Director - Curriculum and Professional Practice Branch

Government schools

Overview

Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time

Salary: Salary not specified

Grade: Grade not specified

Occupation: Leadership and management

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: 1529035

Selection Criteria

Criteria 1 : `Victorian Public Sector Values' as detailed in the capability section

Criteria 2 : `Organisational Awareness' as detailed in the capability section

Criteria 3 : 'Strategic Planning' as detailed in the capability section

Criteria 4 : `Stakeholder Management' as detailed in the capability section

Criteria 5 : `Leadership' as detailed in the capability section

Role

Under the leadership of the Executive Director, Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division, the Director, Curriculum and Professional Practice Branch will work closely and collaboratively across the department to:

Lead the development and continuous improvement of policy, guidance and resources to support teaching and learning in government schools, including the revised Victorian Curriculum and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 and associated web pages and collateral, general teaching and pedagogic practice, and the Student Voice and Agency policy.
Lead the implementation of the Minister for Educations flagship teaching and learning reform, the VTLM 2.0, including through close engagement with regional school improvement teams, partner agencies (e.g. the VCAA and the Academy), corporate teams across DE and external stakeholders.
Provide high-level authoritative advice to senior executives in relation to curriculum, assessment and pedagogy policy issues, effective implementation, and curriculum guidance and resources for Victorian government schools.
Ensure the conditions and processes are in place to produce high quality and well-founded advice within tight timeframes for the Minister, internal and external stakeholders such as the Victorian Auditor-Generals Office.
Dynamically lead a portfolio of 3 units including the coordination and integration of planning, monitoring, ongoing improvement and evaluation.
Maximise Branch effectiveness by selecting, developing, motivating and managing a high performing team
Work closely and supportively with the divisional, sub-group and group executive teams
Lead effective financial management within the Branch by supporting teams to manage their budgets in a timely and accurate manner.
Model the VPS Values, lead on matters of integrity, compliance and public value, and contribute to maintaining a high performing, welcoming, psychologically safe and growth-focused branch and Divisional culture.

Responsibilities

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

CAPABILITY DESCRIPTION

Financial Authorisation

Ensure that the purchasing rules and principles of procurement have been followed as per departmental procurement policies
Approve financial obligations (expenditure and commitment) for the appropriate transaction type and value as authorised under Direction 2.4
Exercise the duties in accordance with the approved position (as a financial delegate) as authorised under Direction 2.4 of the Standing Directions of the Minister for Finance

Contract Management - Purchasing

Establishes and maintains regular and productive working relationships with suppliers under contract
Clearly define roles and expectations between the supplier and the department within a contract
Actively manages commitment and expenditure against agreed deliverable and resolves any discrepancy promptly

Procurement Responsibilities

Ensures that the appropriate level of analysis is undertaken for a procurement activity and that the appropriate level of approval is sought
Uses appropriate purchasing processes that reflect the complexity of the procurement in accordance with departmental policy

Individual Performance Management

Conduct performance appraisals
Clearly define staff roles and performance expectations
Delegate responsibilities that will stretch staff to further their development
Provide support through timely resolution of professional issues and problems

Direction Setting and Supervision

Establish and maintain a safe and healthy workplace which conforms to compliance standards, and supports responsible workplace behaviours
Provide employees with the leadership, information and guidance required to achieve outcomes and to ensure that these meet compliance requirements
Model Victorian Public Sector Values
Clarify priorities and delegate activities to maximise team productivity and achieve quality outcomes

Team Effectiveness Management

Encourage and motivate team members to achieve high standards of performance
Secure resources as required to support achievement of outcomes
Provide a framework for constructive feedback
Manage team dynamics and role model desired behaviours

Thought leadership and expert advice

Analyse and solve complex problems, and act as a point of escalation for issues that are encountered by the team and other stakeholder
Be a recognised specialist in the area who conceptualises, implements, promotes and evaluates complex and innovative programs
Provides expert advice to team members and other department and external stakeholders in area of specialisation

