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Hospitals 26 May 2023

Senior Executive Director Trent Burke on delivering high-quality infrastructure

Our senior executive directors lead teams delivering the Victorian Government’s multi-billion-dollar health infrastructure program.

This includes planning and building new public hospitals and emergency care, mental health, ambulance and residential aged care facilities. Working with health services and industry partners, we deliver new health services and models of care to ensure our public health system meets the current and future needs of Victorians.

Headshot of Trent Burke, He is wearing a white shirt a black jacket and standing behind a grey wall.

Meet Trent Burke, Senior Executive Director in the Delivery unit at the Victorian Health Building Authority.

Trent oversees the management of around $4 billion of health infrastructure projects across Victoria, leading multidisciplinary teams.

What projects are you working on?

There are three teams in my portfolio who manage the delivery of public health, mental health and residential aged care infrastructure projects. Each has a selection of specialists including project managers and project directors with a breadth of scale and experience across the teams.

Some of our larger projects include the $675-million-dollar community hospitals program. All the way down to delivering new Ambulance Victoria branches for two or three million dollars.

What projects are you passionate about?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a change in the need for mental health support, whether that be bricks and mortar or online consultations.

So, some of the highlight projects we are working on in the mental health portfolio include the Mental Health Beds Expansion Program.

We’re also delivering a range of youth mental health facilities across the state to meet the mental health needs of younger Victorians.

We are also seeing a growing demand for public sector residential aged care facilities. We're developing new residential facilities and refurbishing existing ones to ensure they can meet the complex care needs of vulnerable Victorians.

We've also just finished Murrenda (Wantirna residential aged care facility), a landmark new facility that has become the benchmark for public sector residential aged care in Victoria.

Trent talks about delivering on commitments for Victorians.

IMAGES: Image of Trent Burke seated in red background, the Victorian Health Building Authority logo is on the bottom left

ONSCREEN TEXT: Trent Burke Senior Executive Director, Delivery, Victorian Health Building Authority

IMAGES: Trent Burke seated in a room talking, followed by a view upwards of the facade of the Victorian Heart Hospital; an aerial view of the Wonthaggi Hospital and surrounds; and a view of the frontage of the Wantirna aged care facility at dusk.

VOICEOVER: My role is really, I guess, the stewardship for a spectrum of portfolios. Health, mental health, alcohol and drug, and aged care.

IMAGES: Trent Burke and his team talking in a VHBA meeting room; followed by Trent and team members onsite at a construction project wearing safety gear.

VOICEOVER: It's a happy, content and challenged workforce and team. We've got a really strong set of project managers and project directors. Really good cross-section in terms of age, experience, and background.

IMAGES: A slow motion shot of Trent and a team member walking through a work area on site as a worker welds some fabrication material.

VOICEOVER: Some of the highlight projects we're currently working on would be the pathway to 144 mental health beds, a rapid response to the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health of almost half a billion dollars worth of assets across four sites.

IMAGES: Aerial view of the McKellar Centre in Geelong and an upward view of the façade of the Northern Hospital Mental Health Beds development.

ONSCREEN TEXT: What does success look like to you?

IMAGES: Trent Burke in safety gear looking upwards in a construction site, followed by him standing with a team member onsite as she points out a detail, followed by an aerial view of the Northern Hospital Mental Health Beds development

VOICEOVER: I think success in many ways looks like the delivery on time, safely, high quality, and to budget and being strategic in how we approach the work and helping the team to make those decisions on a daily basis.

VOICEOVER: Some of the things I love about working for VHBA are the tangible outcomes that we see from our projects, particularly in the delivery space.

IMAGES: A view out the window towards a grassed area from one of the rooms in the Northern Hospital Mental Health Beds facility, followed by an operating theatre, followed by an aerial view of the Sunshine Hospital Emergency Department

VOICEOVER: Everyone will be touched by health issues at some point in their life, whether that is an acute medical facility or an aged care facility in the latter years of life.

IMAGES: Construction activity on site, including a crane lifting materials on to a level.

VOICEOVER: We're really about the nuts and bolts delivering on the commitments that the government has made and actually seeing those come to fruition.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Why health infrastructure?

IMAGES: Time lapse video of construction work on the new Footscray Hospital

VOICEOVER: People should consider coming over to work in health infrastructure because there's never really been a better time. We've seen record investment over the last two or three years, the biggest pipeline in health infrastructure that we've ever seen.

IMAGES: Trent Burke and team members meeting at a conference room

VOICEOVER: I think it's a great opportunity to grow your career here. The structures that we have from an organizational point of view, certainly allow promotion and progression through your professional ranks.

IMAGES: Trent Burke and team members watching as a crane lifts girders on to a level at the Northern Hospital mental health beds development.

VOICEOVER: Whether you're joining as a junior PM or project assistant, or you're joining as an experienced project director, there's pathways and avenues for pretty much anyone on their professional journey and some amazing landmark projects that have been committed to.

IMAGES: The closing slide is onscreen text ‘Learn more at vhba.vic.gov.au’ plus the Victorian Health Building Authority and the Victorian State Government logos.

>> End of transcript.

What’s the best thing about working at VHBA?

It’s a really great team environment. We pride ourselves on investing in our people through professional development to support our teams to be their best.

Our structure really allows promotion and progression through your professional ranks, whether you're joining as a junior project manager or project assistant, or as an experienced project director.

If you have never considered working in government before, I'd certainly encourage you to.

It’s a really engaged workforce and I’m really proud of what we’re delivering for Victoria.

What professional characteristics make a good project manager or director?

We really look for people who are highly trained in their specialist area, and are also passionate about building and leading teams that are inspired to come to work and deliver on behalf of Victoria.

People who are adept at dealing with complex project challenges and being able to deliver outcomes on time, on budget and safely.

 

The Wantirna residential aged care facility at sunset

The state-of-the-art Wantirna residential aged care facility opened in late 2022.

Learn more about the Wantirna residential aged care facility, Community hospitals program and Ambulance Victoria Development Program.

Working at the VHBA

A great workplace is defined by its people.

That’s why we’ve built a valued-based, respectful and inclusive workplace – one that encourages innovation and curiosity for improving health outcomes for all Victorians.

Every person in our organisation plays a role in successfully delivering best-practice, sustainable, adaptable and inclusive health infrastructure.

We are proud of our gender equality and inclusivity. We encourage applications from people living with a disability, LGBTIQ+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Learn more about working at the VHBA.

Employee benefits

As Australia’s second largest employer, the Victorian Public Service (VPS) provides rewarding opportunities to help shape Victoria’s future and create better outcomes for Victorian communities.

You can expect to receive a competitive salary and superannuation, plus a range of benefits including salary packing and extensive leave entitlements to help you achieve a work-life balance.

Learn more about VHBA employee benefits.

Career development

We support our people to grow, develop and learn. Our learning and professional development pathways will give you the opportunities to develop your skills and capabilities to perform your role effectively and grow your career.

The Victorian Public Sector whole of government capability framework and our department's capability framework provides guidance on aligning the professional development of all our employees to ensure we are building a future-ready workforce.

We provide many development pathways to help you plan and meet your learning and professional development needs – in your current role and in any new directions you see your career progressing.

Learn more about developing your career at VHBA.

Current opportunities

See all current opportunities at VHBA and sign up for job alerts on the Careers.Vic website.

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Last updated: 26 May 2023