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About the Department
The role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society. The department supports a culture of leadership, learning and renewal in all workplaces with opportunities for career development and advancement.
About the Group
Schools and Regional Services (SRS) offers central, regional, and local expertise to enhance learning and development outcomes, supported by a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce. It comprises 17 areas within 4 regions, backed by 5 central office divisions, all collaborating to deliver improved outcomes for early childhood services, schools, communities, and learners, in line with Education State commitments. SRS regions serve as a bridge between the central office, schools, and service providers, ensuring smooth transitions for learners and achieving the department's ambitious targets. Each region includes divisions specialising in school performance, student wellbeing and early childhood support, working with area-based teams to tailor local interventions and practices. The 17 areas provide crucial insights into local trends and issues, facilitating effective policy and program development and driving child and learner outcomes across all services and programs.
This role is located in the Youth Pathways & Transitions Team, School Performance Division, North-Western Victoria Region, SRS. The Youth Pathways & Transitions Team supports a broad range of processes and improvement projects designed to ensure effective pathways and transitions for young learners and vulnerable children 0-18.
About the Role
The Senior Program Advisor will be responsible for driving a strategic, evidence-based approach to supporting successful transitions for students leaving school early to pursue post-school options. The role will be part of a multidisciplinary regional workforce supporting a continuous improvement approach to school, education and training provider, DE Region and Area practice relating to school to post-school transitions and engagement for early leavers.
The Senior Program Advisor will provide practice leadership, operational support and capacity building to these stakeholders, with a focus on place-based implementation of the Victorian Early Leaver Connection Initiative (VELC initiative).
The VELC initiative includes a suite of policy, practice, program and technology reforms in schools, DE Regions and TAFEs to provide school-aged early leavers (up to age 20) with high quality, safe and supported education and training pathways. Key Senior Program Advisor responsibilities in 2025 implementing this initiative include will driving change management and capacity building for schools to adopt a new exemptions system and working with the DE central team in the Strategy and Secondary School Reform Group on implementation of a new funding model and continuous improvement approach for TAFEs delivering VCE and Victorian Pathways Certificate programs to early leavers.
The Senior Program Advisor will also be required to flexibly support other priorities of the Youth Pathways and Transition portfolio, and the broader region as they emerge.
The Senior Program Advisor is located in each of the 4 Department of Education (DE) regions, reporting to the Manager, Youth Pathways and Transition and operating under the School Performance Division. The School Performance Division is responsible for promoting and implementing regional and statewide consistency in areas relating to school improvement, provision and planning and youth pathways and transition.
The Senior Program Advisor is a new role, established following the Government's $91 million investment through recent State budgets in reforms to strengthen the education system's support and accountability for the learning and wellbeing outcomes of young people who leave school early, as part of the response to the 2020 Review into Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Senior Secondary Schooling (Firth Review).
The role is fixed term until 30 June 2028.
Attributes
The successful candidate will have demonstrated skills and experience in leading system change, ideally in the education and training sector. The candidate will be adept at partnering and relationship building to influence stakeholders and embed change, and will be confident working with data to identify evidence-based insights to inform policy, program and practice improvement. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with strong problem-solving skills; able to use an understanding of stakeholder context, to design and implement systems for continuous improvement.
Please refer to the position description for more information.
Desirable Qualifications and Experience
Desirable: Bachelor's degree in related field.
Desirable: Experience working with education and training stakeholders, for example schools and TAFEs.
Further Information
The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page
Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.
Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at .
For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Katrina Moody - Manager, Youth Pathways and Transitions via 4433 7695 or Katrina.Moody@education.vic.gov.au .
Preferred applicants may be required to complete a Police Check, Working with Children check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.
Applications close 11:59pm on 15-APR-2025.