Educational Specialist

The Uniting Church in Australia (the Church) is a large uniquely Australian Christian denomination in Australia with heritage from historical reformed evangelical denominations. In Queensland, the Uniting Church has around 250 congregations and has early childhood, schools, colleges and large community services (such as UnitingCare Queensland and Wesley Mission Queensland).

The Uniting Church is multicultural, committed to reconciliation with First Peoples, calls for reconciliation across its communities and aims to use its people and property resources wisely and in the furtherance of God's mission in the world.

**Position purpose**:
The purpose of this role is to strategically enhance the pedagogical practices and capabilities within Uniting Early Learning (UEL) services by providing expert guidance and support to Educational Leaders. This role is instrumental in fostering an environment of continuous improvement and excellence in early childhood education, acting as the manager of Quality Area 1 of the National Quality Standard, across all of UEL's services.

***Key responsibilities**:

- Strategically oversee the Educational program across all service types, including Long Day Care, Outside School Hours Care, Family Day Care and In Home Care, ensuring they adhere to the highest standards of educational practice.
- Act as a mentor and guide for front line educators in the development of their educational program.
- Implement effective coaching and mentoring strategies to enhance the professional capacities of Educational Leaders, fostering a culture of continuous improvement in pedagogical practices.
- Develop and implement action plans in collaboration with the UEL Operations team, targeting identified gaps in knowledge and pedagogical practices.
- Actively participate in the Assessment and Rating process in relation to Quality Area 1, supporting the Educational Leader in providing the required information.
- Maintain and promote high professional standards and ensure up-to-date knowledge of emerging practices by linking with relevant training and information sources.
- Model the values of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod in day-to-day work including interactions with managers, lay staff, ministry agents, clients and stakeholders.
- Compliance with Queensland Synod policies, procedures and relevant legislation.
- Comply with Health and Safety directions and Public Health directions.
- Undertake other duties as and when directed within the scope of the role and the capabilities of the incumbent.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor of Early Childhood, Diploma or equivalent as approved by ACECQA.
- Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment (desirable, not essential)

Experience and skills:

- Operational and regulatory knowledge of long day care, family day care and in-home care through demonstrated experience in a supervisory or management position in the early learning industry
- Demonstrated knowledge of, or the ability to rapidly acquire a sound understanding of the National Quality Framework which comprises the Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland), Education and Care Services National Regulations, the National Quality Standard, child protection legislation, in home care guidelines and the National Approved Learning Frameworks. Thorough knowledge of NQS and of progressing centres from 'working towards' to 'meeting' or 'exceeding' NQS.
- Thorough knowledge and hands-on experience of best practice childcare delivery including pedagogy and learning styles.
- Extensive experience as an Educational Leader involving mentoring of Lead Educators and ideally, other Educational Leaders
- Demonstrated ability to work flexibly and adapt to identified or emergent needs within different service environments across the UEL portfolio.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a small team and to build effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders.
- Sound organisation and administrative skills including competence in MS Outlook, Word and Excel, and various electronic training platforms.
- Commitment to working within the purpose and values of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod and adhering to the policies, organisational requirements, and processes
- ** Additional requirements**:

- Current driver's licence - Presentation of a current driver's licence must be made before your appointment to the position can be confirmed
- Current Blue Card - All adults who work or volunteer with children (under 18 years) in childcare services in Queensland must hold a current Blue Card in accordance with the requirements of the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (Qld). Presentation of a current Blue Card is required before appointment to the position can be confirmed.
- The successful applicant will be required to be flexible in work hours, including availability for some evening meetings and intrastate tra