Strategic and business planning and reporting

Participate in the formulation and implementation of strategic and business plans to deliver on evolving organisational priorities
Report on team performance against business plans as required
Undertake financial management activities to ensure resources are available to support business plans

Strategic consultation

Initiate and maintain relationships with peers and senior internal and external stakeholders to support strategic and business planning efforts
Negotiate with stakeholders, peers, industry bodies and other government agencies to understand views, gain cooperation, achieve influence on strategic or business priorities
Manage stakeholder consultation processes, balancing competing priorities and views

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

Capability Description

People Management

Aligns team with organisational values and goals through effective people management and modelling
Clearly defines role expectations, monitors performance, provides timely and constructive feedback and facilitates employee development
Ensures staff are effectively deployed through effective workforce planning practices
Maximises effectiveness by selecting, developing, managing and motivating a diverse, high performing team where people feel valued and want to do their best

Leadership

Identifies potential issues and setbacks and guides team to optimise outcomes
Motivates others to deliver against goals
Builds team commitment by demonstrating personal conviction
Translates organisational strategy into meaningful long¿term plans and objectives for own area of responsibility
Ensures the team understands and takes ownership of work to execute the organisation's vision and strategy
Sets and achieves ambitious goals for themselves and for their group
Displays a strong improvement orientation by removing barriers to staff and organisational performance

Organisational Awareness

Understands and addresses underlying problems, opportunities or external forces affecting the organisatio
Understands the impact of external events and changing stakeholder needs on the organisation and government
Uses strategic relationships and knowledge to predict and prepare for the impact of events on the organisation

Stakeholder Management

Engages effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including key government and school colleagues
Finds innovative solutions to resolve stakeholder issues
Identifies and responds to stakeholder's underlying needs
Identifies issues in common for one or more stakeholders and uses to build mutually beneficial partnerships
Uses understanding of the stakeholder¿s organisational context to ensure outcomes are achieved

Strategic Planning

Considers the ramifications of issues and long¿term impact of work being done
Inspires a sense of purpose and direction within context
Understands the organisation's current and future role
Effectively and appropriately develops and uses evidence to support and develop approaches to strategy and policy

Resource Management

Anticipates and manages risks
Ensures value for investment is achieved
Negotiates for necessary resources from corporate budgets and other sources
Oversees development and management of complex budgets with multiple cost centre managers

Specialist Expertise

Demonstrated capability to drive the successful delivery of policies, processes or resources to the front-line workforce in a large social system

Personal Qualities Capability Description

Developing Others

Actively seeks to improve others¿ skills and talents by providing constructive feedback, coaching and training opportunities
Empowers others by investing them with the authority and latitude to accomplish tasks

Flexibility

Is open and responsive to change
Is intellectually curious and open to new ideas and the challenges of unfamiliar task
Is adaptable and flexible
Encourages openness to change in others and creates a culture where new ideas are valued, fostered and shape
Stretches others¿ thinking about how to view issues and potential ways forward
Perseveres when the 'going gets tough' and in the face of resistance or setbacks

Conceptual and Analytical Ability

Deals with concepts, ambiguity and complexity comfortably
Makes sound and timely decisions balancing judgement, analysis and intuition

Who May Apply

Essential: Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline and a working knowledge of Victoria¿s education system and current reform landscape

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via [email protected]

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

Other Information

Applicants should keep a copy of the position description as it cannot be accessed once the job has closed
Applicants are required to submit a CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages)
Visit http://www.careers.vic.gov.au/vacancies/tips-for-applying for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions and addressing key selection criteria.
The Department of Education (DE) is committed to diversity. The department places considerable effort and resources into responding to the needs of employees with a disability
People from disadvantaged groups are encouraged to apply for this position.
Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment. New DE employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.
If appointed from outside DE, successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment health declaration.
A probationary period of up to 6 months may apply for a person appointed to an ongoing position from outside the Public Service or the Teaching Service.
All DE employees are required to comply with relevant legislation, including legislation regarding the management of departmental records, the Code of Conduct for Victorian public sector employees and departmental policies and procedures in the conduct of their employment.
Standard public service terms and conditions apply. Information about DE's operations and employment conditions can be obtained from the following websites: www.education.vic.gov.au and www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb.
To support DE's commitment to its Environmental Management System, DE employees are expected to act in an environmentally responsible manner at all times.

