Team Leader - Principal Preparation

Department of Education & Training, Victoria; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Education & Training, Victoria seeks a proactive Team Leader, Principal Preparation to drive professional learning programs and the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA). You will oversee the VAPA and support other professional learning initiatives, guiding staff to improve leadership outcomes.

The role focuses on leading a team, optimizing processes, and enhancing service delivery across Victoria’s schools.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing a complex project, program or initiative.
• Demonstrated people leadership and team management capability.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and delivery capability.
• Ability to manage complex workflows, resourcing and competing priorities to drive outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage risks, drive process improvement and consistency and manage service quality to drive outcomes.
• Ability to translate policy and strategy into consistent and effective ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing, leading, supporting and enabling effective management of the VAPA.
• Leading and managing the VAPA team including workload, competing priorities and delivery against objectives.
• Identifying and implementing improvements to systems, processes and service delivery.
• Contributing to planning and alignment with organisational priorities.
• Managing stakeholder relationships and resolving complex issues.

Skills

People leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Team management

Policy translation

Education

Education project management experience

Job description

This position is an Ongoing role commencing 1 January 2027 Are you passionate about leading the implementation of professional learning initiatives for teachers and school leaders through team leadership? 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 Role

The Team Leader, Principal Preparation, leads a team to deliver professional learning programs and initiatives, including the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA). This role is largely responsible for oversight and continuous improvement of the VAPA and will support other professional learning programs and staff. The responsibilities of the Team Leader, Principal Preparation, include:

• overseeing, leading, supporting and enabling effective management of the VAPA
• leading and managing the VAPA team including team workload, competing priorities and delivery against objectives
• identifying and implementing improvements to systems, processes and service delivery
• contributing to planning and alignment with organisational priorities
• managing stakeholder relationships and resolving complex issues

Capabilities

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing a complex project, program or initiative
• Demonstrated people leadership and team management capability
• Strong planning, prioritisation and delivery capability
• Ability to manage complex workflows, resourcing and competing priorities to drive outcomes
• Strong stakeholder engagement, collaboration and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage risks, drive process improvement and consistency and manage service quality to drive outcomes
• Ability to translate policy and strategy into consistent and effective ways of working

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Experience or qualifications in education, project and program management or learning design and delivery is desirable but not mandatory.

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 in teaching, learning and wellbeing, and builds leadership capability at all career stages, from emerging leaders to system leaders. All programs are grounded in high-quality professional learning principles and aligned to either the Academy Leadership Excellence Framework and the Academy Teaching Excellence Model, supporting educators to translate evidence into practice, lead improvement, and drive sustained impact in their contexts. The division provides thought leadership, resources and insights to the profession, drawing on expertise in 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 and customer experience, the Business Services Division to enable effective learning environments and technology, and the Regional Division to coordinate consistent, place-based delivery across Victoria.

About the Team

The Principal Preparation unit delivers targeted professional learning and development opportunities that drive school leadership performance and assess aspiring principals' capabilities for the role of principal. The unit researches, develops and project-manages programs that are dedicated to excellent leadership. The unit also manages the implementation of the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA).

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 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 Fiona Erwich - Manager, Principal Preparation via [e-mail] or [phone] 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 Thursday, 12 November 2026.