Office for Early Childhood Development
Job reference: 622463
Location: 5000 - ADELAIDE
Job status: Long Term Contract
Eligibility: Open to Everyone

Why work with us:
The Office for Early Childhood Development has been formed with a clear mandate. To create a fairer and better future for all children in South Australia by implementing the accepted recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.
As the steward of the early childhood development system, the Office will act on government's behalf, and work in collaboration with the sector, to organise and connect the system to reduce developmental vulnerability.
This includes strategy for the provision of quality preschool for all 3 and 4-year-olds, supporting for families in the first 1000 days of a child’s life and implementing a workforce strategy.


About the Roles:
The Change and Local Partnerships directorate comprises a state-wide network of teams dedicated to 8 regions across South Australia and are responsible for guiding the implementation of early childhood reforms across the state, including the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool.
Reporting to the Regional Manager, the Early Childhood Partners are responsible for advising and supporting early childhood services with the implementation of reforms across the state, including the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool.
The roles will actively seek to provide high quality opportunities for early childhood professionals to work and learn together, by using data to identify and reflect on local challenges, opportunities, and problems of practice, developing solutions that will lead to improved outcomes for children.
In these roles, you will:

• Travel frequently within your dedicated region to build strong partnerships and trust with local stakeholders, including families, service providers, educators, community leaders, and other government agencies within the communities you serve.
• Drive change management and support system readiness through capacity building, providing the crucial link between statewide policy decisions and local execution with an initial focus on 3-year-old preschool.
• Collect and analyse data to inform decisions and measure the impact of the initiatives, and feed critical insights back to central policy and program teams, supporting market facilitation.
• Respond to emerging challenges and feedback, adapting strategies in real-time to optimise outcomes, and pre-empt and escalate broader issues, patterns, opportunities, and risks to central policy and program teams

About You:
You are a professional with expertise in the early childhood education and care sector, passionate about providing impactful solutions to services and communities. With exceptional stakeholder management, influence and negotiation skills, you excel at building connections across internal and external teams. You bring expertise in developing high-level communication strategies to support policy and organisational objectives, and are willing to travel within South Australia to advance the goals of the reform.
To be successful in these roles, you'll bring essential:

• High-level interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with proven ability to liaise, influence, advise and negotiate with a broad range of management, staff, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise high-level planning skills, effectively identify, analyse, and resolve complex problems, and set priorities to achieve objectives and meet deadlines.
• Significant experience in managing and proactively addressing complex issues with the ability to analyse and provide practical and timely solutions while considering diverse perspectives and priorities and negotiating outcomes effectively.
• Current, unrestricted South Australian driver’s license and be willing to travel within your dedicated region on a regular weekly basis.
• Comprehensive understanding of the early childhood education sector.

Role benefits:

• Training: An immersive and comprehensive 4-week team training and induction program to set you up for success!
• Car: A pool car for your convenience – reduce expenses and wear and tear on your own car!
• Remote work: Work flexibly with a high degree of autonomy.
• Team: Enjoy being part of a supportive and like-minded team with mutual sector and industry knowledge, backed by inspiring leaders who are driven by the OECD and public sector values.
• Allowances: Meal and travel allowances (as applicable).
• Laptop: Including tech that will promote remote working collaboration and success.
• Purpose: Fulfilment working with the sector and services directly and frequently.
• Sector impact: Use your early childhood education and care expertise to benefit South Australia in a dynamic and impactful career opportunity!

Application Instructions and Information:
The Office for Early Childhood Development are pleased to share there are 16 Early Childhood Partner vacancies across South Australia that are available for commencement between 1 October and 11 November 2024 in grouped stages to complete onboarding and Inductions. Shortlisted applicants will be provided further details.
Applications should be made through the IWork For SA website.

• Applicants are required to submit a CV, Pre-employment Declaration, and a cover letter outlining their suitability against the key selection criteria in the attached position description.
• Applicants may be subject to psychometric testing, a competency assessment, and online interview throughout the recruitment process.
• Applicant suitability will be determined with consideration to their ability to travel within a dedicated region. This will be discussed with applicants and allocated throughout the recruitment process based on various factors at the discretion of the Office. Every effort will be made to consider and accommodate region preferences where reasonably practical, but cannot be guaranteed.

Additional Note:
This is a full-time 2-year long term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.


Remuneration:
ASO7 $108,109 – 116,864 (1.0 FTE), plus superannuation.
Enquiries:
Enquiries can be directed to OECD.HR@sa.gov.au
Special Conditions:
The successful applicant is required to gain a Department for Human Services (DHS) working with children check (WWCC) prior to being employed which is required to be renewed every five years before expiry. The incumbent will be required to undertake RRHAN –EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) Facilitator Lead (Masterclass) extended course or the online (Fundamentals) course which will be required to be updated every three years.
For all other Special Conditions please refer to the attached Position Description.

Applications close: 29/09/2024 11:30 PM