Saes1 Assistant Director, System Readiness

**Department for Education**
**Job reference**: 598763

**Location**: 5000 - ADELAIDE

**Job status**: Long Term Contract

**Eligibility**: Open to Everyone

Exciting opportunity for an experienced educational leader to support the expansion of government preschool, KindyCare and OSHC to ensure that children and families across South Australia have access to Early Childhood Education and Care.

**Why work with us**:
Every child and young person deserves a great education.

We have a strategy that aims to unlock every child’s potential now and into the future, one that in partnership with learners, students, parents and the wider South Australian community will build a world-leading public education system. One that is equitable and prioritises learning and wellbeing.

Together we will make our education system the best it can be.

When our children and young people thrive, so do our communities and our state.

**About the role**

Under the strategy for public education, there are significant opportunities to develop and implement new education models to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people in South Australia. It is crucial that any reforms serve our Aboriginal children, families and communities.

The Assistant Director, System Readiness will work across the Department to identify, develop, sequence and coordinate delivery of the multiple elements of complex system wide reforms, with an initial focus on the expansion of government preschool, KindyCare and OSHC. The Assistant Director, System Readiness will ensure that the department’s policies, systems, processes and functions are able to effectively deliver significant reforms. They will support and collaborate with colleagues to align work across teams, delivering reforms in a way that strengthens sites and provides the greatest benefit of children and young people. They will design this work in a way that acknowledges and enables teams to continue to meet the essential and ongoing requirements of business as usual.

Key responsibilities of this role will include:

- Lead the identification, planning, preparation and coordinated delivery of system readiness for significant reform projects, in partnership with reform leads.
- Identify and maintain a strategic understanding of the system levers and requirements that can enable or inhibit significant reform and develop a framework to asses and advise on when and how they can be utilised to ensure department objectives are achieved.
- Lead, develop and strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders to jointly plan and implement high quality system readiness with a shared commitment to the wellbeing of children and families. Coordinate the involvement of teams across the department and in other government agencies to ensure successful delivery of reforms, including legal, regulatory, policy, financial, infrastructure, resourcing, risk and other aspects.**Qualifications and competencies**:

- Demonstrated leadership and influencing skills with proven experience inspiring and influencing others to create a shared sense of purpose and driving significant system change strategies.
- An appropriate tertiary qualification including post-graduate qualifications in an appropriate discipline desirable or relevant experience.**What you will get in return**:

- A two year executive contract, with the potential to retain fallback.
- A deep sense of purpose and personal fulfillment through leadership of a significant government reform that will have a positive impact on children and families in South Australia.
- Be part of the largest employer in the state, with great career and professional development opportunities. CBD location and flexible working arrangements to enable work life balance.**Special Conditions**:
The successful applicant is required to gain a Department for Human Services (DHS) working with children check (WWCC) prior to being employed which is required to be renewed every five years before expiry. The incumbent will be required to undertake RRHAN -EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) Facilitator Lead (Masterclass) extended course which will be required to be updated every three years.

For all other Special Conditions please refer to the attached Position Description.

**Enquiries**:
**Application Instructions**:
Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants are required to submit a CV and a covering letter of no more than two pages, responding to the following selection questions:

- How would you deliver a system-wide change in a way that works for preschool sites?
- Describe one example of when you’ve built collaboration across teams, reflecting on what was most important.

People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and/or those who have a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.**
**Additional Note**:
This is a full-time contract role (1.0 FTE), initial 2 year contract.

**Applications close**: 1