Educational Consultant, CEO, Diocese of Sandhurst, VICTORIA

An Introduction to the Diocese of Sandhurst

On the 3rd February, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed The Most Reverend Leslie Tomlinson as Bishop of Sandhurst.

The Diocese of Sandhurst extends across most of the central, north central and north eastern areas of the State of Victoria, covering an area of 45,196 square kilometres. The Diocese is home to more than 93,000 Catholics; 9,277 primary students, 8,707 secondary students, 55 priests, 50 religious sisters and 5 brothers.

The great foundations and achievements in parish and school life are due largely to committed and faithful people of every parish. Catholic education has been a feature of these parishes and often schools were the first buildings with fund raising and social activities to support them so that children of all backgrounds were able to gain a comprehensive Catholic Education.

The Catholic Education Office

The Catholic Education Office (CEO) is a formal office of the Bishop of Sandhurst and is the secretariat for the Sandhurst School Education Board (SSEB). The CEO serves and supports Parish Priests, principals, staff and parents in the work and leadership of the schools of the Diocese. The Director of Catholic Education (Sandhurst) acts within a delegation from the Bishop on the organisational, administrative, support and service matters related to Catholic schools within the Diocese.

The schools in the Diocese cater for approximately 18,000 students across:

• 42 Parish Primary Schools   (P – 6)
• 1 School                             (P – 12)
• 9 Secondary Schools            (7 -12)
• 1 Secondary School              (7-9, building to P-12)
• 3 Specialist Settings

The Catholic Education Office has offices in three locations in the Diocese – Bendigo, Shepparton and Wangaratta. Each office provides a range of services across the areas of Catholic Identity, Religious Education, Spirituality, Pastoral Wellbeing, Learning and Teaching, Leadership, Professional Development and Stewardship of Resources. A number of Professional Teams operate in the Diocese offering Research and Professional Development support.

As an educational community of students, families, staff in both schools and the CEO, along with our Bishop, Leslie Tomlinson DD and our Parish Priests and Parish communities we are dedicated to the mission of Catholic education guided by our foundational principles of dialogue, stewardship, subsidiarity and co-responsibility.

We contribute actively to the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV Ltd) to foster and build Catholic education across the state making a difference through serving the common good.

Further Information

To deepen your knowledge of the Diocese and the CEO we invite you visit the Catholic Education Office website located at http://www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au/

Position Overview

Position Title:    Educational Consultant – Secondary

Reports to:       Deputy Director of Catholic Education: School Improvement

Primary Objective

To support and influence leaders, Catholic identity and school improvement in Sandhurst schools; lead Catholic Education Office (CEO) service to schools; and cooperate in the educational leadership of the Diocese.

While a part of a collegial team comprising four Educational Consultants, this role will focus upon providing support and service to the:

• 10 secondary schools located across the Diocese
• 3 specialist schools located in Bendigo, Shepparton and Wangaratta
• The secondary component of the P-12 school located in Kyabram

This role has responsibility for the coordination of and development of the leadership teams and the coordination of the CEO service in relation to school improvement and staff development within this portfolio of schools. It also assists Principals in their leadership and is responsible for coordinating the CEO services. This role also has responsibility for the overall effectiveness and functionality of the schools in compliance with government and diocesan policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing support and advice to Canonical Administrators in relation to the Catholic Identity, governance, employment, pastoral, and spiritual dimensions of the designated schools in collaboration with other members of the CEO Leadership Team
• Providing support, advice and guidance to principals in Catholic Identity, governance, educational leadership, staff development, and compliance matters in collaboration with other members of the CEO Leadership Team
• Supporting and influencing schools across all dimensions of school improvement
• Effectively leading and facilitating CEO service to designated schools
• Sharing in the leadership of Catholic Education Sandhurst
• Complying with the policies and procedures of the CEO’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management System

Key Relationships

• Director of Catholic Education: to collaborate in educational leadership and provide key support and advice
• Deputy Director: School Improvement: to cooperate in the quality assurance of the schools in Catholic identity & school improvement
• Deputy Director: Catholic Mission & Identity: to cooperate in supporting the mission of Catholic Education
• Canonical Administrators: to provide key support and advice
• School Principals: to provide key support, guidance and advice
• CEO Leadership Team: to participate and share in leadership
• School Leadership Teams: to influence and to facilitate formation

Commencement

It is anticipated the successful applicant will commence in January 2017

Location & Travel

While the central office is located at 120 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, the location for this role can be negotiated with the Director of Catholic Education. The other offices are located in Shepparton and Wangaratta.

The nature of this role will require regular travel to schools throughout the Diocese.

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 CEO policy.
• Reasonable relocation assistance (if required) will be negotiated with the successful applicant.
• Applicants will require a current Drivers Licence to fulfil the requirements of the role
• The successful candidate will be subject to mandatory child protection screening.

Selection Criteria

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

• commitment to the values and teachings of the Catholic Church and active in Parish life
• a career in Catholic education, including principalship experience in a secondary school and involvement in wider educational forums
• strategic thinking & planning skills with an understanding of school improvement and the use of data to identify areas for action
• capacity for innovation, the energy and resilience to lead change and an understanding of how to build and foster leadership capacity
• highly developed interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• an affinity for rural & regional areas
• post-graduate qualifications and commitment to ongoing professional growth.

Are you the Right Person for this Challenge? Interested?

If you are interested in this role, there are two options for you to proceed:

1. If interested, but have questions requiring a response before deciding whether to progress, then either (a) telephone our Director John Chesher (0417 068 220) or (b) email our office via mail@traksearch.com or from this page of this website with your questions.
2. If and when you have enough information to start this process, then simply email us at mail@traksearch.com or from this page of our website stating your interest and nominating the role and ref number TS1320. All applications will be acknowledged within 48 hours.

At this stage we do NOT ask for you to labour over selection criteria, provide a resume or any application document – just a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘Diocese of Sandhurst Educational Consultant TS1320’ and providing a contact telephone number. The timeline and details for this project are outlined below.

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 resume or 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 prior to short listing, with additional references (including with a Religious referee) 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. We will also ask for copies of your academic documents at this later stage.
• All information provided to Trak Search will be made available prior to short listing, in confidence, to Sandhurst CEO executives 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.