Project Officer

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 Victorian School Building Authority

The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) is part of the Department of Education. Established in 2016, it oversees Victoria's largest school building program since the state introduced free public education in the 1870s. 

The VSBA upgrades and expands existing schools and plans, designs and builds new schools to meet enrolment demand. We also support schools to maintain their buildings and grounds by offering expert advice and coordinating maintenance programs and grants.  

With Victoria recently introducing two years of funded kindergarten, the VSBA is also working with the early childhood sector on a massive kindergarten construction program. 

About the Division

The Strategy and Planning Division is responsible for the VSBA's operating framework, investment strategy, policy setting, asset information management, budget strategy and coordination, along with the delivery of specific school strategies, costings, allocate resources for growth, maintenance, and projects through school application- based programs. The Division also plans and co-ordinates delivery of new early childhood facilities and support for the wider early childhood sector to build, improve and upgrade infrastructure through a number of grants programs, including programs which provide funding to make kindergartens for inclusive for children of all abilities. 

The Sector Partnerships & Grants branch supports the planning and coordination for the delivery of infrastructure needed for the successful implementation of the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep reforms. To support this work, the branch delivers a number of grant programs to the early childhood and non-government schools sectors.

Grants available to the sector plan and build new kindergartens, as well as maintain, improve, and upgrade existing infrastructure. This work is also undertaken in partnership with the sector to develop pipelines of kindergarten capacity-building projects through Building Blocks Partnerships. The Sector Partnerships & Grants branch also supports the non-government school sector to deliver the 21st century learning facilities that every student deserves. The branch delivers grants to low-fee Catholic and independent schools to expand and upgrade existing schools, as well as to plan and build new non-government schools across the state.

The Sector Partnerships teams deliver the ‘Building Blocks Partnerships' program which agree pipeline of projects between the Department and Councils, non-government school organisations, and not-for-profit providers to support the delivery of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep. They also Deliver the $250 million election commitment to deliver 60 kindergartens with the non-government schools sector. 

Building Blocks Program (BBP)

The Building Blocks Program is a planning and funding program run by the Victorian Government to help deliver the early childhood infrastructure Victoria needs to support the Three-Year-Old and Pre-Prep Kindergarten reform. This includes strengthened partnerships with local councils and other kindergarten providers, a single streamlined grants program, and the construction and delivery of new kindergartens on or next to school sites. The Building Blocks grants program replaces the previous Children's Facilities Capital and Inclusive Kindergarten's Facilities Program for funding capital improvements. Building Blocks will retain those goals and be better equipped to grow the capacity needed for the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten reform and increasing demand for more kindergarten places for four-year-olds.

Building Blocks Partnerships (BBPs)are strategic, in-principle agreements between State Government and Councils, non-government school organisations, or not-for-profit providers to deliver funded kindergarten places via infrastructure investment projects. The objectives of BBPs are to provide greater funding certainty for both State Government and partners about co-investment intentions in a forward pipeline of kindergarten infrastructure. Support State Government and partners to forward plan their infrastructure budgets and deliver facilities in line with kindergarten enrolment growth and support the successful roll out of the reform by identifying projects that will facilitate the delivery of additional kindergarten capacity over a multi-year period!

About the Role

Reporting to the Manager, Sector Partnerships1, the position will work closely and collaboratively as part of a team responsible for the implementation of the infrastructure component of the Best Start, Best Life reform, particularly the Building Blocks Partnerships (BBPs) stream of work.

The Project Officer will bring strong stakeholder and strategic systems improvement experience to support a collaborative team that works closely with the early childhood sector to respond to infrastructure demand created by the Best Start, Best Life reforms.

The key accountabilities and skills for the Program Advisor will be to:

• Support the building of effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to progress BBPs, including writing and developing key documentation like draft stakeholder emails, agendas and meeting minutes, and BBP agreements.
• Maintain accurate records and tracking products to support planning and reporting practices across the team, including monitoring and entering complex financial information into databases.
• Develop relevant documentation and assess BBP grant applications.
• Work with relevant Senior Project Officers and the Manager on funding and data for the BBP program.
• Support continuous improvement efforts in data and administrative management to ensure compliance with internal process requirements.
• Support the presentations of options to inform policy and planning exercises, including by outlining pros, cons and limitations of particular approaches.
• Draft Ministerial briefs, executive summaries, and meeting minutes.
• Liaise with VSBA Communications to ensure public-facing BBP documents are uploaded to DE/VSBA websites.
• Program planning and provision of specialist advice to support development of forecast projects.
• Discrete tasks to support the Three-Year-old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep reforms.

Candidates will also be able to demonstrate their ability to work confidently and constructively with key internal/external stakeholders in an advisory capacity to ensure the effective delivery of the BBP program.

All VSBA staff have a shared responsibility to meet the same service standards outlined in the VSBA Customer Service Charter.  Our goal is to make every interaction with the VSBA a positive one for our customers, colleagues and key partners regardless of our individual role or team.

Attributes

The ideal candidate will have a problem solving mindset, a keen eye for detail and strong communication skills.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Desirable : Relevant tertiary qualification

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

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 Hiring Contact Name – Matthew Gardiner Matthew.Gardiner@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.

Fixed Term position till 30/06/2026

Applications close 11:59pm on Sunday, 8 June 2025