Address
Salary- Canberra, Sydney, Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth
- Job closes 1/2/2024
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources and our broader portfolio are integral to the Australian Government’s economic agenda. Our purpose is to help the government build a better future for all Australians through enabling a productive, resilient and sustainable economy, enriched by science and technology. We do this by:
- Growing innovative & competitive businesses, industries and regions
- Investing in science and technology
- Strengthening the resources sector.
Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is a division of the Australian Government Department of Industry Science and Resources. Our vision is of a better future for all Australians through engagement with science, technology and innovation, and our mission is to excite and motivate people through inspirational learning experiences. Our teams work nationwide to deliver diverse programs, exhibitions and experiences. Questacon's Educator Programs Team works with educators and STEM sector stakeholders to deliver meaningful, impactful professional learning to educators. In addition to the development and delivery of professional learning, the team works to develop and sustain communities of practice across the country to support educators and build connections with STEM professionals, to ensure young Australians have the skills needed to enter the STEM workforce.
The Educator Programs Team is a creative, innovative and dynamic team with extensive reach, responsibility and opportunities across many areas of Questacon’s business.
The team is responsible for three programs enabled through a partnership with the Department of Defence:
- Engineering is Elementary provides professional development workshops for primary school educators to empower them to teach engineering concepts using cross-curricular units of work in their own classrooms.
- Questacon STEM Futures is a professional development program for all educators and school leadership that enhances their skills and capacity to design and implement their own STEM programs in collaboration with local stakeholders, supporting school leaders to embed a STEM culture in their schools.
- Applied STEM will respond to educators’ requests for help to build capacity to develop and deliver their own STEM programs with a unique cross-curricular focus, and apply STEM concepts to students’ everyday context.
The Regional Leader roles are newly established to deliver and provide connections for Applied STEM activities within allocated regions of focus across Australia. Working with a high level of autonomy, you will have the opportunity to design and deliver customised content and professional development to meet the needs of educators in your focus region/s. You will build connections through new and existing networks and increase awareness of Questacon across the region through attendance at events such as teacher conferences and networking events.
Together, the team of Regional Leaders will support the delivery of all Questacon Educator Programs, and other Questacon programs more broadly, working with educators before and after they participate in Questacon activities and playing a key role in following up, understanding and guiding effective program implementation.
What’s in it for you?
You will work collaboratively as part of the Educator Programs team, in a newly formed network that engages with some of our most important stakeholders. You will demonstrate excellent communication skills and an ability to work collaboratively as part of a distributed team while being enabled to work with a high degree of autonomy to develop and share deep insights, and build new ways of working with stakeholders in your region/s of focus and across Australia. You will work with your team to deliver an excellent outcome for Questacon, our staff, visitors, stakeholders and supporters. You will regularly travel intrastate and interstate to enable delivery of activities, supported by strong engagement and responsiveness from your manager and colleagues.
Our ideal candidate
Our ideal candidate will:
- have qualifications or demonstrated depth of knowledge and experience in STEM, education and/or science communication fields.
- be able to develop and deliver creative and innovative educational resources and workshops.
- have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with proven experience in engaging stakeholders and building network.
- have excellent organisational skills and an ability to effectively manage competing priorities.
- be resilient, thoughtful, and respond positively to change.
- be able to work and travel alone or in small teams in regional and/or remote locations.
The main goal of the team is to inspire educators to inclusively engage their students in learning STEM content and subsequently develop the STEM skills and characteristics needed for Australia’s future. Each member of the team plays an important role in achieving this goal.
Working consistently within the expectations for an APS 6 in the APS Work Level Standards, the Educator Programs Regional Leader is responsible for:
- developing and delivering professional learning activities for educators that showcase effective pedagogy and curriculum alignment across STEM subjects.
- planning and monitoring your own workload with significant autonomy.
- contributing to the short-term goals of Applied STEM as well as the long term strategic goals for Educator Programs, Questacon and the Department.
- proactively liaising and negotiating with a range of organisations and individuals including professional associations, schools, teachers and education networks to understand their needs and to support emerging communities of practice.
- maintaining a productive relationship across the cohort of Regional Leaders and the wider Educator Programs team that enhances the educational knowledge, facilitation capability and professional practice of all members
- supporting the Regional Manager (EL 1) to meet all internal implementation and reporting requirements, including engagement with the Questacon Partnerships and Monitoring and Evaluation teams
- collaborating with other relevant teams including the National Touring Programs and National Alliances sections, in line with the program and the organisation’s broader strategic objectives
- working within Australian Government guidelines (e.g. Workplace Health and Safety, APS Values and Code of Conduct), and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
The position holder is required to :
- hold a full licence, or hold a P2 driver’s licence for at least 12 months
- undergo a National Police Check
- obtain, or hold, a current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011, and maintain this registration for the duration of employment, and
- have the ability to obtain registration to work with children and vulnerable people in other Australian states and territories as required by local authorities.
Positions require a Baseline security clearance and successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.
Notes
Successful candidates will be allocated a region or regions of focus and working together with other Regional Leaders will enable a national presence for Questacon Educator Programs. A combination of working from home and in-office arrangements are available to candidates, with regular in-person connection expected through state offices of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The Educator Programs team is largely based at Questacon’s second Canberra facility, The Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre. You may be directed to work from Canberra for short periods for training and other needs subject to operational requirements. All travel for work purposes will be fully funded.
Outside of your usual pattern of work, this role may require some after-hours or weekend work, including intrastate or interstate travel as required.
This position is offered as non-ongoing until 31 December 2027.
A merit pool may be established and used to fill future vacancies within 18 months from the date the vacancy was first advertised in the Gazette.
Application information
Your application must not contain any classified or sensitive information. This includes in your application responses, CV and any other documents. The selection panel may not consider applications containing classified information.
Please provide a pitch explaining how your skills, knowledge and experience will be relevant to this role and why you are the best candidate for the position. Your pitch can contain no more than 750 words and should align to the key duties listed above.
Please complete your application online and provide your current CV with your application. (CVs must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format).
Accessible application documentation is available in other formats on request. Please contact or (02) 6276 1235 if you require assistance with your application.
Please refer to our information for additional information on how to apply.
Contact Information
For more information regarding this opportunity, please contact Broderick Matthews on 0261129718 or via email on broderick.matthews@questacon.edu.au
How to apply:
- Start your application by clicking the "begin" button.
By choosing to continue, you agree to the department's privacy policy and declare that you consent to the collection (and subsequent handling) of your personal information for the purpose of this recruitment process and potential employment in the APS.
