Procedures for applying for

Positions in the Catholic Education Office Ballarat (CEOB)

Position: / Educational Consultant: Primary (Central Zone)
Starting Date: / January 2013
Contract: / 5 Years
Closing Date for Applications / Monday 1 October, 2012

Applicants need to download an application form and reference proforma from

Queries can be answered by the Executive Officer,

Mr Peter Kerwan – Phone: 03 53377123 –

Email: .

Contents

Page
Introduction / 3
General Principles for Selection and Appointment / 3
Criteria for Selection / 4
References / 4
Contract Conditions and Periods / 5
Employment Collection Notice / 5
Schools of the Central Zone / 6
8. / Draft Vision and Strategic Intents of CEOB / 7
9. / Position Description for Educational Consultant / 8

1. Introduction

Thank you for your interest in applying for a role in the Catholic Education Office Ballarat.

This procedures document is designed to assist you should you wish to be considered for any position.

You need to be aware of the following procedural matters:

  • Applications close at 4.00pm on the due date.
  • The selection and appointment of CEOB staff are conducted according to the policy of CEOB.
  • Your application will be acknowledged as soon as it is received.
  • You will be informed of the progress of your application after short-listing.
  • The preferred format for applications is:
  • Personal/cover letter
  • Application form
  • An evidence-based statement addressing the selection criteria
  • Curriculum Vitae.
  • Please do not bind your application. It should be left loose for ease of copying.
  • Referees should send their written references directly to Peter Kerwan, Executive Officer, at the Catholic Education Office, Ballarat.
  • If selected for an interview you will be contacted first by telephone and a letter or email will follow.
  • Applications and reports from referees will be destroyed after all positions have been filled, other than for successful applicants, where applications will be held on file by the Catholic Education Office.
  • Applications should reach the Catholic Education Office Ballarat by 4.00pm on Monday 1 October, 2012.
  • Address for applications:ATTN Mr Peter Kerwan

Executive Officer

2. General Principles for Selection and Appointment

The Director of Catholic Educationis the responsible party in the matter of selection and appointment of CEOB staff. Senior appointments and appointments to the Religious Education Centre require the ratification of the Bishop of Ballarat who is the employer of all CEOB staff.

All appointments shall be made by the Director of Catholic Education after positions have been advertised and applicants interviewed by a properly constituted selection panel. All proceedings of the selection panel shall be strictly confidential and no information gained from applicants shall be divulged to any person or organisation outside the selection committee.

3. Criteria for Selection

Applicants for the position of Educational Consultant should be able to provide evidence of:

  1. A proven commitment to Catholic Education and development of personal faith
  2. A proven record as an excellent teacher and principal in Catholic primary education
  3. Advanced skills in the formulation and implementation of educational innovation, policies and programs
  4. Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
  5. Understanding of and commitment to effective feedback processes, coaching and data analysis within the context of school improvement
  6. A thorough knowledge of and involvement in a wide range of contemporary education issues, theories and practices
  7. Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate and facilitate professional learning programs for leaders and principals
  8. Appropriate academic qualifications, including post graduate study. Post graduate qualifications in Religious Education are desirable.

It is also essential that applicants hold:

  • Registration to teach with the Victorian Institute of Teaching
  • A current driver’s license.

4. References

Applicants are asked to provide the names and contact details of two verbal and three written referees. Referees should include:

  1. You current employer or an appropriate representative of that employer (for example a current Team Leader)
  2. The Parish Priest of your current parish

Written references should be sent by the referees directly to the Catholic Education Office Ballarat.

The panel has an obligation to obtain as much credible informationas possible about each of the candidates in order to make an informed decision. If further references are required, a member of the selection panel will contact you to discuss this.

In seeking information, confidentiality and sensitivity to the particular situation of the applicant (eg. current principal in small country centre) are carefully observed.