Program Benefits

The Department of Education (DE) leads the delivery of education and development services to children and students both directly through government schools and indirectly through the regulation and funding of early childhood services and non-government schools.

Information about the structure of the department, including details about each of our Ministers, key staff, regional offices, strategy and annual reports are available at: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/default.aspx

The department is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. The department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and department workplaces.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the department. The department acknowledges and respects Aboriginal cultures, its values and practices, and is committed to take actions to provide support to Aboriginal people employed by the department.

The department also works in conjunction with the following statutory bodies: Adult, Community and Further Education Board; Children's Services Coordination Board; Disciplinary Appeals Boards; Victorian Children's Council; and Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Further information about DE is available at www.education.vic.gov.au.

Location Profile

SCHOOLS AND REGIONAL SERVICES (SRS)

The Schools and Regional Services (SRS) Group is the face of the department across Victoria. Successful outcomes for children and young people are at the center of everything we do.

There are Regional and Area teams in locations throughout the state. The Area teams lead our place-based approach to service delivery and are responsible for managing this delivery through our schools and early childhood providers in local communities right across Victoria.

SRS provides an interface between the departments central office and our service providers, ensuring that policy intent and outcomes are delivered on-the-ground.

SRS promotes and supports partnerships across our system, regional early childhood services, schools and other education providers to deliver high-quality services and outcomes.

SRS has a strong focus on driving operational performance, accountability, workforce leadership and policy implementation.

TEACHING, LEARNING AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SUB-GROUP

The Teaching, Learning and School Performance sub-group is led by the Assistant Deputy Secretary and consists of two divisions:

Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division: focused on providing curriculum, teaching and learning policy advice to senior executives and the Minister, and guidance and resources to government schools; and
Schools Performance Division: responsible for the frameworks and programs relating to government school performance at the student, teacher and school level

It works with other key areas of the department, including Senior Secondary Strategy and Reform, Schools Workforce and School Education Programs and Support, as well as the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership (the Academy) on matters related to the curriculum, teaching, learning and school performance.

CURRICULUM AND TEACHING PRACTICE DIVISIO

Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division (CTPD) works collaboratively across the department, with schools, and with stakeholders to co-design and implement initiatives that support schools to deliver high-quality curriculum and teaching programs. CTPD has primary responsibility for the provision of advice and implementation support to government schools to deliver the Victorian Curriculum. Drawing on contemporary research and practice evidence, CPTDs work contributes to ongoing improvements in student outcomes by flexibly responding to student needs and aspirations, as well as those of school communities.

CTPD covers a range of key policy and professional practice areas including Literacy, Languages, the Arts and Humanities; Numeracy, STEM and Digital Learning; Victorian Lesson Plans and Teaching and Learning. Across these branches, key functions include:

providing policies and guidance in areas such as assessment and reporting, languages education, Holocaust education, literacy instruction, mathematics and numeracy education, and artificial intelligence
developing lesson plans, toolkits and other teaching and learning resources for classroom use
designing and delivering high-quality professional learning in key curriculum areas
developing and managing the Arc Platform and implementing high-quality teaching and learning software
fostering student, family and community engagement through programs like the Premiers Reading Challenge, Books in Prep Bags, and community language schools.

Applications close Wednesday 10 June 2026 at 11.59pm

Posted

28 May 2026