Deputy Principal

Trak Search Pty; Burradoo; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Chevalier College, a Catholic MSC‑influenced secondary school in Burradoo, NSW, is seeking a Deputy Principal to lead organizational effectiveness, culture, and operations. The role demands strong leadership with a focus on staffing, teaching quality, wellbeing and pastoral care, aligned to the College’s mission.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Principal, lead the College Leadership Team and drive continuous improvement, ensuring clear accountability and faith formation

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership in a complex educational environment.
• Commitment to Catholic MSC identity and formation.
• Ability to translate priorities into effective organisational practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership across the College's operations.
• Oversee staff leadership, culture and professional development.
• Ensure day-to-day and term-to-term functioning with clarity and accountability.
• Support ongoing improvement across teaching, learning and pastoral care.
• Collaborate with Principal and Leadership Team to realise strategic priorities.

Skills

Leadership experience

Catholic education

Strategic thinking

Education

NESA accreditation

Job description

Deputy Principal – Chevalier College, Bowral, NSW

• The opportunity to work within the distinctive MSC ‘Spirituality of the Heart’?
• The appeal of the lifestyle in the Southern Highlands region of NSW?

Chevalier College is an independent Catholic co-educational secondary day school in the MSC tradition. With over 1,000 students in 2027, it is located in Burradoo, in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales.

For 80 years, Chevalier College has been a place where students are known, valued and inspired. Guided by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), the College brings together rich traditions and a future-facing vision to create an education that is deeply personal and boldly innovative.

Today, Chevalier is a vibrant and contemporary secondary school, with a strong emphasis on learning, wellbeing, relationships and the formation of the whole person. Its beautiful Southern Highlands setting and extensive campus provide an environment in which students and staff are encouraged to grow, contribute and flourish.

Chevalier is entering its next chapter with a clear commitment to strengthening the culture, systems and leadership that will support its continuing development. It offers senior leaders the opportunity to contribute to a College that is strongly grounded in its Catholic and MSC identity while being ambitious about the quality, relevance and impact of the education it provides.

Living in the Southern Highlands of NSW

The Southern Highlands offers an attractive combination of country living and easy access to Sydney and Canberra.

Centred around towns such as Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale, the region is known for its strong sense of community, beautiful natural environment, excellent food and wine, golf courses, cafés and restaurants, and a relaxed lifestyle. The Southern Highlands provides the benefits of a genuine regional lifestyle without the isolation that can accompany a regional appointment.

We acknowledge the First Nations peoples of Australia, the traditional custodians of the land, seas, skies and waterways on which we reside, work, travel and meet. We pay our respect to First Nations elders past, present, and emerging.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, video or audio recordings.

Position Overview

Position Title: Deputy Principal

Reports to: Principal

Position Purpose

The Deputy Principal is a close executive partner of the Principal with a particular focus on organisational effectiveness, operational leadership, professional culture and staff flourishing. The role brings together people, systems and processes to ensure the College operates with clarity, coherence and accountability, creating the conditions in which outstanding faith formation, learning, teaching and pastoral care can flourish.

Highly relational yet strongly managerial in its focus, the Deputy Principal will provide the leadership presence and organisational capability required to ensure the effective day-to-day, week-to-week and term-to-term functioning of a complex contemporary secondary school.

Key Responsibilities

The Deputy Principal provides executive leadership and oversight across the operational life of the College, ensuring that systems, structures, people and processes are aligned with Chevalier’s mission and strategic priorities.

Key areas include whole-of-College operations and organisational workflows; staff leadership and professional culture; Administration, Front Office and Student Services; Information Technology; compliance; and the coordination of key operational priorities.

Working through designated leaders and support staff, the Deputy Principal will promote clarity, accountability, effective communication and continuous improvement across the College.

At a later stage in this project, you will be provided a full position description. You will also be briefed on the success criteria for the first 12 months in the role.

Key Relationships

Central to the role is a close, trusted and highly collaborative partnership with the Principal. The Deputy Principal will provide counsel, perspective and constructive challenge, while also taking significant responsibility for translating College priorities into effective organisational practice.

The Deputy Principal will work closely with the College Leadership Team and provide leadership, support and oversight to staff responsible for key operational functions. More broadly, the role requires strong and respectful relationships across the College community, including staff, students, parents and families, and relevant external stakeholders.

