She was previously Chair of the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, at Sydney University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, serving in that position for 11 years.
[1] Rutland's work Edge of the Diaspora: Two Centuries of Jewish Settlement in Australia was first published in 1988 with further editions in 1997 and 2001.
She has held numerous leadership positions, including president of the Australian Jewish Historical Society and Sydney editor of its journal since 1991, as well as serving on its committee.
She has been actively involved with the Australian Association of Jewish Studies, has served as its president and been the convenor of a number of its conferences.
She is also a Board Member of the Freilich Project, ANU, Honorary Secretary of the University of Sydney Association of Professors’ and a member of Australia's expert delegation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, on its Education Working Group, as well as being involved with other Jewish community organisations.