From retail management to aged care leadership

From retail management to aged care leadership: Julie Moss's journey to General Manager 

For Julie Moss, general manager at Victoria’s Inverloch Coast Care Community, a career in aged care leadership began from a simple urge – to care for older Australians who have given so much.   

To make her career change from retail management, Julie began her aged care education with a Certificate III in Aged Care at Gippsland Community College, with a placement at Sale Gardens Care Community. After impressing our team, Julie was offered a fulltime role at Sale Gardens as an assistant in nursing before moving to roles in wellbeing, backed by a Certificate IV in Leisure and Health.  

Having built strong relationships with our residents and families, Julie saw an opportunity to help people navigate the often-complex world of aged care, taking on a role as an administration officer, before progressing to customer support manager while gaining her Diploma in Business Administration.  

“Moving into care is a big life change for our residents and their families, and it was rewarding to help people feel more comfortable with their decisions,” says Julie. 

Mentorship matters 

Julie had strong support in her mentors Ann and Matt, experienced Care Community general managers, who saw Julie’s potential and nurtured it.  

After completing the Emerging Leaders Program with our Opal HealthCare Academy, Julie began our Pathway2GM program.  

“It was a great chance to learn more about aged care leadership, and to learn about myself,” says Julie. “I learned to identify what I did well, where I needed to grow, without letting the areas I wasn’t so strong on dominate my thinking and get in my way. I learned you can’t do everything at once – all progress is positive, aged care moves fast and things will often pop up and take priority." 

“Pathway2GM was an immersive experience. Ann spent lots of time with me going deep into the detail of every aspect of Care Community operations so I was prepared to step into acting general manager roles at Sale Gardens and Phillip Island Care Communities.” 

For Julie, bringing an open mind to these experiences taught her invaluable lessons and set her up for a permanent general manager role. 

“I made mistakes as acting general manager and occasionally felt overwhelmed, which reinforced the need to be prepared, to ask lots of questions, and to accept the help that’s on offer by tapping into the knowledge and expertise of our people. There are so many people who are so generous with their time and experience.”  

Leading Inverloch Coast Care Community 

When the opportunity arose to step up to the general manager role at Inverloch Coast, Julie knew she had the skills – and the backing from her mentors. 

“Ann and Matt believe in me, encourage me and they’ve always helped me grow through tough times. They’ve celebrated the wins with me both personally and professionally and guided me when I felt lost. They gave me the belief that I could become a general manager. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to lead my own Care Community, with an amazing team around me. It feels like home; like I’m meant to be here.” 

Creating a legacy through meaningful work 

Julie’s also proud with a legacy she’s leaving close to home. 

“When I made my career change, I thought it was important to show my boys that doing something meaningful in life, and having compassion is important."

“I’m happy I’ve been able to show my boys that anything is possible - sometimes there are setbacks, but we reset, grow with resilience and keep moving forward no matter how slowly or how tough it gets.”  

Visit our  Opal HealthCare Academy site to learn more about how you can build a rewarding career in aged care.