Reporting directly to the Deputy Principal are the Administration Manager, Information Technology Leaders, the Extracurricular Leader and Administrator. The Deputy Principal is also supported by a dedicated Administration Support Officer.

organisation chart will be provided at a later stage in this project.

Reason for Vacancy

While a Deputy Principal position has existed prior to 2023 at Chevalier College, this role has been newly shaped under the principalship of Greg Miller to provide a critical platform for the College’s next stage of development.

Commencement

The anticipated start date is January 2027.

Location

Chevalier College is in Burradoo, NSW, which is a 5-minute drive south of Bowral. The school campus is situated on 100 acres, with contemporary facilities, an onsite farm and sprawling playing fields.

Conditions of Employment

• The remuneration package will be discussed as we move through this process.
• Leave is 9 weeks: 4 weeks of annual leave during the Christmas period; and an additional 5 weeks of stand down leave – 1 week additional to the annual leave in January; plus one week during both the term 1 and term 3 break periods; and 2 weeks during the break at the end of term 2.
• The initial contract period is five years. A major appraisal will occur in the latter part of the contract to inform the offer of a new contract.
• The standard 6-month probation period applies.
• Relocation support is available, if required.
• Portability of LSL is available if your current employer is a part of this Catholic schools arrangement.
• Must be NESA accredited, or be eligible to be accredited by NESA, to teach in NSW.
• Prior to appointment the successful applicant will possess a current, approved Working With Children Check and obtain clearance with a Police Check.

Selection Criteria

We invite expressions of interest from people who align with the following:

• A demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of Catholic education, together with the capacity to contribute to the Catholic identity, faith life and culture of the College.
• An appreciation of the importance of charism and formation, together with a desire to engage with and grow in the MSC ‘Spirituality of the Heart’.
• Leadership experience within a complex Catholic educational environment (Independent or systemic schools), with
  • extensive knowledge and understanding of the distinctive mission and evangelising work of Catholic schools; and
  • the capability to contribute to the strategic leadership of the College at executive level.
• A highly relational, visible and inclusive leadership style, with the capacity to build trust, exercise sound judgement and work in genuine partnership with the Principal, Leadership Team and wider College community.
• Demonstrated high-level organisational and operational leadership capability, with the ability to bring clarity, alignment and accountability to people, systems and processes in a dynamic environment.
• A solution-focused and improvement-oriented mindset, supported by relevant qualifications and a demonstrated commitment to ongoing personal and professional learning.

The role will particularly appeal to an accomplished secondary school leader seeking significant whole-of-College executive experience as part of a future pathway to Principalship.

The Selection Process

The timeline for this project is as follows:

Date of project launch/advertising By Friday 21st Aug

Latest date for applications Friday 11 th Sept.

Selection committee short listing During week commencing Mon 21 st Sept.

Anticipated date for Chevalier interviews Week of Monday 12 th October

Follow up meeting/discussion Likely within 7 days of client interviews

We have been instructed to provide a process that is transparent and welcoming.

• We are available for your confidential enquiries. We will also provide additional information to allow you to explore how the role aligns with your expectations and interests.
• Closing is 5.00pm on the date shown above. However, a late application could be accepted, providing it does not adversely impact other applications or the Chevalier schedule.
• We expect to complete a work-related reference prior to shortlisting. We anticipate speaking with another work-related referee between shortlisting and interviews; with final references completed in the final stages of the process. No referee will be contacted without your express consent.
• While a face-to-face meeting is preferred, the selection committee will provide an option of an online interview in circumstances where a person is unable to visit for the initial meeting.
• Please be aware our standard practice utilises the services of an external specialist in pre-employment screening. This service includes employment history verification; Police Check; and academic qualifications and professional memberships verification.
• Prior to the shortlisting process, information provided to Trak Search will be made available, in confidence, to the Principal, or his nominee, unless you instruct otherwise.
• Only people with the unrestricted right to work in Australia may apply for this role.
• People are contacted and discussions commence soon after applications are received. We do not wait until the close date. There are advantages in applying immediately

Trak Search strongly supports the principles of equal employment opportunities in the workplace. We support our clients in recruiting a diverse range of people and a diverse range of talents.

Trak Search is committed to working with client organisations in the safeguarding of children and young people. Applicants should be aware that in addition to the Working with Children and National Police History Checks required by our client, Trak Search screening processes, interview questions and reference checking will also reflect this commitment.

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.