Executive Director, Strategy Policy and National Reform

Executive Director, Strategy, Policy and National Reform

• Drive strategic policy and reform initiatives
• Lead national negotiations and intergovernmental engagement
• Influence education outcomes across Victoria

Do work that makes a real difference - lead and deliver strategic policy, funding reform, and national engagement to shape Victoria's education future. Be part of the Executive Leadership Team and collaborate with key stakeholders across government and the education sector.

Strategy and Secondary School Reform Group - Department of Education

The Strategy and Secondary Reform Group (SSSR) plays a critical leadership role in delivering the Education State agenda, ensuring the Department of Education's efforts are strategic, coherent, and focused on long-term impact.

SSSR supports the Department to:

• Set strategic direction to deliver Education State priorities
• Lead policy design and implementation of key reforms, including senior secondary pathways
• Align departmental and national reform efforts through clear prioritisation and sequencing
• Use data and insights to monitor progress and drive Education State outcomes

The Strategy, Policy and National Reform Divsions sits within the SSSR Group, delivers school education strategy and policy, regulation, school and early childhood national reforms and negotiation of school and early childhood national agreements.

Your role

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Executive Director, Strategy, Policy and National Reform leads strategic policy development, intergovernmental engagement, and reform delivery to shape Victoria's education system.

This pivotal leadership role is responsible for:

• Overseeing major strategic reform initiatives and policy priorities across early childhood, schools, and senior secondary pathways
• Leading national school and early childhood funding negotiations and advising Ministers in intergovernmental forums
• Ensuring whole-of-department alignment through governance, planning, and strategic prioritisation
• Building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across government, education sectors, and national agencies
• Representing the Department at critical policy and funding discussions
• Leading a high-performing division with a strong focus on collaboration, capability building and strategic delivery

About you

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• A proven track record at executive level in strategic policy, reform leadership or intergovernmental engagement
• Strong understanding of education systems, public policy development and national funding arrangements
• Deep experience in stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and influencing decision-making at senior levels
• Excellent conceptual and analytical thinking to navigate complexity and lead reform
• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to inspire high-performing teams and drive a culture of excellence

This role has a salary range of $298,489 TO $430,740 (TRP), offering hybrid work arrangements, meaningful and challenging work in an environment that encourages values-based leadership.

Please see the Position Description for other relevant information regarding the application process including pre-employment checks, privacy statement, and how to request reasonable adjustments.

How to apply

Please submit a resume and a cover letter (no more than one A4 page). There is no requirement to make a separate statement in response to each of the key selection criteria, however the cover letter should provide an overview of how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the key selection criteria specified in the Position Description.