About the Division
Schools and Regional Services (SRS) offer central, regional, and local expertise to enhance learning and development outcomes, supported by a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce. It comprises 17 areas within 4 regions, backed by 5 central office divisions, all collaborating to deliver improved outcomes for early childhood services, schools, communities, and learners, in line with Education State commitments. SRS regions serve as a bridge between the central office, schools, and service providers, ensuring smooth transitions for learners and achieving the department's ambitious targets. Each region includes divisions specialising in school performance, student wellbeing and early childhood support, working with area-based teams to tailor local interventions and practices. The 17 areas provide crucial insights into local trends and issues, facilitating effective policy and program development and driving child and learner outcomes across all services and programs.
The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Division is responsible for promoting and implementing regional and statewide consistency in areas relating to school services, student health, wellbeing, inclusion, and engagement supports. LOOKOUT centres were established in 2016 to address the educational disadvantage of children and young people in Out-of-Home Care (OoHC) and raise the profile of the Out-of-Home Care Education Commitment. LOOKOUT improves outcomes for children and young people in OoHC through capability building of school staff and leadership teams to understand children's needs and strategies to engage them and their carers to best support their education, strengthening relationships between the service systems (DE, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and foster care agencies) and improving monitoring & reporting of children in care, ensuring that they can be tracked and identified within the system and prioritised for support.
Key responsibilities
As a LOOKOUT Early Childhood Learning Advisor, you will work in alignment with the Early Childhood LOOKOUT Practice Guide to:
Increase participation and engagement of children in Out-of-Home Care (OoHC) with high quality early years services so that all children can have their learning, social and emotional needs effectively met before entering school
Increase capacity for system partners to support children in OoHC prior to school entry
Increase support to ensure children subject to statutory Out-of-Home-Care Orders are accessing high quality kindergarten
Attributes
To be successful in this role you will be motivated and committed to improving educational outcomes for our most vulnerable students, requiring strong influencing, diagnosing, decision-making and leadership skills. Your capability to establish and maintain productive and collaborative relationships will be critical, as will the ability to deliver outcomes and influence change in a complex environment.
This is an excellent opportunity for the successful applicant to join and contribute to a team of committed professionals and undertake work that is challenging in nature but rewarding in the outcomes it delivers for vulnerable children and young people.
The successful applicant will be based in the South Eastern Metro Area and will be expected to travel across the South-Eastern Victoria Region with occasional overnight stays required.
Qualifications and Experience
Essential: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Education or other relevant discipline.
Demonstrated experience in the Early Childhood sector is highly desirable for this role.
The successful applicant will be required to provide a current Working with Children Check.
How to Apply
Please ensure that you address the requirements of the role and the capabilities in your application.
Further Information
For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.
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.
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 Tash Chidgey – Team Leader via 8904 2683 or natasha.chidgey@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 Tuesday 17 March 2026.
