The Director of Wellbeing is a newly-reimagined role with responsibility for the strategic and operational leadership of the College’s wellbeing culture and programs. This role provides an exciting opportunity for the suitable person and for the College as we seek to build upon our existing programs and staff capacity.  At Overnewton we believe that individual and collective wellbeing relies upon personal resilience, strength of character, quality relationships and a shared language of emotional and psychological literacy. Central to human flourishing, too, is our sense of meaning and purpose, which is inextricably linked with our identity and learning journeys. At Overnewton, we understand wellbeing to fostered by learning through our personal and collective experiences, curating a culture of wellbeing, rather than delivering a single program. 

As a key member of the College Leadership Team, the Director of Wellbeing will work to develop and implement our vision for wellbeing across the College. This includes the oversight of student wellbeing programs and structures from Prep to Year 12, collaborating with others on the strategic leadership of staff wellbeing, and the fostering of a whole-school culture of individual and collective wellbeing. 

This full-time position has a teaching load of up to 0.2 FTE, which is regarded as a significant aspect of the role. The incumbent will be supported with some administrative assistance. 

Reporting to the Principal, this position will be based across both our campuses and will commence in January 2024.  A 5-year contract, with ongoing tenure as a teacher will be offered.

Position Relationships

The Director of Wellbeing will chair a new team of middle and senior leaders, called the Wellbeing Executive, comprising;

• The Student Counselling Coordinator
• The Head of Learning Development and Support, or delegates
• Key Pastoral Leaders across the College

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Wellbeing is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of:

A Vision and Strategy for a Culture of Wellbeing

• Provide visionary leadership of the College’s focus on staff and student wellbeing;
• Develop a range of strategies to bring unity of language and understanding about wellbeing across all facets of the College and its programs;
• Audit current practices and, in collaboration with the College Leadership Team, develop a vision for the future of wellbeing at the College; 
• Have an active, contemporary understanding of, and share regularly, key themes in research and practice in areas of individual and community wellbeing across Australia and around the world;
• Develop and rollout a measurement tool to gather baseline data, and then regular data collection to inform our practice and measure the efficacy of programs;
• Foster a culture of learning amongst College parents through targeted workshops, speakers and publications;
• Be a leading voice in the community on topical wellbeing issues through, for example, speaking at parent events, and writing regular columns for publications;
• Oversee the writing, reviewing and implementation of student policies related to wellbeing, including Child Safe Standards.

Student Wellbeing Programs and Structures Prep to Year 12

• Be committed to the wellbeing of children and young people of all ages, with a particular passion for their emotional, social and relational wellbeing; 
• Development of a student wellbeing framework, in collaboration with key leaders;
• Oversight of the student wellbeing structures in each school, including Home Groups, year levels and Houses, including active support and development of the wellbeing leaders; 
• Work with the leaders of the co-curricular programs in the shaping of cohesive approaches, language and goals for student wellbeing across all areas of the College;
• Working with the Heads of School in the development of consistent approaches to the entering, storage, sharing and use of student wellbeing information; 
• Work with wellbeing staff in the development of their knowledge and skills, including approving all wellbeing-related Professional Development applications and ensuring that staff share their learning with colleagues upon completion of learning;
• Reviewing and leading of the classroom curriculum in wellbeing from Prep to Year 12, including a clear scope and sequence of learning in wellbeing topics for students; 
• Development of a vision for the integration of wellbeing language and learning principles in the experiential and co-curricular programs
• Provide visionary, positive leadership to all teaching staff as, together, we evolve our understanding of wellbeing education.

Staff Wellbeing

• Work with the Human Resources Department to shape a staff wellbeing framework and shared language to guide us s a College;
• Collaborate with Human Resources in the induction of new staff to the College;
• Work with leaders across the College in the development of team culture and practices around wellbeing, including both teaching and business operations staff;
• Organise opportunities for staff to learn about wellbeing topics and strategies for use in their own lives through, for example, workshops and professional development events;
• Work closely with the College Chaplain, Student Counselling Team and other key leaders to inform staff of appropriate support in the event of a significant critical incident at the College;
• Advise the College Leadership Team on matters related to staff wellbeing.

Team Membership and Leadership

• To form and lead an Executive Wellbeing committee. This group will meet in regular scheduled meetings with the purpose of building a strong understanding of collective wellbeing in our context and to develop vision and strategy for our wellbeing culture and programs;
• Serve as an active member of the College Leadership Team;
• Line manage the Student Counselling Team and First Aid staff in relation to their provision of wellbeing services to students;
• Collaborate with the Heads of School in the support and leadership of pastoral leaders to foster a College-wide vision and approach to student wellbeing; 
• Collaborate with the Director of Human Resources in the support and leadership of both teaching and support staff to foster a College-wide understanding of and approach to staff wellbeing. 

Professional Responsibilities

• Actively seek pedagogical knowledge through own professional reading, research and collegial partnerships; 
• Work collaboratively as a member of the teaching team to ensure the best possible outcomes for students;
• Actively engage in Team and Staff meetings; 
• Adhere to and abide by the expectations of Staff Code of Conduct; 
• All responsibilities attached to teaching class/es; 
• Adhere to Work Health and Safety policies and procedures; 
• The Director of Wellbeing will teach up to 0.2FTE in an area of the College commensurate with their skills and teaching background. 

Key Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated understanding of the field of wellbeing science and the ability to upskill others in evidence-based approaches;
• Demonstrated commitment to the evidence-informed application of wellbeing science in an educational setting;
• Experience in developing or contributing to the development of strategy, policy and implementation in individual and collective wellbeing;
• Demonstrated leadership experience, especially in leading change, managing complex projects and effectively reviewing and implementing programs;
• Proven experience and effectiveness in building and leading high-performing teams; 
• Strong acumen in systems thinking and a demonstrated ability to lead the effective use of digital technologies and platforms in an educational setting; 
• Ability to work in a coaching capacity, and support other leaders in their development and effectiveness; 
• A proven ability to gather, manipulate, communicate and lead others in using data to inform practice; 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with stakeholders and understand and deliver on their requirements; 
• Commitment to the Overnewton College Values. 

Relevant Skills, Knowledge and Experience 

• Suitable teaching qualifications and relevant leadership experience.
• Post graduate qualifications, preferably at the Masters level related to wellbeing.
• A sound knowledge of, or experience in a comparable independent school setting will be highly regarded.

Conditions of Employment 

• All teachers will hold current registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).
• All education support staff will have a current Working with Children’s Card (Employee).
• It is expected that all staff will support the Christian ethos of the College.
• Overnewton is an equal opportunity employer and enforces nondiscrimination and safe working policies. All staff must be aware of and able to work within Occupational Health and Safety and Equal Employment Opportunity Legislation. The College’s campuses are smoke free.

Application and Selection Process 

Application Process

Written applications should be emailed to [email protected] and should include: 

• A brief cover letter of no more than one page outlining your interest in the role;
• A CV, of no more than five pages, documenting all qualifications plus key responsibilities and achievements in previous roles;
• A candidate statement, of no more than two pages, which summarises your educational and wellbeing philosophy and significant experience relevant to the key responsibilities;
• The contact details of three referees, one of whom should be your current, or most recent, line manager. 

Note that referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

Selection Process

A preliminary short list of applicants will be prepared, and first and subsequent rounds of interviews will be conducted by a panel. Final appointments are made by the Principal or delegate. 

Details of employment conditions, including salary, will be negotiated with the preferred candidate.

Applications will be processed as received.

Final date for applications: Monday 28 August 2023