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 Division

Wellbeing, Health and Engagement Division (WHED)

WHED leads the department's efforts to support student wellbeing, health, engagement and inclusion. This includes supporting:

• schools to create and uphold safe, inclusive and equitable school environments and prevent and respond to family violence and child abuse
• student health, including promoting physical activity and healthy eating, enabling access to health services and supporting students with health conditions
• student mental health and wellbeing, including positive mental health promotion and building mental health capability, through delivery of school mental health reforms
• student engagement with school, including promoting attendance and providing targeted support for vulnerable and disengaged students.
  
  

Engaging Students at Risk Branch

The Engaging Students at Risk Branch leads the department's efforts to support engagement and attendance for all students. The branch is responsible for policy advice and programs covering attendance and engagement, suspensions and expulsions, students in out of home care, re-engagement with education and complementary education settings.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the reforms to provision of complementary education settings, including flexible learning options, and re-engagement programs.
• In partnership with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, ensuring the education needs of students in out of home care are met
• Development and implementation of policies relating to attendance, exemptions from school attendance, suspensions and expulsions.
• Delivery of the Navigator program to support the return to education of highly disengaged students.
• Oversight of a range of locally-based projects and programs to support attendance and engagement.

Addressing Disengagement Policy and Programs Team

The team has two main responsibilities:

1. Delivery of the Navigator program, including contract management, budget development and oversight, data and reporting, operational guidelines and program improvement, strategic connection with other relevant programs, and stakeholder management.
2. Complementary education settings reform, including advice on future provision and funding, quality assurance and oversight, resource development, operational guidance, governance, data and outcomes reporting.

About the Role

The Program Advisor will work with the guidance of the manager and Senior Program Advisor to support the operation of the Navigator Program, which funds community service organisations to provide intensive case management and assertive outreach to disengaged students to support them to return to education.

The Navigator model is defined by its partnership approach between the community sector, Department of Education, and education providers to enable a service that supports a place-based response to disengagement and supports a young person to overcome their individual barriers to engaging in education.

The Central Office Navigator team works closely with Regional DE staff and Navigator service providers to ensure program coherence and quality. This includes providing program advice to regional staff and service providers; maintaining and implementing operating guidelines; managing program data and reporting; managing contract and reporting cycles, and identifying and implementing program improvements.

The functions of the role include, but are not limited to:

• Responding to program enquiries and information requests from DE staff, service providers and other stakeholders
• Interpreting program data and developing outcomes reports
• Contract management and payments
• Developing briefings, correspondence and presentations
• Working with relevant people to ensure web presence is up to date and accurate
• Liaising with other relevant parts of DE and other Victorian Government departments to link and align the program with Government priorities
• Contributing to program improvement and quality assurance efforts

Contributing as needed to other priority projects within the Branch

Attributes

The successful candidate will be a collaborative and supportive team player with the ability to manage discrete projects with appropriate guidance and support. You will be able to demonstrate an ability to develop positive working relationships, identify and offer solutions to issues as they arise, and deliver high quality work within agreed timelines.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

Experience working within a small team environment, and understanding of VPS operations and processes will be highly regarded.

Further Information

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter (max 3 pages) addressing all key selection criteria as outlined the attached position description.

The department values 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 more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Ed Quin via 03 7022 2792 or Ed.quin@education.vic.gov.au

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on 02/03/2026