Manager - Middle Leadership

Victorian Government; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Victorian Government's Department of Education invites applications for the role of Manager, Teaching and Leadership Excellence Division in Melbourne. You will lead strategic development and implementation of Academy middle leadership professional learning programs and advise on portfolio direction.

You will oversee a high-performing team, manage external partnerships, and ensure programs align with system priorities.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in the end-to-end management of professional learning programs or training.
• Advanced project and program management capability.
• Strong people leadership and team management.
• Demonstrated ability to set strategy, drive improvement and deliver organisational outcomes.
• Highly developed stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
• Ability to manage complex, competing and interdependent priorities, continuous improvement activities and services.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making and business acumen.

Responsibilities

• The Manager, Teaching and Leadership Excellence Division leads the strategic development and implementation of the Academy's Middle Leadership professional learning programs.
• This role sets direction, ensures quality and leads a high-performing team.
• The responsibilities include leading the strategic design, development and continuous improvement of the Middle Leadership unit.
• Leading, managing and developing a high-performing team who deliver a subset of the Academy's professional learning programs and projects across the life cycle from program inception through to program close and evaluation.
• Providing strategic advice on program and portfolio direction, systems, processes, policies, tools, quality standards and delivery models to internal and external stakeholders.
• Overseeing procurement, contracts and partnerships with external providers.
• Building partnerships to support innovation and system-wide impact.
• Monitoring program performance, risks and outcomes, to ensure alignment to organisational strategy and system priorities and drive continuous improvement.
• Managing stakeholder relationships and resolving complex issues.
• Contributing to divisional and organisational strategy and business planning.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Program development

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

People management

Problem solving

Education

Education or related qualification

Job description

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: VG/DE/VATL/1950578

An exciting opportunity to join our team and play an important role in the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership (Academy).

Thispositioncommences1 January 2027

An exciting opportunity to join our team and play an important role in the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership (Academy).

The Academy's mission is to enhance and improve student outcomes across rural, regional and metropolitan schools through specialised professional learning and pathways, and to raise public awareness of the profession. Information on our legislated objectives is available on our website: Our strategy and story | Academy

At the Academy, we are passionate about meaningful and exciting work that has an impact on education and student outcomes. Our shared purpose is to create and offer evidence-informed professional learning programs, events and initiatives designed to take Victoria's highly skilled teachers and school leaders from great to exceptional and advance the quality and status of teaching and school leadership. We also provide pathways for school and system improvement and raise public awareness of and confidence in the profession across government, Catholic and independent systems.

We care about the quality of our work, demonstrate collective responsibility for continuous improvement and support each other to do the very best we can every day to achieve our goals.

The Academy is a learning organisation that provides opportunities for employees to grow. We have a positive culture that we are building together, where people feel supported, valued and heard.

About the Division

The Teaching and Leadership Excellence Division leads and delivers a comprehensive portfolio of evidence-informed high-quality professional learning for teachers and school leaders across the government, Catholic and independent sectors. It enables excellence inteaching andleadership,including in literacy and mathematics,and student learning and wellbeingoutcomes, and builds leadership capability at all career stages, from emerging leaders to system leaders.

Programs are grounded in high-quality professional learning principles and aligned to either the Academy Leadership Excellence Framework and/or the Academy Teaching Excellence Model, supporting educators to translate evidence into practice, lead improvement, and drive sustained impact in their context.

The division provides thought leadership,resourcesand insights to the profession, drawing onexpertisein education policy, teaching and learning, and program and project management. Its workforce includes teaching service staff (Principals in Residence and Expert Teachers in Residence) alongside Victorian Public Service staff.

The division works in close partnership with the Academy Services Division to ensure seamless participant support,customerexperienceand high-qualityprogram design. Additionally,thedivision works withthe Business Services Division to enable effective learning environments and technology,project and program management support, and the Regional Division to coordinate consistent, place-based delivery across Victoria.

About the Role

The Manager,Teaching and LeadershipExcellence Division,leads thestrategicdevelopment and implementationof the Academy'sMiddle Leadershippr ofessional learning programs.This rolesetsdirection,ensuresqualityand leadsa high-performing team.

The responsibilities of theManager,Leadership ExcellenceDivision,include:

• leading the strategic design,developmentand continuous improvement of theMiddle Leadershipunit

• leading,managing and developing a high-performing teamwhodelivera sub-set of the Academy'sprofessional learning programsand projectsacross thelife cyclefromprograminceptionthrough toprogram close andevaluation

• providingstrategic advice on program andportfoliodirection,systems, processes, policies,tools,qualitystandardsand delivery modelsto internal and external stakeholders

• overseeingprocurement,contractsand partnerships with external providers

• building partnerships to support innovation and system-wide impact

• monitoring programperformance,risksand outcomes,to ensure alignment to organisational strategy and system priorities anddrive continuous improvement

• managing stakeholder relationships and resolving complex issues

• contributingto divisional and organisational strategy and business planning

Capabilities

• Deepexpertiseinthe end-to-end management of professional learning programs or training

• Advanced project and program management capability

• Strong people leadershipand team management

• Demonstrated ability to set strategy, driveimprovementand deliver organisational outcomes

• Highly developed stakeholder engagement and influencing skills

• Ability to manage complex,competingand interdependentpriorities,continuous improvementactivitiesandservices

• Strong problem-solving, decision-making and business acumen.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• A qualification in Education, Project Management, Learning Design or similar isdesirable.

Further Information

For more detailsregardingthis position please see attached position description.

The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website andour Diversity and Inclusion page

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can belocatedat www.education.vic.gov.au .

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Emily Benson - Director, Teaching and L eadership Excellence Division via [e-mail]

Preferred applicants maybe requiredto complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.glarge print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on 26th October 2026

Applications close Monday 26 October 2026 at 11.59pm