leadership, poor governance documentation, and workforce training records that don't demonstrate actual competency.

A DON who understands the new standards — not as a checklist but as a governance framework — is a genuine asset to any provider navigating the current environment.

The 24/7 registered nurse mandate

The requirement for at least one registered nurse on duty in residential aged care facilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week, became mandatory under the Aged Care Rules. For a DON, this has direct implications for rostering, workforce planning, and the management of staffing gaps. Ensuring 24/7 RN coverage is not just an operational task — it's a governance accountability that sits with the DON.

AN-ACC and funding reform

The Australian National Aged Care Classification model has made AN-ACC accuracy a financial and governance priority for every residential aged care provider. At the DON level, this means holding accountability not just for individual assessments but for the facility's overall classification position — reviewing assessment processes, identifying residents who may be under-classified, and ensuring the clinical team has the skills and protocols to capture funding accurately. The AN-ACC price increased to $295.64 per resident per day from October 2025, with further adjustments expected as the model matures.

SIRS and a culture of disclosure

The Serious Incident Response Scheme requires providers to identify, investigate, and report serious incidents involving residents — and to have systems in place that make reporting genuinely safe for workers. For a DON, SIRS compliance is only the floor. The goal is a facility culture where incidents surface because staff feel supported to raise them, root causes are investigated honestly, and care systems are genuinely improved in response. Providers that treat SIRS as a reporting obligation rather than a quality improvement mechanism are missing the point — and so are DON candidates who approach it the same way.

The combined weight of these reforms has made the Director of Nursing role more complex and more important than it has ever been. Providers who invest in attracting and retaining strong DON-level leadership are making an investment in the safety, quality, and regulatory standing of their entire operation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary for a Director of Nursing in aged care in Australia?

Based on current market data, Directors of Nursing in residential aged care earn between $130,000 and $170,000 in base salary, with the range reflecting facility size, provider type, and location. Small facilities (under 60 beds) typically sit at $130,000–$145,000; large facilities (120+ beds) and those with complex governance requirements can reach $170,000 or above. NFP providers often sit at the mid-to-lower base salary end but offer salary packaging arrangements that can substantially improve take-home pay.

Do you need to be a Registered Nurse to become a Director of Nursing in aged care?

Yes — and this is a regulatory requirement, not a preference. Under the Aged Care Rules 2025, the person responsible for clinical care delivery in a residential aged care facility must hold current AHPRA registration as a registered nurse. There are no pathways to a DON role for enrolled nurses or candidates without RN registration, regardless of experience.

How long does it take to become a Director of Nursing in aged care?

Most Directors of Nursing have built their careers over 8–15 years from initial RN registration. The typical pathway progresses through Senior RN or Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Unit Manager, and Clinical Manager before reaching DON level. High-performing candidates with strong mentorship and targeted development can move through the stages faster; some candidates take more time to build depth at each stage before progressing.

What's the difference between a Director of Nursing and a Clinical Manager in aged care?

In larger facilities, these are distinct roles. The Clinical Manager holds operational accountability for day-to-day clinical delivery — supervising nursing staff, managing care plans, and supporting the clinical governance framework. The Director of Nursing holds strategic and governance-level accountability for all clinical services — setting the governance framework, managing regulatory relationships, and reporting to the CEO or executive team. In smaller facilities (generally under 60 beds), the same person may hold both roles. For a detailed breakdown, see our clinical manager in aged care role guide.

Does working for a not-for-profit aged care provider pay less than private operators?

Base salaries at NFP providers for DON-level roles can be slightly lower than those at private operators, but this doesn't always translate to lower total remuneration. NFP aged care providers that are Public Benevolent Institutions (PBIs) can offer salary packaging of up to $15,900 in pre-tax income as a living expenses benefit under ATO FBT provisions, which can add several thousand dollars annually to effective take-home pay. Candidates comparing NFP and private offers should always calculate total remuneration — not just base salary.

What are the biggest challenges facing Directors of Nursing in aged care in 2026?

From the conversations I'm having with DONs across the sector, the three most consistent challenges are: navigating the Strengthened Quality Standards and the new Aged Care Act with the governance rigour they demand; maintaining 24/7 RN coverage in an environment of ongoing nursing workforce shortages; and managing SIRS obligations while building the disclosure culture that makes the scheme genuinely effective. The AN-ACC complexity adds a fourth dimension — ensuring the facility's funding position accurately reflects the care complexity of its resident population. None of these challenges are insurmountable, but they require DON candidates who are genuinely across the regulatory environment and who approach governance as a leadership function, not an administrative one.

Looking for a Director of Nursing or Director of Clinical Services? Patterson Recruitment places clinical leadership roles across NFP and private aged care providers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and nationally. Every search is personally led by Gab Patterson — no handoffs, no junior recruiters. Gab has 20+ years' experience and a deep network of senior clinical candidates, including many who aren't actively advertising themselves. Book a consultation with Gab or call 0416 170 100 to discuss your search.

Sources

• Australian Government — Aged Care Act 2024
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Strengthened Quality Standards
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Standard 5: Clinical care
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Standard 2: The Organisation
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS)
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — AN-ACC funding model
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — AN-ACC Funding Guide, Version 1.20, September 2025
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — 24/7 Registered Nurse responsibility
• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) — Registered Nurse registration standards
• Fair Work Ombudsman — Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034)
• Fair Work Ombudsman — Aged Care Award 2010 (MA000018)
• Australian Taxation Office — Salary packaging for Public Benevolent Institutions and health promotion charities
• Jobs and Skills Australia — Registered Nurses (Aged Care)
• AIHW — Aged care workforce
• Mirus Australia — AN-ACC funding components

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