For this series of Q&As, we strike up a chat with a member of our wonderful leadership team so you can get to know them and learn about the fantastic work they do for our team and, ultimately, our clients.

We are now reaching the pointy end of the series as we turn our focus to the Executive Leadership team. First up, we speak with Julie Sutherland, our Quality Assurance Leader. Julie plays a vital role across multiple teams at IRS, driving continuous improvement in our processes and ensuring we consistently deliver the highest quality services to our clients.

Having been with IRS for eight years and counting, Julie has made an incredible contribution to our organisation over the years. Here is a look into her journey, her role, and what keeps her motivated…

  1. To start, we’d love to hear a bit about your professional journey. What initially brought you to IRS, and what is it about our organisation’s mission and the broader impact we have that keeps you passionate and engaged?

My background is in health promotion and project management, so doing meaningful work that creates a real impact is essential to me – and IRS delivers on that every day.

What initially brought me here was the values-driven culture, which was clear from my very first interview and has continued throughout my time with the team. Those values genuinely mean something here, and people live them daily. It is a warm, welcoming workplace where continuous improvement is second nature, and where both client outcomes and team members are deeply valued.

  1. Can you give us some insight into what a typical day or week looks like, especially for those who may not be fully across the breadth of the Quality Assurance Leader role in an allied health organisation.

My work involves a blend of project management, quality improvement, and supporting positive change. On any given day, I spend time meeting with leaders and clinicians to address risk, incidents, and compliance matters.

A big part of my role is reviewing our systems and processes to identify improvements, which includes ongoing monitoring to ensure we stay on track. I also coordinate our annual employee engagement survey, analysing the feedback to present key insights back to leaders and the broader team. On top of that, a significant amount of my time goes into audit and accreditation activities, as well as reviewing our policies and procedures.

To be honest, no two days are the same – but the core focus always remains on supporting IRS to deliver high-quality services to our clients.

  1. We believe in celebrating success and meaningful impact. Could you share a story about a time you or the broader team had a memorable win—perhaps achieving a fantastic outcome for staff, bringing a successful new initiative to life, or driving significant operational improvement?

Quality improvement is a team effort – the best outcomes happen when we bring together the skills and expertise of people across the organisation.

One example was transitioning our client outcome measure, the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), from a manual process to an automated scoring tool. This was a collaborative project between clinicians and our Digital & Engagement Manager, who built a tool that made the process more efficient and reduced the admin burden for our team.

Another example was leading the redevelopment of our risk assessment processes during COVID and implementing a client safeguarding tool to help us respond to clients at risk. Given that we support vulnerable people, strengthening these processes has had a practical, meaningful impact on client safety and process consistency.

For me, the role is simply about bringing people together, listening to different perspectives, and helping turn good ideas into practical improvements that benefit both staff and clients.

  1. We recognise that being in leadership is rewarding but demanding, and we care about the well-being of our leaders. How do you personally look after your own energy and resilience? What are your key strategies for managing a busy workload and prioritising self-care?

The Leadership Team at IRS is incredibly supportive – the work we do is complex. I work part-time and really value the flexibility IRS offers, which helps me protect my days off and we all share the load.

Staying active is important to me – Parkrun on a Saturday morning is a priority. I love exercising outdoors, and Parkrun gives me a real sense of community and connection. On a simpler level, I really just enjoy sitting in the sun with a cup of coffee listening to the magpies warble, reading a good book, or enjoying some wine and cheese. I also like visiting Bendigo, where I lived and worked for eight years.

Having five weeks of annual leave is fantastic – I always try to have a trip or break planned in the calendar to look forward to.

It sounds like you have found a brilliant balance for managing your well-being, Julie, setting a wonderful example for the entire team.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and insights with us. It has been fantastic to learn more about the critical work you do behind the scenes and the lasting impact you have here at IRS!