Maintenance and Grounds Officer

Overview

Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time

Salary: Salary not specified

Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 2

Occupation: Land, asset, resources and facilities management

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference:

Location Profile

South Melbourne

South Melbourne Primary School acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we are located; the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation.

At South Melbourne Primary School, we aim to be an outlier in excellence for the benefit of our students, their families and ourselves. 2025 will be South Melbourne Primary School's 8th year of operation. Setting up a new school has allowed us to select staff who are determined to implement effective, evidence-based approaches and processes. Our values of Character, Community and Learning form the basis of everything we do.

Purpose: We care for and educate children so that they are safe, happy, connected and achieving.

Vision: Inspiring hearts and minds to thrive

Values: Character, Community and Learning

Character: Our People. Strong Together

Creating a warm, inclusive culture is important to us. Equally, there is a high sense of expectation running parallel to our work. Our staff are united in aspirations for academic and behavioural excellence. Our staff plan and collaborate in Professional Learning Teams, building each other¿s knowledge. Our staff practice GEMS (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Show More Love) in Staff Huddles, meetings and daily interactions.

We mindfully build strong character in our students. We refer to our Big 10 Essential Habits regularly. These are based on core traits that we want to embed in the behaviour, work habits, social skills and effort of our students. We hold blitzes on key areas of character, such as manners, to ensure our standards never slip. Emotional intelligence and self-regulation are actively taught to students through weekly lessons focussed on social and emotional learning.

Learning: Our Program. Be your best in your practice

Literacy and Numeracy are our lead academic ideals. All staff are trained and supported to understand the purpose and effective implementation of these subjects at our school. We base our work in recognised theories of cognitive science and Explicit Direct Instruction. We use defined approaches and programs to turn these theories into practice with exacting standards. We measure our progress in all of these aspects through rigorous data collection and analysis' for staff, students and families. We strive for program consistency to achieve a `low variance, high fidelity¿ curriculum so that every child has the best opportunity to succeed.

Coaching, observation and feedback occurs in Professional Learning Teams and across our staff to support our pursuit of practice improvement.

Our Specialist Programs provide outstanding opportunities for students to find and hone talents in the areas of Music and Performing Arts, Visual Art, Mandarin and Physical Education.

Community: Our Place

Our students come from every corner of the world. Each one adds to our school and we consider it a privilege to be able to educate them. We are proud to be a place where our community's multicultural backgrounds come together.

We approach learning as a partnership with the families of our students. We seek to engage our students¿ families through a range of in person and digital means. These include Celebration of Learning Days, assemblies, Seesaw and Compass. We report student progress, both social emotional and academic, to families transparently on a termly basis as we strongly believe that parents have the right to know how their child is progressing.

We often visit areas in the community or have visitors come to present to our students. We consider this part of a rich curriculum that inspires hearts and minds to thrive.

We form a strong partnership with the City of Port Phillip to provide wrap-around services including a Kindergarten, Out of Hours School Care, Sports and Recreation and Health Services.

Please be aware that there is no on-site staff car parking at South Melbourne Primary School. Staff can commute via public transport (a 96 tram stop is at our door), walk, ride or pay for parking on the surrounding streets if spots are available.

Selection Criteria

Each applicant must address the below selection criteria:

• Ability to carry out a physical role, with demonstrated gardening/handyperson aptitude.
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently manage and maintain grounds and gardens and complete grounds works as required within a school environment. Skills in the use of tools/technical equipment as relevant to the position.
• Demonstrated technical knowledge, expertise and proficiency in minor repairs and maintenance to the interior and exterior of buildings within a school environment. Skills in the use of tools/technical equipment as relevant to the position.
• The capacity to engage and liaise with contractors on the school site as required and manage minor projects and developments being mindful of OHS practices and protocols.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a database system to track cyclic maintenance, repairs and contractors.
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and work independently to maintain the school buildings and grounds.

Additional Notes:

• Please provide (a) Cover Letter, (b) CV and (c) KSC in a single PDF Document.
• There is limited paid parking nearby and the School is more readily accessible via public transport.
• Any Visa conditions must be declared in the original written application.

Role

[Attendance requirement for this position]

An education support class position at this range will perform tasks that are carried out in accordance with guidelines, accepted practice, and school policy under supervision and direction. This may include coordination of other education support class staff within the work area or educational program.

An education support class position supports the educational services being provided to students but must not include duties of a teacher as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) or its successor. Supervision of students can be required individually or in groups up to 4 in controlled circumstances and where the responsibility for students remains clearly with a teacher.

Certification and/or qualifications of up to three years can be required at this level (noting that Registered Nurse is not included at this level, the first level for which is Level 1 range 3).

A role at this range may include:

• Specific support tasks to achieve outcomes. Typically, this will involve accountability for a single function, (e.g. ensuring data is properly maintained) or the co-ordination of a work area under the direction of the principal or a manager.
• Assisting teachers, within an educational program, by undertaking specific support tasks or the coordination of the support function.
• Supervised health and wellbeing support tasks, medical intervention support tasks, or other specialised student/teacher support roles (e.g. enrolled nurses performing the role as described in schedule 3). These roles require specific qualifications and/or training, including roles where further training must be undertaken from time to time. The role is for a specific purpose, for which there will be direct accountability as opposed to support roles that are carried out by a range of staff performing routine tasks under direction.
• Technical tasks that require a sound knowledge of basic technical and/or scientific principles that are used to develop and adapt work methods and make judgements where there are clear guidelines and limited options. Routine technical support in libraries, science, and information technology would be typical examples.

An education support class position at this range commencing at the base will initially be limited to undertaking routine tasks that are carried out under close supervision and direction. Work that carries some degree of independence will generally involve a limited number of tasks performed on a regular basis where priorities are clear, procedures are well established, and direction is readily available. Subject to any specific qualification and/or training requirement, an education support class employee employed in this range may be progressively required to undertake coordination, specialised student/teacher support tasks, or technical tasks as experience in the role is gained.

Responsibilities

The core role of the Maintenance & Grounds Officer may include but is not limited to:

• Assist with general grounds and maintenance tasks as required
• Undertake general maintenance and minor building works
• Coordinate tradesperson working on site
• Assist in OHS including inductions for contractors
• Checking the school grounds to ensure the grounds are safe
• Keep storage facilities clean, tidy and safe, including signage for OHS risks
• Working through a schedule of regular tasks and maintenance audits
• General setting up and packing away after major events
• General handyperson duties as directed
• Demonstrate the ability to work independently and also with minimum supervision within a team environment.
• Other duties as directed.

Who May Apply

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.

EEO AND OHS Commitment

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value 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 roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

Conditions of Employment

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at

Applications close Sunday 5 October 2025 at 11.59pm

Posted

8 September 2025

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