5. Contract Conditions and Periods

Catholic Education Office positions fall into one of three categories:

  1. Permanent positions as outlined in the Victorian Catholic Education Multi Employer Agreement 2008.
  2. Contract positions as outlined in the Victorian Catholic Education Multi Employer Agreement 2008.
  3. Senior Contract Positions that are outside the terms of the Victorian Catholic Education Multi Employer Agreement 2008.

This position:

  • is a five year contract position, with renewal possible dependent on the outcomes of a summative review late in the fourth year
  • could be 0.8 full time equivalent or full time
  • attracts four weeks annual leave plus one “closure” week between Christmas and New Year
  • requires participation in formative and summative review processes
  • includes a provision for enrichment leave
  • includes the provision of a motor vehicle (to which a fortnightly personal contribution is required)
  • is currently remunerated in accord with the Secondary Principal salary Level 3/1-3

6. Employment Collection Notice

  1. In applying for this position you will be providing the selection panel and the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Ballarat (CEO) with personal information. We can be contacted at 5 Lyons Street, Ballarat, telephone 0353377135.
  2. If you provide us with personal information, for example your name and address or information contained on your resume, we will collect the information in order to assess your application. If the personal information we request on the application form is not provided, we will not be able to consider your application.
  3. Information concerning you may be collected from other parties. These will most commonly be those referees you have nominated, but the selection panel does reserve the right to contact other parties who may be able to assist in its deliberations.
  4. You agree that we may store this information until the end of the current year.
  5. You may seek access to your personal information that we hold about you if you are unsuccessful for the position. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others.
  1. We will not disclose information about you to a third party without your consent. We may disclose your personal information to the following types of organisations: other schools, State and Federal Government Departments, the Victorian Catholic Education Commission, the Diocese of Ballarat and parishes, schools within other diocese, our insurers and medical practitioners.
  2. If you provide us with the personal information of others, we encourage you to inform them that you are disclosing that information to the Catholic Education Office and why, that they can access that information if they wish, that the Catholic Education Office does not usually disclose the information to third parties and that we may store their information until the end of the current year.

7. Schools of the Central Zone

The schools of the central zone for which this Educational Consultant position is designated are:

School / Location / Enrolment / Governance
St Thomas More / Alfredton / 417 / Cathedral Parish
St Brigid’s School / Ballan / 122 / St Patrick’s Gordon Parish
St Patrick’s School / Ballarat / 235 / Cathedral Parish
St Alipius’ School / Ballarat East / 267 / St Alipius’ Parish
St Francis Xavier School / Ballarat East / 319 / Sisters of Mercy and St Alipius’ Parish
St Columba’s School / Ballarat North / 285 / St Columba’s Parish
St Mary’s School / Clarke’s Hill / 19 / St Michael’s Bungaree Parish
St Augustine’s School / Creswick / 84 / St Augustine’s CreswickParish
St Michael’s School / Daylesford / 97 / St Michael’s Daylesford Parish
Lumen Christi School / Delacombe / 293 / St Aloysius Redan Parish
St Brendan’s School / Dunnstown / 30 / St Michael’s Bungaree Parish
St Patrick’s School / Gordon / 63 / St Patrick’s Parish
St Augustine’s School / Maryborough / 239 / St Augustine’s Parish
Emmaus School / Mount Clear / 245 / St Alipius Ballarat East Parish
St Aloysius’ School / Redan / 207 / St Aloysius Parish
St Michael’s School / Springbank / 21 / St Patrick’s Gordon Parish
St James’ School / Sebastopol / 171 / St James’ Parish
Our Lady Help of Christians / Wendouree / 197 / Our Lady Help of Christians Parish

8. Draft Vision & Strategic Intents

During 2012, the Catholic Education Office staff has undertaken a process of renewing the Vision statement for our team.

