Deputy Head of Secondary (Middle School Culture), Aitken College (Vic)

Aitken College is a co-educational, independent school in association with the Uniting Church, offering Prep to Year 12 education to more than 1300 students and located on 18 hectares in Greenvale, part of the urban growth corridor in the North West.  Aitken College promotes and supports students to achieve their personal best with a focus on learning, citizenship, wellbeing, problem solving and critical thinking. The College prides itself in providing students with a set of values to become responsible members of our global world. The College values are Compassion, Honesty, Integrity, Kindness and Respect, which are embedded in all aspects of College life. Students enjoy a varied academic program which allows them to seek opportunities at all levels including VCE, VCAL and VET.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Principal (Secondary) and a member of the College Leadership Team and the Secondary Leadership Team, the Deputy Head of Secondary (Middle School Culture) will foster an engaging learning culture and sense of belonging among students, staff and parents throughout the secondary school. This full-time role involves leading and supporting the middle school teaching team in relation to student wellbeing and engagement and supporting the Assistant Principal (Secondary) in developing a rigorous and dynamic learning environment. The role is ideal for an innovative educator who sees that student wellbeing and student engagement and growth are interdependent, and who has proven success in translating ideas into action in a school-setting.   The successful candidate will support the Assistant Principal (Secondary) to work collaboratively with colleagues to create a learning environment that is safe, challenging, rewarding and committed to excellence.

The Deputy Head of Secondary (Middle School Culture) builds strong connections with staff members, students and parents in the Aitken College community.  This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced applicant who enjoys working in a collaborative, dynamic and diverse environment with a particular interest in empowering young people to have agency in their learning and a commitment to a thriving learning environment that fosters excellence.

Commencing in Term 1, 2023 the role has a 0.5 FTE teaching load.

Key selection criteria include:

• Proven leadership experience in developing collaborative teams, open to new thinking and practices.
• Contemporary experience in evidence-based student wellbeing programs, practices and initiatives for students and staff.
• Demonstrated experience as a competent project manager with the organisational capacity to oversee the end-to-end administration and management of various processes.
• An excellent communicator with outstanding interpersonal skills to effectively engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• A passion for leading and developing colleagues with a focus on their professional growth.
• Understanding of the regulatory environment within which schools operate.
• Flexibility, adaptability and enthusiasm for a dynamic work environment.

The successful candidate will:

• Have proven experience as a leader.
• Hold a current and valid VIT Registration.
• Be an active learner, constantly seeking deeper understanding.

Aitken College is committed to child safety. As such, the successful applicant will be expected to satisfy child protection screening and adhere to the College’s Child Safe Policy and Code of Conduct.

Aitken College is partnering with Hutton Consulting to assist with the search and selection process for this position. For a confidential discussion, all enquiries regarding the application process and requests for the full position description, please contact Aine Maher on 0457521228 or email aine.maher@hutton.education.

Applications close at 5pm on Tuesday 2 August 2022