Senior Project Officer

Resources; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

VSBA in Melbourne is seeking a Senior Project Delivery Lead to drive early childhood capital works across Victoria. You will coordinate the full project lifecycle from feasibility through tendering to project close, ensuring milestones are met and delivery and financial targets are achieved.

Reporting to a Program Manager, you will work with internal and external teams, manage consultants and stakeholders, and provide timely reports to Ministers and senior officers.

Qualifications

• Background across the full development project lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience in government or public sector projects.
• Ability to lead consultants, contractors and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate all aspects of execution across the project lifecycle from feasibility to close.
• Collaborate with internal and external teams on planning, design, legal and communications.
• Manage stakeholder relationships to mitigate risks and resolve delivery issues.
• Provide clear reporting on planning, delivery status and outcomes for ministers and senior staff.

Skills

Strong communication

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification

Job description

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: VG/DE/VSBA/1956778

Lead the delivery of early childhood infrastructure projects across Victoria, building strong partnerships and ensuring successful project outcomes through effective project management and stakeholder engagement.

About the Role

This role reports to a Program Manager within the Kinder Infrastructure Delivery division, this position will lead and deliver early childhood capital works projects by:

• Coordinating all aspects of execution across the project lifecycle from feasibility, through to tendering, to project close to ensure expectations are understood and agreed, the program is maintained, key milestones are met, and that delivery, performance and financial targets are achieved
• Working with a Director/Manager, collaborate with internal and external teams and resources on a range of matters, such as planning, design, legal and communications
• Assisting in the establishment and maintenance of effective relationships with diverse stakeholders in order to manage risks and resolve issues impacting project delivery. This is likely to include managing sensitive negotiations with stakeholders with competing priorities
• Assisting a Director/ Manager by providing clear and timely advice and reporting on project planning, project delivery status, benefits and outcomes for a range of stakeholders, including Ministers, the Secretary, senior officers and project teams
• Connecting insights from analysis into strategy development, investment advice and investment prioritisation processes.

The ideal candidate will have a background across the full development project lifecycle, including coordinating and directing consultants, contractors and external stakeholders. Your proven project management skills, knowledge of public sector infrastructure funding and delivery systems and ability to lead a highly performing team, together with your tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline, will be highly regarded in securing this opportunity.

The role includes a high degree of stakeholder engagement within the VSBA, Divisions across the Department, local government and early childhood sector partners.

All VSBA staff have a shared responsibility to meet the same service standards outlined in the VSBA Customer Service Charter. Our goal is to make every interaction with the VSBA a positive one for our customers, colleagues and key partners regardless of our individual role or team.

Attributes

The ideal candidate must have strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a complex environment.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Desirable: relevant tertiary qualification and considerable/demonstrated experience in similar role within government.

About the Department

The role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society.

About the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA)

- build on existing infrastructure planning and delivery strengths;

- have a stronger, dedicated focus on project planning, delivery and community engagement;

- increase reporting to Government with stronger asset policy integration; and

- provide a major uplift in Statewide and local communications.

The VSBA brings together DE's existing expertise in project management, the latest ideas in school design, and a dedicated community engagement team to deliver the right schools for local communities. In June 2018, the VSBA developed an overarching four-year strategic framework, which identifies VSBA 's five Group objectives. It also captures VSBA's vision, "to build a bright and better education future for Victoria".

About the Division

The Project Delivery Division is responsible for delivering educational infrastructure projects, including the acquisition and management of land as well as delivery of capital infrastructure projects. This includes upgrade and modernisation projects on existing school sites as well as new schools.

In addition, in June 2022, the Victorian Government announced the Best Start, Best Life reform, which includes:

free Kindergarten for all three- and four-year olds from 2023

transitioning to 30-hours of 'Pre-Prep' for four-year-olds progressively from 2025

delivery of 50 government owned, affordable and accessible early learning facilities

As part of these reforms, the State has committed to take on a more active role in planning for early childhood infrastructure.

This involves greater information sharing between State and local government to build a betjter understanding of current and future State-wide demand, exploring a variety of response options, and providing targeted support where the existing market is not able to respond.

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 and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

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

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Michael Tatnell – Manager, Kindergarten Infrastructure Delivery via (03) [e-mail].

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 Wednesday, 25 November 2026.

Applications close Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 11.59pm