Join our Early Learning Team.

• Full-time, maximum term position (parental leave replacement)
• Research project – intensive early childhood education and care program
• Unique opportunity supporting children living with significant adversity

Your new role

We are recruiting for a Pedagogical Leader for our Safe Haven centre in Richmond. This is a full-time, maximum-term parental leave replacement position with set shifts from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

We are a located in a central part of Richmond, close to public transport and have been a part of the local community educating and caring for children for over 100 years. We have large natural outdoor play spaces for children to access from all classrooms to support children to play, explore and engage with the natural environment.

We have a strong emphasis of building staff leadership and knowledge-based capacity with regular high quality professional development and ongoing mentor partnerships with leading experts in pedagogy, family support and infant / children’s mental health and wellbeing.

We have embedded staff wellbeing practices with regular reflective supervision, a close social team, access to a well-resourced Employee Wellbeing Program (EAP) ongoing support from a diverse multi-disciplinary leadership team.

About the centre

Uniting, in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Parkville Institute are providing an intensive early childhood education and care program.

This service located in Richmond will seek to determine whether children, recruited with the same eligibility criteria as those in previous trials, can achieve the same remarkable learning and development outcomes. This will be one of four research sites established in Australia.

This service will work with a multidisciplinary leadership team to ensure the program is implemented with fidelity. The service will operate with lower child to staff ratios, with a maximum of 42 children attending 5 hours per day, Monday to Friday and with educators and teachers employed full-time.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute significantly to research that could shape the future of the early childhood sector in Australia.

'The intensive early childhood education and care program being used in this Uniting Vic.Tas innovative centre uses an evidence-informed and practical approach for supporting families and improving children's outcomes so that vulnerable children enter school as confident learners on par with their peers.’

- Dr Anne Kennedy

Benefits of working at Uniting

Our work isn’t easy, but it matters. Work with people who care as much as you.

In addition to your hourly rate under the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 + super, you can access the following:

• Salary packaging to increase take-home pay
• 60% discount for eligible employees on the childcare subsidy gap fee when using a Uniting Early Learning Service.
• Being a part of a multidisciplinary leadership team alongside the Centre Director, Family Support Practitioner and Infant Mental Health Consultant.
• Contributing to research and practice that will change the life trajectories of children and families experiencing significant adversity.

Your skills and experience

You will bring with you:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in early childhood (or equivalent as approved by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority)
• Significant experience in early childhood education and care services or programs and specific experience as a pedagogical / educational leader.
• Registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).
• Current First Aid, CPR and Anaphylaxis certification.
• A current Victorian driver licence.

View the position description here.

How to apply

Click APPLY to submit your interest.

If this role sounds like a good fit for you, please apply soon. We'll review applications as they come in and may close the ad early.

For any questions, reach out to Lindsey Desmons, Centre Director on 0403 963 165 for a chat, or via lindsey.d@vt.uniting.org.

About Uniting

At Uniting we are passionate about working together to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice. We have a 5,000 strong workforce of employees and volunteers who deliver a diverse range of services across Victoria and Tasmania.

Visit us: www.vt.uniting.org

Uniting is a child safe organisation and is committed in everyday practice to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children, at all times. As a ‘child safe’ organisation, employment with Uniting is subject to a satisfactory national (and international where relevant) police check and relevant Working with Children Check in your State prior to commencement of any paid or unpaid work and/or participation in any service or undertaking.

Through the recruitment process, we will ask you for personal information. Disclosure is optional, however, it can help us support you better. We invite you to tell us if you identify as Aboriginal, a person with disability, from a diverse background or LGBTQIA+. You will be given an opportunity in the application form to request additional support. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can support you.

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