Learning Specialist - Teacher and Professional Development

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated expert knowledge of the relevant curriculum. Demonstrated ability to model exemplary teaching practice, including the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum, and implement school priorities.
• Demonstrated expertise in the implementation and modelling of high impact teaching strategies that respond to student learning needs. Demonstrated ability to support teachers to evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth.
• Demonstrated exemplary ability to model the monitoring and assessment of student learning. Demonstrated ability to support others in using data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.
• Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to engage in collaborative relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.

Role

The Learning Specialist role is aimed at building excellence in teaching and learning within the Teaching Service.

Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage the professional development budget and allocate resources effectively to maximise outcomes. Ensure that all professional learning activities are strategically aligned with the School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including school leadership, domain leaders, and external partners, to ensure professional development opportunities are consistent with the broader goals and priorities of the school.
• Lead and manage the provision of professional development programs across the school. Develop and oversee both individual and team professional learning plans for teaching staff to support continuous improvement in teaching practice.
• Lead the induction program for new staff, including the design, implementation, and ongoing review of induction processes. Maintain and expand the staff handbook to ensure it reflects current policies, procedures, and school culture.
• Act as the key liaison with universities, expanding partnerships and strengthening teacher education programs. Provide structured support, supervision, and mentoring for pre-service teachers undertaking placements within the school.
• Align current Professional Learning Community practices with the School Strategic Plan. Provide leadership, guidance, and coaching to facilitators and staff to ensure high-quality processes of collaborative inquiry, data-driven decision making, and reflective practice are embedded across PLCs.
• Lead and manage teachers in the early stages of their careers, providing mentoring, coaching, and professional guidance. Support them in meeting requirements for full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), including the preparation of evidence against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
• Contribute actively to the overall leadership and management of the school, working collaboratively with the leadership team to implement strategic priorities, foster a positive learning culture, and promote staff wellbeing and professional growth.
• Work with the School Leadership Team to develop and implement school Strategic Plan and AIP goals.
• Actively participate as a member of the School Leadership Team, including through Leadership Team meetings, Staff Meetings, School Events and modelling of inclusive and participatory leadership behaviours.

Who May Apply

Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability.

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards.

Qualification Requirements

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class: The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July 2016 must also demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements.

University High School is a large inner-city secondary school, catering to the local area including Parkville, Carlton, North Melbourne and the Melbourne CBD. The school has a rich and proud history of providing outstanding educational opportunities to its unique and diverse local community, which represents a wide range of language, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Our students are the heart and soul of our school, and enrolment growth has been rapid over the past five years. In 2026 we have over 2000 students enrolled.

All Year 9 students are based at the newly opened Lonsdale St campus for their entire program, and up to 150 Year 11 and 12 students are enrolled in the specialist science program, Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences (EBS). This is a select-entry program, but UHS itself is a neighbourhood, not a select-entry, school. UHS is also the host school for the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC), the first of the state-wide Science Centres, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.

In 2025, the school is in the fourth year of its Strategic Plan and revised leadership structure. This Strategic Plan has had a focus on developing consistent, collaborative and whole-school practices to support strong student-teacher relationships and connection to school; and to enhance student learning growth through responsive and explicit teaching. This has led to the development of new, whole school frameworks for both relationships and engagement and for teaching and learning.

The school's values were redefined in 2022. They are: Curiosity, Kindness, Excellence, Connection.

Students are expected to engage with all aspects of the formal curriculum and recognition is given to both outstanding achievement and to positive participation and improvement. The co-curricular program caters for a wide range of student interests and abilities and student participation at all levels is fostered. Student voice and leadership is embraced within the school and at all levels through a variety of forums.

Applications close Monday 24 August.