Business Manager - Shared School Position

Victorian Government; Ballarat; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Victorian Government is seeking an experienced Business Manager for a shared role spanning Sebastopol and Mt Egerton Primary Schools. The position involves steering finance, HR, and school administration across two campuses, with 3 days at Sebastopol and 1 day at Mt Egerton weekly.

The role requires strong leadership, budgeting, payroll, and compliance knowledge, with a focus on collaboration with principals and school communities.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated capacity to lead an office team and direct others.
• Knowledge and experience in HR and financial management records systems.
• Knowledge of financial management legal requirements and ability to produce reports.
• High level organizational skills and ability to prioritise workflows.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver School Services: manage design and production of school publications and documents.
• Finance: lead annual budgets, financial statements, funding submissions and treasury compliance.
• General Administration: provide admin support for Principal and staff, admissions and school events.
• Human Resources: recruit, advise leadership on HR practices and health/safety standards.
• Manage School Resources: coordinate facilities, liaise with service providers, supervise contracted work.
• Support School Council: draft reports, evaluate IT systems, develop cross-school programs.

Skills

People leadership

HR records management

Financial reporting

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Job description

Business Manager - Shared School Position

SC1 Demonstrated capacity to lead an office team, including capacity for directing the work of others.

SC2 Demonstrated knowledge and experience in respect to human resource and financial management records systems.

SC3 Sound knowledge of financial management legal requirements and practices, including the capacity to produce reports and provide advice in respect to those reports.

SC4 High level organizational skills, including the capacity to prioritise work flows.

SC5 High level written and verbal communication skills.

Role

A Business Manager role will usually undertake tasks that impact on the whole school. The role seeks to gain cooperation of other staff members or members of the school community to achieve specific objectives, such as in school administration, finance or human resources.

Direction on targets and goals is provided but the position will have some degree of latitude in determining how they are achieved. This latitude will generally be limited by standard procedures and school policy. Deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.

Management of staff to achieve the expected outcomes is a key responsibility. Staff management issues will be resolved with minimal reference to senior management, although guidance will be required in more complex cases. Senior management will be provided with timely reports and advice in matters relating to the school finance, human resources or school administration.

Responsibilities

Deliver School Services

• Manage the design and production of school publications and documents

Finance

• Manage and direct the preparation of annual budgets and regular financial statements and contribute to the financial decision making of the school.
• Prepare funding submissions for the leadership team and school council.
• Direct the accounting processes of the school and ensure that all funds, including school investments, are effectively accounted for according to Treasury regulations.
• Provide advice to staff on spending against budget in respect to faculties, programs and other school projects.
• Administer government grants and other school income.
• Manage fund raising activities.

General Administration

• Ensure the provision of a range of administrative support functions for the Principal and teaching staff.
• Provide administrative support to external service providers as required.
• Manage the processing of student admissions, registrations, enrolments and transfers.
• Provide required level of administrative support for school events, functions and projects.
• Implement induction programs for new staff, volunteers and other workers to the school.

Human Resources

• Research, plan and prepare development programs for support staff.
• Manage recruitment procedures.
• Provide authoritative advice to the leadership team on support structures and work practices.
• Assist in the development of work practices that ensure appropriate occupational health and safety standards are maintained.
• Manage procedures relating to employee relations issues.
• Assist in the development of human resource planning.

Manage School Resources

• Coordinate the use and maintenance of school buildings and equipment.
• Liaise and negotiate with service providers in respect to the cost and quality of services.
• Supervise the delivery of contracted services.
• Manage the development and collection of resource material at the school.

Support School Council

• Draft reports and make recommendations on operational issues.
• Evaluate and report on the operational efficiency of computer systems in production, making recommendations for improvement where appropriate.
• Develop techniques and procedures that will affect work practices beyond the work place.
• Manage a technical program with a broad scope across the school.

Who May Apply

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.

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 (emailprotected)

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:

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:

Other Information

Extra Information ¿ Business Manager ¿ Sebastopol PS and Mt Egerton PS.

Business Manager ¿ Shared School Position

Sebastopol Primary School and Mt Egerton Primary School are seeking an experienced and highly organised Business Manager to join our school communities.

This is a shared position across two Victorian government primary schools, providing an opportunity to work collaboratively with the leadership teams of both schools.

The successful applicant will be required to work 3 days per week at Sebastopol Primary School and 1 day per week at Mt Egerton Primary School.

We are particularly seeking an applicant who has previous experience working within the Business Manager space in a Victorian school setting and possesses a strong understanding of Department of Education financial, administrative and operational processes.

The successful applicant will demonstrate strong skills in financial management, budgeting, HR and payroll processes, administration and compliance, while providing high-quality advice and support to both Principals and their respective school communities.

We are looking for someone who is organised, reliable, proactive and able to work independently, while also building positive and professional relationships with staff, families and the broader school community.

Previous Business Manager experience within a Victorian government school setting is highly desirable.

It is recommended that all applicants contact the Sebastopol Primary School Principal, Kane Tolliday, on prior to submitting their application.

Conditions of Employment

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at

Location Profile

Mount Egerton Primary School profile

Mount Egerton Primary School is a small school situated approximately 30km Southeast of Ballarat. We see our core purpose as providing a friendly and caring learning environment that encourages students to work towards achieving their personal best in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation while becoming valued members of the community.

In 2026 the staff comprises of 1.0 EFT teaching principal, 2.0 EFT classroom teachers, 1.0 EFT integration aide¿ who actively foster the school¿s core values of kindness, resilience, perseverance and community. We cater for individual growth in a nurturing and stimulating learning environment by creating a personalised learning program for all students.

Our current enrolment is 18 students. We break into two groups for Literacy, Numeracy. Language (Chinese) and Respectful Relationships¿ a junior and senior group. Students are grouped together for all other subjects. Staff provided challenging and enjoyable learning experiences aimed at promoting the individual students intellectual, physical, social and emotional development, with a particular focus on literacy and numeracy skills. Parents and teachers are seen as partners in promoting student learning and work together to establish a positive atmosphere. The strong focus on community makes Mount Egerton Primary school a family orientated school.

As Mount Egerton Primary School is a small school all staff are required to take on a range of responsibilities in and out of the classroom. We work very much as a team and support one another in our work.