Office Administration

Little Sophia Kindergarten 

BACKGROUND

Little Sophia is a well-established non-denominational Steiner kindergarten for 3 to 5 year old children in mixed-age groups. We are not-for-profit and located close to the historic Abbotsford Convent Arts precinct, the Collingwood Children's Farm, and Yarra Bend parkland, all of which have natural spaces used in our play-based programs. Children from our playgroups and long day kindergarten programs go on to attend local schools, Sophia Mundi Steiner School, and Collingwood College.

POSITION OBJECTIVES

The role of the Office Administrator is a part-time position of up to 16 hours per week. The office administrator will support the coordinator and office staff and undertake administrative tasks necessary to ensure the efficient running of the kindergarten. They will answer the phone and incoming emails, pass on messages and tasks to office staff, teachers, and families as required. 

They will be responsible for making sure information is distributed to the relevant parties; teachers, parents, compliance officer and/or coordinator. They will have a warm, friendly, and polite manner with excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, showing attention to detail. The successful applicant must feel connected to and welcome the concept of distributed leadership and collaborative decision-making. The office administrator plays a key part in ensuring transparency so as our distributed leadership model functions well, the appropriate people are consulted, and information is received and discussed.

It is essential that our applicant feels connected with our philosophy and has or develops a basic understanding of Steiner early childhood education and pedagogy.

ORGANISATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

• The office administrator is accountable to the leadership group which consists of the coordinator, compliance officer, and two teachers
• They must work collaboratively and transparently within their role, ensuring they share and discuss with those around them.
• The receptionist will work with members of the Governance Committee if/as required.

The office administrator will hold their responsibilities and role within the kindergarten; however, they will have a vital role in disseminating information to the right people. They will:

• Have clear responsibilities and a shared idea of what is needed when delivering on their responsibilities
• Willingly take on tasks as required
• Report progress
• Express difficulties
• Discuss changes to conditions or circumstances
• Actively foster an environment of trust and inclusion

VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

The role of the adult in a Steiner kindergarten is to conduct oneself in a manner that is always worthy of imitation. All adults in the Steiner kindergarten are part of the child’s learning environment, so how we move about the space, speak to the children and to other adults, is always with awareness that the children will perceive, internalise, and imitate it. Little Sophia staff are expected to perform their duties professionally, and families, children, and fellow workers should be always treated with integrity and respect. It is important that staff work as an effective team, support our fellow workers, and develop our working relationships to enhance the quality of our program and everyone’s job satisfaction. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operate within the requirements of the service’s policies and procedures, as well as funding and regulatory requirements.
• Respect the confidentiality of information relating to parents and children and comply with the service’s privacy policy
• Attend special kindergarten social events and foster positive relationships
• Assist with maintaining regulatory records 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Exhibit warm, friendly, and professional communication via phone, e-mail, and mail
• Distribute incoming emails to compliance/coordinator/teachers
• Support the team by assisting with scheduling, and ordering materials and food.
• Respond in a positive and caring way to families’ enquiries and their needs, advancing complex inquiries to the teachers and/or coordinator
• Act as the first point of contact for billing and administrative enquiries (Xplor & Xero)
• Redirect queries regarding child development, education, and pedagogy, to the child’s teacher and coordinator where necessary
• Prepare room contact lists for each program and emergency contact list for teachers
• In the event of complaints, delegate to coordinator using the complaint procedure as outlined in the parent handbook
• Maintain confidentiality on all issues relating to children and families and comply with the service’s privacy policy.
• Maintain regular contact with class carers, ensuring they are supported to create community within their rooms
• Assist parent volunteers with fundraising as required
• Manage parents accounts and monitor ongoing payments with follow up as required
• Prioritise tasks, focusing on managing phone, email, and walk-in queries and ensuring messages and information is disseminated
• Perform general administrative tasks in an accurate, reliable, and honest manner
• Maintain bookings
• Research grants and coordinate applications
• Post and collect mail
• Accept deliveries, including food deliveries and ensure appropriate food health and safety documentation is completed and updated accordingly
• Report daily student attendance via Xplor and weekly into the Childcare Supplement System (CCS).
• Ensure all children attending the kindergarten are signed in and out every day to ensure accurate daily attendances, and consequently access to the Child Care Subsidy.
• Assist the compliance officer in ensuring regulatory requirements are met and daily practices and procedures are maintained

ENROLMENTS

• Welcome enquiries from prospective parents, send/email information packs and maintain the waitlist.
• In collaboration with the leadership group, update information material as required.
• Issue enrolment offer letters and process documentation.
• Collaborate with teachers to form the class list/room allocations.
• Assist with marketing and arrange the printing advertising of marketing material.

FINANCE

• Oversee accounts payable via the external bookkeeper
• Log and keep track of accounts receivable and prepare a weekly report and update to coordinator
• Produce parent financial accounts, and routinely check parent accounts are up to date.
• Issue late fee invoices if a child is collected late and if fees are paid in arrears.
• Ensure parent accounts reflect the CCS portion of the daily kindergarten fee.
• Reconcile bank accounts.

SELECTION CRITERIA

EXPERIENCE

• Experience in or knowledge of an educational setting
• Receptionist/front of house experience/customer service
• Some experience in accounts receivable and basic bookkeeping (e.g., reconciling bank statements)
• Experience using Xplor & Xero software and an interest in further leveraging its capabilities to create efficiencies and reduce manual/time-consuming processes is highly desirable

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• Have a warm and friendly manner
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Work collaboratively with others across the kindergarten
• Communicate effectively in different communication settings, attentively listen to others, provide timely and helpful information to others
• Able to adapt approach and demeanour to match the demands of different situations
• Be able to rebound from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations

QUALIFICATIONS/CERTIFICATES

• Holds a current Working with Children Check assessment, which demonstrates suitability for employment in a children’s service
• Desirable to have a current Level Two First Aid Certificate (including Asthma and Anaphylaxis training)

Applications

Please apply in writing to *****@littlesophiakindergarten.org.au A full job description is available by emailing or telephone (03) 9417 2***.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners
of the land on which we work and recognise
their continued custodianship and connection
to the land, waters and community.

We strongly encourage people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres strait islander to apply.