Senior Compliance Officer

Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) Melbourne is seeking a Senior Compliance Officer to lead investigations, audits and enforcement to safeguard children and strengthen regulatory compliance.

You will interpret legislation, apply regulatory principles and coordinate cross-functional compliance projects across stakeholders in the Victorian early childhood sector.

Qualifications

• Qualifications in regulation, law, enforcement, economics, finance, behavioural sciences or human services.
• Experience in regulatory compliance, enforcement and risk-based regulation.
• Experience in investigations, compliance audits, risk-based regulation, or risk analytics.
• Certificate IV in Government Investigations or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigations into non-compliance, applying best practice techniques and evidence collection.
• Prepare high-quality briefs of evidence to support enforcement decisions.
• Lead risk-based compliance audits and investigations.
• Collaborate with co-regulators and government departments for information sharing.
• Develop guidelines, policies and procedures to improve regulatory processes.

Skills

Investigations

Regulatory compliance

Audits

Stakeholder engagement

Risk analysis

Education

Certificate IV in Government Investigations

Regulation/Law/Enforcement background

Job description

Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority – Melbourne VIC

Join VECRA as a Senior Compliance Officer and lead complex investigations, audits and enforcement activities to protect children, strengthen regulatory compliance and support quality early childhood education and care across Victoria.

About VECRA

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) is the statutory authority responsible for regulating early childhood education and care services in Victoria. VECRA works to ensure the safety, wellbeing and development of children through effective regulation, compliance, quality assessment and continuous improvement across the early childhood sector.

VECRA plays a critical system management role, providing guidance, oversight and assurance to the sector while supporting high-quality early childhood education outcomes for Victorian children and families.

About the Role

The Senior Compliance Officer plays a critical role enforcing non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations to ensure children attending early childhood education and care service are safe from harm and can maximise their educational and developmental opportunities. The position holder is expected to be able to demonstrate expertise in contemporary risk-based regulation, behavioural compliance and the ability to undertake complex audits, reviews and/or investigations to motivate or enforce compliance with the relevant laws and regulations and deter non-compliance.

The Senior Compliance Officer will undertake a range of compliance and enforcement related activities and be expected to have expertise:

• Leading investigations into non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations and applying best practice investigative techniques and methods, including collecting evidence and conducting records of interviews.
• Preparing recommendations and sanctions for the delegate based on proportionate, impartial and evidence-based submissions.
• Preparing high quality briefs of evidence to support enforcement decisions and legal proceedings, including prosecutions.

• Interpretating legislation and applying legal and regulatory principles to provide authoritative, clear and accurate advice to internal and external stakeholders.

• Leading and conducting risk-based compliance audits and investigations to assess compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Undertaking research and analysis to identify emerging compliance and enforcement risks to inform evidence-based responses.
• Developing, leading and participating in targeted compliance projects involving cross-functional teams and a variety of internal and external stakeholders.

• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, including co-regulators and government departments to facilitate information sharing and effective co-regulation.
• Contributing to strategic and responsive regulation by identifying emerging risks, trends and industry issues through risk managed data analysis.
• Developing and implementing guidelines, frameworks, policies and procedures to ensure effectiveness of regulatory compliance and enforcement processes.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant qualifications in areas such as regulation, law, enforcement, economics, finance, behavioural sciences or human services.
• Demonstrated experience working in a regulatory compliance, enforcement and risk-based regulatory environments.
• Experience and technical competency in investigations, compliance audits, risk-based regulation, or intelligence and risk analytics.
• Certificate IV in Government Investigations or equivalent experience.

Essential

Required to hold a valid Working with Children Check and Victorian driver's licence

Further Information

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

VECRA values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, re ligion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for VECRA, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit theVECRA websiteand ourDiversity and Inc lusion page.

VECRA's Regulatory Position Statement defines our role and approach to regulation. More information about it can be found here.

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about VECRA's operations and employment conditions can be located onthe VECRA website.

For further information about the role, please contact Helen Theocharous, Manager Monitoring and Compliance via ***************@education.vic.gov.au or 0484 511 ***.

Preferred applicants may be required to 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.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on 09 November 2026.