Deputy Director: School Improvement (Learning and Teaching) Bendigo, VIC

Led by The Most Reverend Leslie Tomlinson, the Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst extends across most of the central, north central and north eastern areas of the State of Victoria and is home for nearly 93,000 Catholics; 40 parishes, 18,600 students; 47 priests, 48 religious.

Catholic Education Sandhurst

Catholic Education Sandhurst is a progressive, energetic, rigorous and faith-filled professional environment where initiative, innovation and influence are welcomed, supported and resourced at school and system level.

The 2017 Charter of Sandhurst School Improvement proclaims the centrality of Catholic Identity and School Improvement at the heart of education. The Catholic Education Office serves 56 schools and 40 parishes in a spirit of co-responsibility and respect for subsidiarity.

Further Information

To deepen your knowledge of this opportunity we invite you to click here to visit the Sandhurst CEO website where a range of documents can be accessed for your review. This includes a comprehensive organisation chart in the document titled ‘Directory 2017’.

Introduction to Greater Bendigo

The City of Greater Bendigo is situated in the geographic centre of Victoria. It enjoys many features of a thriving regional town with a strong community spirit.

Snapshot

• A population of more than 100,000, and growing.
• A diverse history- the riches from the 1850-1880’s goldrush days are evident in the beautiful streetscapes and historic buildings.
• 40,000 hectares of regional, state and national parkland.
• Just a 90 minute drive (or slightly longer rail trip) from Melbourne.
• A range of services and infrastructure for north central Victoria.
• Recognition by UNICEF/UNESCO as a Child Friendly City.

History

• The Dja Dja Wurrung / Jaara people are the original inhabitants of the area.
• Gold was first discovered in 1851.
• The goldfields town was called Sandhurst until 1891 when it was officially named Bendigo.
• Bendigo is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia and is notable for its Victorian architectural

 A Strong Commercial Base

• Bendigo is Victoria’s third largest urban centre and the major regional centre in north central Victoria.
• Their community offers a broad range of employment opportunities, including a growing number of new innovative and internationally competitive industries.

 Unique Features

• Located in the geographic heart of Victoria, 150 kilometres north west of Melbourne and 90 minutes from Melbourne Airport.
• Bendigo is located at the junction of three highways with excellent connections to interstate highways.
• With Bendigo as its largest centre, the municipality includes the thriving smaller communities of Heathcote, Elmore, Goornong, Marong, Redesdale and Axedale.
• Bendigo is located in the Murray Darling Basin, the North Central Catchment Region and catchments of the Loddon and Campaspe rivers.
• The municipality is surrounded by parkland and nature reserves including the Whipstick and Kamarooka State Parks; One Tree Hill and Eaglehawk Regional Parks; Maiden Gully, Marong, Wellsford and Mandurang State Forests; Diamond Hill Historic Reserve and various flora and fauna reserves and bushland reserves.

Position Overview

Position Title:    Deputy Director: School Improvement (Learning and Teaching)

Reports to:          Diocese of Sandhurst, Director of Catholic Education, Mr Paul Desmond

Primary Objectives

Provide leadership, strategic oversight of, and support for the School Improvement process of all school settings in the Sandhurst Diocese, the Catholic Education Office Sandhurst Strategic Plan and Policies.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Shaping culture;
• Building capacity; and
• Enhancing performance

Organisational Environment

The Catholic Education Office (CEO) is a formal office of the Bishop of Sandhurst.

The Catholic Education Office participates and cooperates in the work of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV), which has key responsibilities for the allocation and distribution of government funding, facilitating cooperation across the four Victorian Dioceses, and working in cooperation with government statutory authorities.

The Director of Catholic Education acts within a delegation from the Bishop in the organisational, administrative, support and service matters related to Catholic schools within the Diocese, including matters related to Religious Education and Faith formation.

The Director of Catholic Education and all delegations via that position operate within the parameters of Canon Law and the Catholic Church structures and processes. The CEO is not the controlling or employing authority for Catholic schools, and the authority of the Canonical Administrators within their parish and/or school is acknowledged and respected.

The Deputy Director: School Improvement works collaboratively with the Director, the Deputy Director: Catholic Mission & Identity and the CEO Leadership Team. The Deputy Director: School Improvement acts within the authority of the Director of Catholic Education and is responsible to the Director for:

• Enacting the vision of Sandhurst schools – engaging fully with human potential inspired by the Catholic story
• Supporting the development of Inspired Believers: students, families, staff inspired by the Catholic Story, living justly, making a difference in the world in the Spirit of Jesus.
• Enacting the vision of developing Liberated Learners: relating, engaging, inquiring, persevering, challenging & reflecting. Learning from each other.
• Enabling the continued development of Hope-filled Communities: Fostering healthy, safe and hope-filled communities: committed to the dignity of each person. Engaging youth; advocating for families.
• Enabling the vision of Prophetic Leaders: courageous, inclusive, countercultural, authentic, hope-filled.
• Initiating and lead innovative practice and service delivery, engaging school communities in progressive quality Catholic education and continuous improvement which meets the needs of students, particularly those students most socially and educationally disadvantaged.
• Liaising with Government and Non-Government authorities at diocesan, inter-diocesan, state and national levels, and oversee the communication of relevant information to schools and CEO personnel.

