Compliance and Policy Advisor

**About the Department**

The department provides a wide range of learning and development support and services.

The department provides policy leadership, plans for the future of education in Victoria and leads key cross-sector collaboration. The department plays an important system steward role by providing support, guidance, oversight and assurance across early childhood and school education systems, as well as directly providing school education and 50 new early learning centres.

**About the Division**

The Operational Policy, School Engagement and Compliance (OPSEC) Division has a collective focus on supporting school leaders with operational requirements, and school child safety responses, improving DE policy and compliance support, and streamlining the volume and timing of communications to schools.

The division has three branches:

- Policy, Advisory and School Engagement
- Restorative Engagement and School Support
- School Compliance.

**About the Role**

The Compliance and Policy Advisor makes a significant contribution to the department through coordinating the department's Legal Compliance Framework and Directory, and supporting government schools to understand and meet their policy and regulatory obligations.

Legal Compliance Framework and Directory

The Legal Compliance Framework provides a system for the department to identify, manage, monitor and respond to the department's compliance obligations. The Compliance Directory is a comprehensive list of all legal obligations that are relevant to the activities of the department.

The Compliance and Policy Advisor is responsible for monitoring, maintaining and improving the department's Legal Compliance Framework and Directory and supporting the Department to manage compliance obligations through its systems and processes. These processes include:

- the bi-annual legal compliance endorsement process
- the divisional self-assessment of legal compliance
- training and support for policy-holding divisions.

This role requires an ability to identify and consider compliance obligations and their potential impacts on the department. It also requires strong communication and stakeholder management skills to assist relevant corporate business areas across the department to respond to existing and emerging compliance issues. The role also involves providing advice to business areas on their legal compliance responsibilities, and possible compliance risk controls, many of which will take the form of operational policy. Reporting and system improvement is another strong component of this role.

Policy and compliance advice to schools

While the Compliance and Policy Advisor role is primarily responsible for coordinating the legal compliance function, this role is also responsible for supporting the Division in relation to its other functions, particularly in relation to the Policy and Advisory Library (PAL), Principal Advisory Service, School Engagement and the School Policy Templates Portal.

This work will include:

- providing advice and triaging support for schools through the Principal Advisory Service
- the maintenance and continuous improvement of the Department's Policy and Advisory Library (PAL), with a primary focus on supporting policy owning divisions to ensure PAL content is clear, helpful and accurate, and reducing workload for school leaders where possible
- other duties, including priority projects in the Policy, Advisory and School Engagement branch, as directed.

Related responsibilities

In carrying out these various responsibilities, the Compliance and Policy Advisor will:

- support relevant corporate staff with best practice policy development and understanding of their compliance obligations
- deliver training to department staff on the legal compliance processes
- maintain the department's legal compliance directory and associated records
- represent the division in engagements with key stakeholders
- prepare Executive and Ministerial correspondence, briefings, reports and papers relating to the work of the team
- provide advice to schools on their operational policy and compliance obligations
- support record keeping, information sharing and system improvement across the team and division.

As a member of OPSEC division more broadly, the Compliance and Project Advisor is part of a dynamic, respectful and collaborative team with a culture of high integrity, responsiveness, service delivery and accountability.

The role reports to the Co-Managers, Policy and Advisory Unit.

**Attributes**

Key selection criteria is outlined in the attached position description.

**How to apply**

Applicants are encouraged to include a Curriculum Vitae and a Cover letter addressing the key selection criteria provided in the position description.

**Desirable**Qualifications and Experience**

**Further Information**

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

**Applications close** 11:59pm on Sunday 07 December 2025.