Our (Draft)Vision

With Jesus Christ as our source, the Catholic Education Office Ballarat strives, through service and leadership:

  • to nurture respectful and trusting relationships across our education community
  • to facilitate learning that builds capacity and promotes flourishing
  • to enable effective stewardship

Draft Strategic Intents – for 2013 to 2015

In all that we do, we aim to contribute positively to school (and office) improvement, with the intent that:

  • Catholic Identity is promoted, enhanced and nurtured in our education community.
  • Student learning and engagement are enhanced by skilled practitioners who use data effectively.
  • Leaders at all levels are identified, encouraged and grow in capacity.

/ POSITION DESCRIPTION
Catholic Education Office
Ballarat
POSITION TITLE: / Educational Consultant: Primary
Remuneration Scale: / Secondary principal scale 3/1-3: Commencement salary is $141,048
Reports to: / Assistant Director: School Operations
Full time equivalent: / 0.8 to 1.0 negotiable
Location: / Ballarat
Contract Period: / January 2013 to January 2018 (5 Years)
Authorised by: / Director of Catholic Education, Ms Audrey Brown
Date: / September 2012
Primary Objective

Support and influence leaders and school improvement in schools of the Diocese of Ballarat; monitor and coordinate CEO service to schools; and share in the educational leadership of the Diocese.

Organisational Environment

The Catholic Education Office (CEO) is a formal office of the Bishop of Ballarat.

The Catholic Education Office participates and cooperates in the work of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV), which has key responsibilities for the allocation and distribution of government funding, facilitating cooperation across the four Victorian Dioceses, and working in cooperation with government statutory authorities.

The Director of Catholic Education acts within a delegation from the Bishop in the organisational, administrative, support and service matters related to Catholic schools within the Diocese, including matters related to leadership and faith formation.

The Director of Catholic Education and all delegations via that position operate within the parameters of Canon Law and the Catholic Church structures and processes. The CEO is not the controlling or employing authority for Catholic schools, and the authority of the Canonical Administrators within their parish and/or school is acknowledged and respected.

Each Educational Consultant acts within the authority of the Director of Catholic Education and is responsible to him/her for:

  • supporting, advising, influencing and challenging Catholic school leaders – Canonical Administrators, Principals, School Advisory Council Members, Leadership Teams, CEO Staff - within the context of school improvement.
  • monitoring and facilitating CEO service to designated schools in liaison with each Principal and the Assistant Director: Educational Services.
  • contributing to diocesan and inter-diocesan leadership.
Key Responsibilities

1.Provide support and advice for Canonical Administrators in relation to the governance, employment, pastoral and spiritual dimensions of the designated schools:

  • through consultation, meetings and response to requests. This includes support for and facilitation of processes for the selection, appointment, induction and appraisal of Principals for designated schools.

2.Provide support, advice and guidance to principals in governance, faith and educational leadership, human resource management, staff professional learning and compliance matters:

  • through effective coaching, mentoring and sustained collegial dialogue.

3.Support, monitor and influence designated schools across all dimensions of school improvement, including:

  • research, contemporary educational practice and educational innovation
  • school review
  • annual action planning and school improvement planning
  • analysis of school culture and student performance data
  • compliance
  • coordinating designated formation programs for leadership teams, principals (including induction), school advisory councils, leadership succession, emerging and establishing leaders and aspirant principals

4.Effectively monitor and facilitate CEO service to designated schools, including:

  • planning and evaluation of school service in liaison with school leadership teams and the Assistant Director: Educational Services
  • support during critical incidents
  • investigating and responding to complaints

5.Share in the leadership of Catholic Education Office Ballarat, including membership of the CEO Leadership Team andCEO Consultant Team; promotion of the CEO strategic priorities and diocesan policies; support to diocesan networks and clusters; leadership of designated policy development and review or diocesan projects; representing the diocese as required.

6.Comply with the policies and procedures of the CEO’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management System, including requirements to report and eliminate hazards, follow instructions, and participate in training and consultation processes.

