National Safeguarding Manager

Only About Children; St Leonards; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid flexibility

Childcare discount

Paid parental leave

Wellbeing days

Additional annual leave

EAP support

Discounts and rewards

Learning and development

Job summary

Only About Children in Australia is seeking an experienced safeguarding leader to advance our child safety framework, oversee investigations and translate regulatory expectations into practical systems. Reporting to the Executive Director, Safety and Transformation, you will influence safeguarding outcomes across our national organisation from the St Leonards office.

This permanent, full-time role demands strategic thinking and hands-on leadership to drive proactive, consistent safeguarding

Qualifications

• Extensive safeguarding experience
• Experience leading confidential investigations
• Knowledge of Child Safe Standards and mandatory reporting
• Experience in complex human services/education organisations
• Ability to implement safeguarding frameworks, processes and controls
• Confidence engaging regulators and senior stakeholders
• Excellent judgement and investigation reporting
• Collaborative and hands-on leadership style
• Experience in Early Childhood Education and Care is a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead safeguarding strategy and framework, owning the Child Safe Plan with leaders.
• Own safeguarding incident management and response with child-centred focus.
• Lead serious and reportable conduct investigations from intake to reporting.
• Build clear processes that strengthen transparency and accountability.
• Develop safeguarding capability through practical guidance and training.
• Act as OAC's senior safeguarding adviser to executives and campus leaders.
• Engage regulators and external agencies, including reportable conduct bodies.
• Strengthen assurance by analysing trends and translating learnings into policy.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Learning and Development and People and Culture.

Skills

Safeguarding leadership

Investigations management

Regulator engagement

Policy development

Senior stakeholder engagement

Written communication

Judgement and discretion

Collaborative leadership

Job description

About This Role

At

About This Role

At Only About Children (OAC), safeguarding is fundamental to everything we do. We're looking for an experienced safeguarding leader to build on these strong foundations, shape the next evolution of child safe practice and influence safeguarding outcomes across our national organisation.

This is a unique opportunity to influence safeguarding locally while contributing to broader conversations about child safety and protection across an international network. Reporting to the Executive Director, Safety and Transformation, you'll be OAC's senior safeguarding expert. You'll lead the continued development and implementation of our safeguarding framework, oversee serious and reportable conduct investigations, and translate evolving regulatory expectations into practical systems, training and controls.

Based out of our St Leonards Support Office, this permanent, full-time role requires someone who can hold the enterprise-wide strategy while confidently stepping into the detail when a serious incident arises.

Why this role matters

Your work will help shape the next generation of safeguarding practice across OAC, building on strong foundations to drive meaningful, organisation-wide improvements that strengthen outcomes for children.

You'll help ensure our safeguarding approach is proactive, practical and consistently understood, while leading sensitive matters with independence, sound judgement and care. You'll also use insights from incidents and investigations to strengthen practice and prevent future harm.

What You'll Do

• Lead OAC's safeguarding strategy and framework, including ownership of the safeguarding elements of the Child Safe Plan and active partnership with accountable leaders to drive its continued implementation and evolution.
• Own safeguarding incident management and response, ensuring serious matters are managed decisively, consistently and with children's best interests at the centre.
• Lead serious and reportable conduct investigations, from initial assessment through to evidence gathering, findings and high-quality reports.
• Build clear, practical processes that strengthen transparency, accountability and confidence across the organisation.
• Develop safeguarding capability through practical guidance and training that helps teams identify, escalate and respond to concerns.
• Act as OAC's senior safeguarding adviser, providing credible advice to executive, operational and campus leaders.
• Lead engagement with regulators and external agencies, including reportable conduct bodies, child protection agencies and external investigators.
• Strengthen assurance and continuous improvement by analysing trends, identifying systemic risks and translating learnings into better policy, training and practice.
• Partner across OAC and Bright Horizons, particularly with Operations, Quality, Learning and Development and People and Culture.
  
  

You'll thrive here if you bring

• Extensive experience in safeguarding, child protection, reportable conduct, investigations or a related child safety discipline.
• Demonstrated experience leading confidential, sensitive and procedurally fair investigations.
• Strong knowledge of Child Safe Standards, reportable conduct schemes and mandatory reporting obligations.
• Experience operating at a senior or enterprise level within a complex human services, education, care or community organisation.
• The ability to develop and implement practical safeguarding frameworks, processes and controls.
• Confidence engaging with regulators, oversight bodies and senior organisational stakeholders.
• Excellent judgement, discretion and written communication skills, including evidence-based investigation reporting.
• A collaborative, hands-on and humble leadership style, with the ability to influence at all levels and build the capability of others.
  
  

Experience within Early Childhood Education and Care, including familiarity with the National Quality Framework, National Law and National Regulations, will be highly regarded.

Benefits And What You'll Love About OAC

At OAC, You're The Difference. Your work will shape how children are protected and how confidently our teams respond when it matters most. In return, you'll have access to:

• Hybrid flexibility, combining time at our St Leonards Support Office with working from home.
• Up to 50% off childcare fees.
• Paid parental leave for primary and secondary carers.
• Two Wellbeing Days each year.
• The option to purchase up to two weeks' additional annual leave.
• 24/7 confidential Employee Assistance Program support.
• Retail discounts and cashback through OAC Rewards.
• Recognition, learning and development opportunities across OAC and the wider Bright Horizons network.
  
  

About Only About Children

Only About Children provides early childhood education and care across a national campus network and is part of Bright Horizons Australia.

Our culture is guided by our HEART principles: Honesty, Excellence, Accountability, Respect and Teamwork.

OAC is committed to maintaining a child safe environment where children's safety, wellbeing and rights are respected. We have zero tolerance for child abuse and are dedicated to safeguarding children from harm.

A current Employee Working with Children Check is required for all OAC roles and must be obtained before employment.