Chair Diocesan School Council

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong is seeking a suitably qualified person to chair the Diocesan Schools Council.About Catholic Education | Diocese of WollongongCatholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) serves Catholic systemic school communities across the four regions of the Illawarra, Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven. There are currently 29 Catholic parish primary schools, eight Catholic co-educational secondary schools and one K-12 Catholic school, who together with our Catholic Education Office, constitute the system of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. CEDoW's current priorities are contained within its strategic plan, .Bishop Brian Mascord DD decreed the document providing a clear path within the diocese to ensure our Catholic schools will be high quality centres of learning, where faith is experienced and lived out as an integral part of students' education.Hear Bishop Brian's introduction toPosition ObjectiveThe Council Chair provides leadership to the Diocesan Schools Council and is responsible, with the assistance of the Director of Schools, for the effective operation and governance of the Council in order to advise the Bishop about matters pertaining to the Church's mission of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. The Council Chair gives witness to the ethos of Catholic Education | Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) in being Bearers of Christ's Love. The Council Chair is an independent, non-executive member1 of the Council.1 - are not a part of the executive team or involved in the day to day running of CEDoW and add value to the mission by bringing an independent and objective view.Principal ResponsibilitiesThe following are the principal responsibilities of the Council Chair:

• facilitating the effective functioning of the Council including managing the conduct and length of Council meetings
• facilitating proper information flow to the Council;
• communicating the views of the Council, in conjunction with the Director, to the Bishop and College of Consultors
• In conjunction with the Director and Assistant Director Governance, Assurance & Risk and other relevant CEDoW executive

• setting the agenda for the matters to be considered by the Council
• seeking to ensure that the information provided to the Council is relevant, accurate, timely and sufficient to keep the Council appropriately informed of the performance, finances, affairs, opportunities, risks and challenges of CEDoW, and of any developments that may have a material impact on it
• Seeking to ensure that communications between the Bishop and College of Consultors are accurate and relevant

facilitating open and constructive communications amongst Council members and encouraging their contribution to Council deliberations;

• overseeing Council, committee, Council member (if required) and Director evaluation reviews and succession planning;
• liaising and interfacing with the Director as the primary contact between the Council and management; and
• liaising with and counselling, as appropriate, Council members.

Qualities, experience and skillsThe following qualities, experience and skills are ideally required to fulfil the role as chair Personal Qualities

• Faith | A strong personal commitment to the mission of Catholic Schools and the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church
• Collaborative leadership | the ability to inspire the individual contribution and participation of each Council member and senior executive to fully utilise their collective expertise to support the mission, strategies and policies of CEDoW
• Integrity | an understanding of a Council members fiduciary duties and responsibilities, acting ethically, having appropriate independence, putting the Catholic Education's interests before personal interests
• Effective communication | the ability to engage and effectively communicate with all stakeholders
• Emotional intelligence | as well as self-awareness and self-management, the chair needs to be able to motivate and be able to empathetically manage situations where strong emotions may be present
• Commercial astuteness | demonstrates good business instinct and acumen
• Time | Ability to commit time to conduct the role well

Experience

• Experience of operating at a senior strategic leadership level within an organisation and preferably in an education setting
• Successful track record of achievement through their career
• Experience of not for profit / for purpose governance and sitting on advisory Councils or boards
• Experience of chairing meetings and events

Knowledge and Skills

• Corporate governance | an understanding of contemporary corporate governance and an understanding/awareness of canon law
• Leadership facilitation | the ability to inform and brief fellow Council members on current organisational matters and strategies and the ability to lead constructive and timely discussion and debate, drawing on the expertise of the Council
• Business acumen | ability to develop a strong understanding of the Catholic Education's business and financial model and key elements which drive its sustainability and ability to deliver its mission
• People skills | experience in motivating, managing and dealing with people including evaluating performance, succession planning and executive remuneration

How to ApplyPlease DO NOT apply for this role on this page - instead please contact Louise Macdonald via to enquire or submit an application. Please include "Chair, Diocesan Schools Council Application" in the subject of the email.Applications close: 19 April 2024