Program Manager

**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 Victorian School Building Authority**

The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) is part of the Department of Education. Established in 2016, it oversees Victoria's largest school building program since the state introduced free public education in the 1870s.

The VSBA upgrades and expands existing schools and plans, designs and builds new schools to meet enrolment demand. We also support schools to maintain their buildings and grounds by offering expert advice and coordinating maintenance programs and grants.

With Victoria recently introducing two years of funded kindergarten, the VSBA is also working with the early childhood sector on a massive kindergarten construction program.

**About the Division**

The Major Projects & Property Division is responsible for delivering educational infrastructure projects and programs, including the acquisition and management of land as well as delivery of capital infrastructure projects.

The Property Branch represents the Minister for Education and Minister for Children's interests as a land owner, and provides specialised land and property related advice and support to schools and other areas within DE and the VSBA. The Branch's work covers the whole of the property life cycle, being:

- Acquisition of land for new schools and early childhood facilities and to expand existing educational facilities
- Property agreements and general support for the management of the land and property issues on behalf of the Minister for Education and the Minister for Children.Land Regeneration, covering closed or vacant education sites. This includes management and disposal of land no longer required for education use, as well as management of sites being retained for future school or early childhood provision.

**About the Role**

**This role is Fixed Term till 30/06/2028**

The Land Acquisition Unit consists of three teams, Forward Planning, Site & Infrastructure, and Delivery. The work undertaken by the Land Acquisition teams includes collaboration with other areas of the Department of Education on provision analysis for education demand; liaison with local councils and land developers on timing for developments; undertaking site identification for future acquisition; site suitability investigations and works; valuation; negotiation with landholders (which may include developers, private individuals, other government agencies and local government authorities); ensuring compliance with relevant policies and guidelines; and negotiating contracts of sale and other relevant legal agreements.

Responsibilities of the role include;
- working with project managers to identify and mitigate project and program risks to ensure the program meets specified timeframes for the delivery of the Government's planned new school and early childhood openings
- management and delivery of program administration including maintaining and improving current systems and processes, records management, compilation of data for submissions to the Valuer-General Victoria and the Victorian Government Land Monitor, and other ad hoc administration as required
- assisting the Manager with the overall Land Acquisition program budget monitoring, reporting and other required financial obligations
- contribute to the development and implementation of Government's Best Start Best Life program from a land perspective and any other new strategic land acquisition initiatives led by the Department of Education.

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.

Key stakeholders include the developers, vendors, local councils, teams within the Major Projects and Property division, the executive team at the VSBA, and other government departments and agencies such as the Valuer-General Victoria and the Victorian Government Land Monitor.

This role is fixed term for 2 years.

**Required Experience**
- A thorough understanding of Precinct Structure Plans and the planning process
- Experience working within the Victorian Government Land Transaction policy
- Understanding of site suitability assessments (geotechnical, cultural heritage, contamination, ecology, drainage, roads and infrastructure etc) and the land development process
- Demonstrated understanding of the subdivision process, including S35