About the Role This leadership position drives the implementation of Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) safeguarding strategy, ensuring students are protected from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. With a focus on long-term, proactive approaches, the role shapes processes, procedures, training, and resources tailored to diverse school contexts, building a strong culture of safeguarding and accountability. This role is responsible for the integration of child-safe practices across the system and provides expert advice and support to key partners, including the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Specialist Teams within SCS, Principals and the parent community. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: leading the development and implementation of SCS’s strategic commitment to child safety standards and its development of a child safe culture, embedding the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards across all schools and central offices driving the delivery of programs and initiatives aligned with SCS’ safeguarding strategy developing and implementing policies and procedures that integrate safeguarding into daily operations shaping strategies and offering expert guidance to foster safe, respectful relationships between staff, students, parents and carers in schools and offices building a meaningful engagement with schools and their parent communities specifically in relation to child safeguarding delivering tailored, specific advice to Directors, leaders and parishes to strengthen proactive measures that safeguard students from abuse collaborating across teams, including property, child protection, and school leadership, to integrate child safety into operations, infrastructure, and emerging practice partnering with directorates and schools to strengthen workforce capability, with a focus on empowering staff in student-facing roles leading the development and delivery of staff training focused on the prevention of child abuse evaluating safeguarding outcomes and lead continuous improvement efforts any other duties as directed from time to time. About You To be successful in this position, you must possess: a relevant tertiary qualification in education, social work, psychology, community welfare, law, or related discipline, with a minimum of ten years’ post-qualification experience an in-depth knowledge of the NSW child protection legislative framework and organisational responsibilities a strong understanding of child protection principles and best practice approaches a proven ability to lead projects, managing change initiatives, and deliver professional learning a current driver’s license and access to a car a willingness to respect, support, and uphold the mission, ethos, and teachings of the Catholic Church and the values of SCS. Desirable: previous experience in the Education and/or not-for-profit sectors demonstrated experience leading a professional team Certificate IV in Training and Assessment knowledge of Catholic Systemic Schools/Systems. Why Work for Sydney Catholic Schools In joining Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS), you will be part of the largest Catholic education community in NSW, with a unified vision and shared resources, encompassing over 145 schools and over 74,000 students. We enable job mobility across the system, diverse career opportunities and an extensive suite of professional development programs. SCS is renowned for excellence, with six schools in the top 100 and 13 in the top 150 of the 2024 HSC rankings. Over 51% of results were Band 5 or 6, and our students achieved 2,819 Distinguished Achiever mentions. Be part of a system that fosters academic, creative and vocational success, shaping future leaders every step of the way. In addition, we offer: a competitive salary salary packaging of up to $15,900 annually up to 25% discount on school fees for parents of SCS students ongoing training and development opportunities discounts on gym classes and memberships, activewear, healthy meals, and wellbeing products ex-gratia leave between Christmas and New Year generous Employee Referral Program. Application Process Please click on the 'Apply' button and follow the steps to submit your application. To complete the application process, please ensure you attach the following; current CV cover letter highlighting the criteria above. For internal employees, apply via the 'Careers' tile in Employee Self Service. For any queries or questions, please contact the People & Culture Talent Acquisition team at syd.catholic.edu.au. Statement of Commitment to Child Safety Click here to access SCS' Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and join us in creating a culture of child safety and wellbeing. Working With Children Check (WWCC) This role is classified as child-related work and therefore requires a WWCC clearance prior to commencement of employment. SCS welcomes and encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and candidates with diverse backgrounds.
