Aged Care Blog

Aged care manager salary guide

Aged care manager salary guide

First published: June 2025

Are you wanting to step into an aged care management role? These jobs offer a fulfilling career where you can make a meaningful impact while earning a competitive salary.

In this blog, we’ll look at the aged care manager salary you’ll receive, taking into consideration factors that can influence your pay and salaries to expect in different managerial roles. By fully understanding the financial landscape ahead, you can make the most informed decisions about your career. 

What can I expect an aged care manager salary to be?

The average aged care manager salary in Australia is $125,000 per year, with typical earnings ranging from $110,000 – $130,000. Pay can vary based on your experience, location and employer. 

Aged care manager salary by role type

Aged care management includes a broad spectrum of roles and responsibilities, with pathways for clinical and non-clinical professionals. Each role comes with a different salary range, which we have explored below: 

Clinical care coordinator

As a clinical care coordinator, you can expect an average annual salary of around $106,000. 

Clinical care coordinators are responsible for: 

  • Overseeing teams of aged care workers and registered nurses, providing clinical leadership and guidance 
  • Reviewing resident care plans to ensure compliance against standards of care 
  • Liaising with resident families, healthcare professionals and upper management to devise the best outcome for residents 
  • Delivering complex resident care 
  • Assisting with the training of staff member 

Care manager

An aged care manager’s salary is around $125,000 a year. 

Leading clinical leadership teams, care managers work with the facility manager and nursing professionals to drive quality patient care. Typical duties and responsibilities include:  

  • Ensuring all clinical practices are in line with standards, regulations and guidelines 
  • Advocating for patient care and quality of life 
  • Providing and defining staff training programs and overseeing the upskilling and hiring of nurses 
  • Reviewing resident care plans and subsequent documentation 
  • Managing incidents and minimising risks 
  • Seeking continuous feedback and implementing improvement measures 

Facility manager

A facility manager’s salary is around $145,000 a year. 

Facility managers run aged care residences, meet financial targets and uphold processes and standards. Working closely with the care manager, they coordinate every aspect of their care home, ensuring that the delivery of aged care services remains smooth and proper procedures are implemented. Key duties are: 

  • Managing finances and budgeting, ensuring a good return on investment 
  • Meeting deadlines and requirements set out by head office 
  • Ensuring documentation is accurate and updates are provided at sufficient intervals 
  • Striving to meet accreditation requirements 
  • Contributing to employee training and development 
  • Completing successful home audits 
  • Being aware of aged care standards and regulations, safeguarding homes so they fulfil legal requirements 

Quality and education manager

A quality and education manager can expect to earn $135,000 a year on average. 

Quality and education managers can be assigned to work in one aged care home or for multiple homes within an organisation. Their focus is on mentorship, aged care standards and enhancing residents’ quality of life. In this role, you can expect to: 

  • Support managers to implement continuous improvement via processes
  • Improve quality and reporting systems 
  • Ensure staff are aware of risks and identify solutions 
  • Assess care services against industry standards 
  • Mentor other staff when needed 
  • Create audit tools 

Find out more on aged care worker salaries in 2025

I’d like to earn an aged care manager salary. What do I do to get there?

Aged care management is an exciting part of the industry. If you have the following skills and characteristics, aged care management could be the career path for you: 

  • Empathetic where you put resident care first 
  • Proactive when making tough decisions 
  • Great at working as part of a team 
  • Able to juggle multiple tasks at once 
  • Motivated by seeing immediate results of your action 
  • Excited to interact with residents every day by getting to know those in your care 

When looking to move into management, start by thinking about what aged care qualifications will help you to get there. Relevant work experience can also give you the opportunity to progress, along with strong leadership, communication and problem-solving abilities. 

How do I increase my aged care manager salary earning potential?

To strengthen your earning potential as an aged care manager, there are many steps you can take. 