Job Environment

The Director and Deputy Directors form a collaborative leadership executive – building, nurturing, challenging, advocating, educating and engaging in the Catholic Story. They each animate the Catholic learning community vision within their portfolio responsibilities and provide leadership to the staff of the Catholic Education Office and Sandhurst Catholic Schools and their communities. This position sets strategic direction for the CEO, in collaboration with the Director, the Deputy Director: Catholic Mission & Identity and the CEO Leadership Team.

Identified Challenges

The key identified challenges of this role are:

• Sustaining and promoting Catholic Identity within increasingly diverse school communities and the ongoing engagement and development of staff in Catholic Identity.
• Building and developing the core relationship between the school and parish.
• Engaging school leadership and communities in informed instructional leadership
• Effectively supporting and embedding innovative, systemic change in school settings that leads to continuous school improvement.
• Ensuring that student engagement and outcomes in school settings are maximized through the implementation of contemporary approaches to Learning & Teaching.
• Ensuring that CEO service-delivery is coordinated and builds co-responsibility, co-accountability and capacity with school communities.

Location and Travel

This position is located in the Bendigo office, 120 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo. The nature of the role will require frequent travel within the Diocese.

Commencement

Ideally the successful applicant will commence in this role at the start of Term 4 this year (Monday 9^th October 2017), although the commencement date is negotiable. It is anticipated however that the latest starting date would be January 2018.

Conditions of Employment

• The remuneration package reflects the seniority of this appointment and will be negotiated with the successful applicant
• The initial contract period is for five (5) years, with further contract periods subject to Appraisal according to Diocesan policy.
• Reasonable relocation assistance (if required) will be negotiated with the successful applicant.
• Hold a Driver’s Licence and Working with Children Check
• Accreditation to Teach in a Catholic School
• VIT Registration or equivalent

Selection Criteria

We anticipate that people interested in this role will be able to demonstrate:

• Active participation in a Catholic Eucharistic Community with the capacity to articulate a contemporary understanding of the Catholic Church’s mission in education
• A career built in Catholic education and able to provide strategic leadership within an holistic and contemporary approach to Catholic school improvement processes
• Ability to influence and support continuous growth in educational leadership and evidence-based practice at system and individual school level
• Highly developed communication, interpersonal and influencing skills
• A track record of ongoing personal and professional learning combined with tertiary qualifications. Formal study in areas such as theology, leadership and curriculum would be an advantage

Are You Interested in this Opportunity?

If you are interested in this role, then simply complete the ‘Express Your Interest’ panel on this page; or email us at jobs@traksearch.com stating your interest and nominating ref number TS1359. Whichever you choose, please provide a brief resume and contact telephone number.

At this stage we do NOT ask you to labour over selection criteria or any application document – just complete the panel on this page or send a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘Sandhurst Deputy Director TS1359’ and provide your brief resume and contact telephone number.

Any questions can be directed to either (a) our Director John Chesher by telephone (0417 068 220) or (b) email our office via jobs@traksearch.com.

The timeline and details for this project are outlined below. All emails and applications are acknowledged within 48 hours.

The Selection Process

Key dates are as follows:

Trak Search has been instructed to provide a process that is welcoming for people interested in this role. Significant aspects include:

• Throughout the process, Trak Search is available for confidential discussions and to provide information to allow you to explore this opportunity and determine your interest in the role.
• A range of additional information will be provided to you as we progress through this process.
• At the outset you will not be required to: complete an application form; provide a lengthy, comprehensive document to address the selection criteria; or provide any referee details. However, you will be invited to supply us with additional information (verbally and in writing) as you progress through the process.
• A late application could be accepted, providing it does not adversely impact other applications or the schedule. Please be aware however that any application received after close of business on the date noted above is more likely to be returned to you.
• At the appropriate time (refer above) we will seek written consent to speak with referees – listing referees on your resume does not signify consent.
• We expect to contact one work related referee and a Priest referee prior to short listing, with additional references completed later in the process.  You should always expect that prior to reaching the final stage of the project, we will ask to speak with at least one person who has: directly managed you; recently; and for a significant time period.
• All information provided to Trak Search will be made available prior to short listing, in confidence, to the Bishop and the Director (or nominees) unless you instruct Trak Search otherwise.

You are also encouraged to view our Collection Statement which provides details on the manner in which we collect and use information obtained from you during your engagement with Trak Search.