Senior Project Officer

Position Title: Senior Project Officer
Work Type: 0.8- 1.0 EFT (negotiable) until 30 June 2025 (extension pending funding)
Pay grade: Salary + superannuation + salary packaging
Program: Raising Expectations – Improving educational outcomes for care experienced young people and care leavers
Portfolio: Social Policy & Research
Location: Hybrid – Online & Melbourne CBD, some travel as required. Level 5/50 Market Street, Melbourne 3000

Organisational Accountabilities

The Centre is committed to the health, safety, and wellbeing of its staff. The Centre and its staff must comply with a range of statutory requirements including equal opportunity, occupational health and safety and privacy. The Centre requires staff to comply with its policies and procedures and related statutory requirements.

Benefits of working at the Centre

• Up to three days additional leave over Christmas/New Year period
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements
• A flexible hybrid work-from-home arrangement
• Paid parental/carer/study leave
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities
• A supportive and positive work environment
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Leave loading of 17.5%
• Attractive not-for-profit salary packaging (this boosts your income by reducing the amount of tax you pay), with Meal/Holiday accommodation benefit

Background – Raising Expectations

The Raising Expectations program supports young people in care and care leavers to access and succeed at TAFE and university. Currently, few care leavers go onto study at TAFE and university compared with their peers who have not been in care. Raising Expectations is working to change this. The program is a cross-sectoral collaboration between the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare and TAFE and university partners, Federation University Australia, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University, Monash University, Deakin University and RMIT University. The program was established in 2015 and has since seen a significant increase in young people from care entering and succeeding at TAFE and university.

Working collaboratively with our partner TAFE and universities, the Centre raises awareness about care experienced student needs in the community and education sectors. The Centre collaborates with the multiple sectors and services that work with young people with a care experience to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals and carers about the support and opportunities available. The aim is to keep children and young people who are in care connected to learning and to be able to make informed choices about post-secondary educational and employment pathways.

A key feature of Raising Expectations is the Peer Mentoring programs, which aim to connect care experienced young people with mentors who have also experienced care. Currently, we have two peer mentoring programs; Game Changers supports care experienced TAFE and university students and Level Up supports young people aged 15-18 with a care experience navigate the transition into TAFE and university.

About the role

As the Senior Project Officer, you will be working closely with our Program Manager, Project Officer, and Engagement and Communications Officer, all of whom are passionate about creating a more equitable post-secondary education system for care experienced people. We use a strengths-based approach to advocating for and working alongside young people and adults who have spent time in care and highly value their voice, knowledge, and experiences in informing our work.

This role will be responsible for supporting the Program Manager to grow the reach and impact of the Raising Expectations program, including the delivery and growth of key stakeholder networks. The Senior Project Officer will also support the Raising Expectations team with the delivery of training and workshops, tailored resource development, events and the delivery of the Game Changers Peer Mentoring Program. Ideally, you will have experience working within education or out of home care related programs, have well-developed written and verbal communication skills, and have an approachable and empathetic manner. We also highly value knowledge of the community services sector, including understanding and/or lived experience of the out-of-home care system.

Reports to: Senior Manager, Education

Key Accountabilities

• Support the Program Manager to develop and deliver a program of targeted professional development resources (e.g. delivery of workshops) aimed at TAFE and dual sector university staff and other relevant services and programs to support greater awareness of care experienced young people
• Lead and support the development of key documents and materials to engage students in care, or who have left care, in school to support their pathways into post-secondary education and/or training
• Lead the planning for and support the delivery of quarterly network meetings for TAFE providers and monthly network meetings for the community services and education sectors
  Support the delivery of the Game Changers mentoring program for young people who have been in care studying at TAFE and university (this includes the recruitment and onboarding of mentees and mentors, delivering mentor training, facilitation of mentoring sessions)
• Provide high level project support to the Program Manager and Raising Expectations team as required, including representation on external committees and working groups
• Prepare high quality and timely reports to government on project deliverables
• Prepare and deliver presentations on Raising Expectations to key stakeholders and funders
• Contribute to regular updates to project governance group and government as required
• Support the organising and delivery of key events for young people with a care experience and professionals supporting their education
• Contribute to relevant submissions to inform government, Centre membership, and Centre policy work in relation to education and children and young people in care, youth justice and other groups who face significant educational disadvantage

Key Selection Criteria

The successful applicant will have:

• Demonstrated ability to liaise and build relationships with range of stakeholder groups (e.g. TAFE and university staff, government representatives, community service organisations, senior management, young people with lived experience, schools)
• Knowledge of the Victorian care system, including understanding of the common experiences of care leavers and the barriers they may face in accessing post-secondary education
• Knowledge of post-secondary education pathways, including processes at TAFE and university, or capacity to acquire this knowledge quickly
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills (e.g. experience in the preparation of project plans, agendas, minutes, reports and delivery of presentations for different audiences and stakeholders)
• Experience in supporting and developing projects and programs that centre lived experience
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Ability to use a range of technology and software applications including MS Office suite.

Qualifications

• Relevant qualifications (e.g. social work, youth work, education, social policy) or equivalent lived experience of the community services system

Conditional Employment Requirements

1. Satisfactory police check
2. Satisfactory Working With Children Check
3. This role requires current valid work rights for Australia.

Download the Position Description.