  • Expand your experience – carry out research and look at job adverts to see what experience employers want. It is important to remember that some organisations may prefer individuals with clinical backgrounds 
  • Gain further education and qualifications – alongside nursing credentials, management and leadership certificates may work in your favour 
  • Look into alternative employers – the aged care industry in Australia has private and not-for-profit providers. Often, those in the private sector will offer higher salary packages than not-for-profit businesses, however, you will receive additional benefits with NFPs such as salary sacrificing 
  • Research different aged care homes – if you work in a home that is on a large scale (over 100 beds), you may receive a higher package due to the intense level of work involved

Secure an aged care manager salary with Sanctuary Recruitment?

Want guidance on developing your career in the aged care sector? View our available aged care management jobs or get in contact with our team today to see what possibilities are in store for you. 

Register with us

Looking for a new opportunity
in the aged care sector?

Expert staffing solutions

Need staffing support on a temporary, contract or permanent basis?

Subscribe Here!

Subscribe to our blog!
Aged care blog
Journeying through care: insights from a travel nurse exploring Western Australia

First published: February 2025 In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, travel nursing offers a unique opportunity for nursing professionals to expand their horizons while making a significant impact on patient and resident care across different regions of the country. Our contract team oversees short and long-term assignments in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia,…

A complete guide to aged care qualifications and certification requirements 

First published: July 2025 There are many different roles within aged care, some of which require a higher degree of education and training. Getting the right aged care qualifications and certificates can support you in establishing a long and rewarding career in the field. They ensure you understand the safety, legal and ethical protocols to…

Standard 6: why food and nutrition matter more than ever in aged care

By Rhiannon Dhoot, Client Relationship Manager at Sanctuary Recruitment I’m Rhiannon, Client Relationship Manager at Sanctuary Recruitment. Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with aged care providers across Australia, visit a range of homes and learn more about the challenges and priorities shaping the sector today. One topic that has…

Palliative approach in aged care

First published: August 2025 The spectrum of palliative care covers more than just end-of-life care. A palliative approach to aged care encompasses methods to improve the quality of life for individuals with life-limiting illnesses, to ensure they are as comfortable as possible. Types of palliative care In residential aged care, palliative care is delivered with…

Delivering impact: how our partnership with Alphacrucis University College is changing the lives of Pacific Islander aged care workers

First published: October 2024 Sanctuary Recruitment and Pulse Staffing Australia, under the global healthcare partner Acacium Group, have secured a bid for this year’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme. Aiming to fill labour gaps and alleviate work shortages across the country in a multitude of sectors, the PALM scheme allows for workers from the…

An interview with our nursing team

First written: August 2024 The second in our ‘Meet the team’ series, we spoke to Rhys, one of our wonderful Sydney based AINs. He has been part of the Sanctuary team for the past three years, working on a casual basis in homes across Western and Northern Sydney, NSW. He has worked in a variety…

Celebrating International Nurses Day

First published: May 2024 International Nurses Day, celebrated around the world on the 12th May each year, recognises the importance of healthcare professionals, in particular recognising the role that nurses play in our society. This day, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, calls to our attention the unwavering commitment that nurses show everyday across every…

Ideas for engaging aged care activities

First published: September 2024 An important part of an aged care resident’s health and wellbeing includes lifestyle and leisure activities that call to their needs, interests and desires. The 13th recommendation in the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety report was ‘Embedding high quality aged care’, which includes supporting the resident to engage in recreational…

Aged care bill passes parliament

First published: November 2024 In line with the Once in a Generation aged care reform that was announced in September, on the 25th November 2024, the Albanese government has passed the aged care bill allowing for elderly Australians to have access to better aged care services and delivery. The Royal Commission into Aged Care and…

Enhancing aged care: Pulse Staffing Australia and Sanctuary Recruitment to deliver PALM Aged Care Expansion Program

First published: July 2024 Quality aged care is vital for ensuring that elderly people live fulfilling, healthy lives with dignity and respect. Aligned with our purpose to improve people’s lives, Pulse Staffing Australia and Sanctuary Recruitment, both part of Acacium Group, have partnered to support the delivery of the 2024 PALM Aged Care Expansion Program….