Identified Challenges

The key identified challenges of this role are:

  • The tension in balancing the role of key support colleague to school leaders whilst participating in processes such as principal selection, appraisal and school review.
  • Honouring subsidiarity whilst balancing system accountabilities, appropriate service and quality relationships between schools and CEO.
  • Interpreting government compliance requirements within the context of the Catholic story and Tradition.
Accountability

The successful candidate is responsible to the Assistant Director: School Operations

This position is one of four positions within the Catholic Education Office with dedicated Educational Consultancy responsibilities. It requires independence of action, time management, goal setting, problem solving, judgment, planning and initiative, within a collaborative and participative framework. It must work closely with the other Educational Consultants, the Director of Religious Education, the Assistant Directors,members of School Services Group, other members of the Leadership Team, yet has considerable discretion in determining how these responsibilities are fulfilled. Careful consideration must be given to when the Director or Assistant Director: School Operations and others should be informed and or consulted regarding particular issues, developments or initiatives.

This position works within the parameters established by policies of the Ballarat Diocesan Schools Advisory Council and CEO Leadership in relation to principal appointment and appraisal, governance, school review and compliance, school improvement.

Decisions to be made by this position involve:

  • supporting principal selection, appointment, induction and appraisal processes;
  • providing advice, support and facilitation of school improvement, review and planning processes;
  • the formulation and provision of assistance to school leaders;
  • the facilitation of professional learning opportunities for school leaders and school advisory councils;
  • coordination of the CEOB service team;
  • challenging underperformance by individual schools and principals;
  • promoting and coordinating of diocesan networks and selected events;
  • professional and pastoral support of schools and school leaders during a critical incident.

In many cases these decisions will be made by this position, though consultation with others will be necessary at times according to the complexity and potential implications of each decision.

Recommendations regarding principal selection, appointment, appraisal and underperformance are made to the relevant Canonical Administrator; with decisions on principal appointments ratified by the Bishop and the Director of Catholic Education.

Ongoing Role Specification

This position description will be adapted throughout the contract period to suit the particular skills of the educational consultant and emerging needs of CEOB. Any changes will be made in consultation with the Assistant Director: School Operations.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential / Desirable
Knowledge
  • A deep understanding of and commitment to the ministry of leadership in Catholic education
/ 
  • A strong understanding of and an ability to articulate the Church’s mission in Catholic education
/ 
  • An understanding of how to build and foster leadership capacity in the educational context
/ 
  • Tertiary qualifications in Education and post-graduate qualifications in education, religious education, leadership and/or theology
/ 
  • An understanding of school effectiveness, school improvement, school review and leadership of change
/ 
  • An understanding of governance in the Catholic school context
/ 
  • A deep understanding of contemporary educational leadership appropriate to the Catholic context
/ 
Skills/Capabilities
  • Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
/ 
  • Capacity for close collegial relationships
/ 
  • Capacity for faith and religious leadership
/ 
  • Highly developed research, synthesis and written communication skills
/ 
  • Effective facilitation, negotiation and conflict resolution skills
/ 
  • Sound organisational and administrative skills
/ 
  • Competence in the analysis and interpretation of data
/ 
  • Ability to work without close supervision and to act independently where appropriate
/ 
  • Informed understanding of the state, national and international education agenda
/ 
  • Coaching and the provision of adult learning
/ 
  • Presentation skills
/ 
  • Team leadership and formation
/ 
  • Hold a Driver’s Licence and VIT registration
/ 
Experience
  • Proven senior school leadership experience
/ 
  • An outstanding teaching record
/ 
  • A mature and integrated faith commitment
/ 
  • Proven capacity to work in a team environment
/ 
  • Policy development, review and implementation
/ 
  • Proven record of commitment to ongoing professional growth
/ 
  • Use of school, student and performance data to identify areas for action
/ 

Ratified by the Director of Catholic Education – 4 September 2012

End of Procedures Document.

CEOB Appointment Procedures Page 1 of 11September 2012