Director - Literacy and Languages

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference:

Selection Criteria

• Victorian Public Sector Values
• Organisational Awareness
• Strategic Planning
• Stakeholder Management
• Leadership

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
  • 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
    • 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
    • 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

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 organisation
• 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 issue
• 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: 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 tasks
• Is adaptable and flexible
• Encourages openness to change in others and creates a culture where new ideas are valued, fostered and shaped
• 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
• Uses analytical and conceptual skills to reason through problems

Responsibilities Under the leadership of the Executive Director, Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division, the Director, Literacy and Languages, 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 Victoria's reading position through development of associated web pages and collateral, general teaching, and pedagogic practice.
• Lead the implementation of the Minister for Education's flagship teaching and learning reforms, with a focus on Victoria's reading position and Phonics Plus implementation through close engagement with regional school improvement teams, partner agencies (e.g. the VCAA and the Academy), corporate teams across DE and external stakeholders.
• Management of key programs, related to the Literacy and Language curriculum areas
• 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.
• Lead a portfolio of 2 - 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.

Who May Apply Qualifications

• 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 . click apply for full job details