Secondary Principal: St Mary’s Catholic College, Cairns, NQ

To take a Virtual Tour of the College please CLICK HERE  Can you see yourself as the new Secondary Principal?

An Introduction to Catholic Education, Diocese of Cairns

Under the leadership of the Bishop of Cairns, James Foley, the 29 Catholic schools and colleges of the Diocese educate almost 11,000 students. The Cairns Diocese encompasses 377,000 km2 from Cardwell in the south, west to the Northern Territory Border including the Atherton Tablelands, and north to the Torres Strait Islands and Gulf of Carpentaria.

Schools are clustered around the populous centres of Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands to the west and the Cassowary Coast district to the south. All schools, except the most remote school on Thursday Island and its campus on Hammond Island, are within a few hours driving time of Cairns.

Catholic Education Services

Catholic Education Services Cairns consists of twenty-nine schools including twenty primary schools, two prep to Year 12 schools and seven secondary colleges which includes a Special Assistance School with campuses in Cairns and Cooktown. This includes two new schools opened in 2016 including a primary school in Weipa and a Prep to Year 12 School in the Mount Peter region of Southern Cairns.

The CES is committed to building communities of learning that provide a safe, nurturing and academically challenging environment for all students.

Leadership and strategic management of the system of schools is the responsibility of the Executive Director of Catholic Education. Through a team of professionals the Executive Director manages and facilitates a number of significant and particular delegations which include:

• Support of the mission of the Church as delivered through Catholic education;
• Support of schools by providing services that strengthen school capacity;
• Provision of leadership and forward planning to develop organisational capability;
• Distribution to schools of government allocated funds and their accountability;
• Monitoring of quality of schools and compliance/accountability with requirements of governments, Church and parents;
• Within limits, provision of some centralised, specialised student services, where this is the most effective and efficient approach.

Brief Overview of the St Mary’s Context

Established in 1986, St Mary’s Catholic College is a co-educational Catholic College with a student population of nearly 900 students in Years 7-12. The college is located in the southern corridor of Cairns and primarily attracts students from Gordonvale and the Goldsborough Valley in the south, the southern suburbs of Cairns and some students from other areas of Cairns seeking education in a Catholic co-educational context. St Mary’s is the only Catholic co-educational secondary College in the Cairns region and offers a diverse curriculum which includes excellent Academic and a broad Vocational Education and Trade Training Curriculum.

St Mary’s Catholic College’s spacious grounds and modern facilities ensure students receive quality private schooling encouraging excellence in students’ academic, vocational, sporting and cultural pursuits.

Further Information

Additional information can be viewed at the Diocese of Cairns Catholic Education website located at http://www.cns.catholic.edu.au/ ; and on the St Mary’s Catholic College website located at website located at http://www.smcc.qld.edu.au/

Position Overview

Position Title: Principal

Reports to:    Executive Director through Director School Development – Secondary.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Faith Leadership: Sharing in the mission of the Church as leader within the school faith community

• Educational Leadership: Leading learning and teaching

• Staff Leadership: Developing self and others

• Organizational Leadership: Management of the school

• Community Leadership: Engaging and working with the community

• Strategic Leadership: Leading improvement, innovation and change

Commencement

It is anticipated the successful person will be able to commence for the start of the 2017 school year.

 Location

St Mary’s Catholic College is located at 53 Anderson Road, Woree, QLD.

Conditions of Employment

• Remuneration is negotiable but offered with reference to the Cairns Catholic Education Services – Principals’ Agreement 2013
• Option to salary sacrifice a motor vehicle able to be used for business (with kilometre allowance) and private purposes
• Appointment: 5 year initial period contract; with an option for a further 5 years and 3 years beyond that
• The appointee to this position will be required to complete a period of 6 months probation, in accordance with The Fair Work Act 2010
• A non-smoking policy is effective in Catholic Education Services buildings, offices, and motor vehicles.
• The Diocese has a relocation policy to assist, if required
• Mobile phone/laptop provided
• The Working with Children (Risk Management & Screening) Act 2000 requires the preferred applicant to be subject to “working with children check” as part of the employment screening process. Further details regarding this check may be obtained by accessing the web site of the Public Safety Business Agency at the following internet address: https://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au

Selection Criteria

To be successful in this role it is anticipated you will be an experienced Catholic educational leader and have:

• A strong commitment to the social justice principles of the Catholic Church and Catholic Education, evidenced by lived example
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the capacity to respond pastorally to human and interpersonal issues
• An understanding and rapport with young people
• Demonstrated ability in the development of a professional learning community
• Postgraduate qualifications and ongoing involvement in professional associations and personal development

 Mandatory qualifications and requirements:

• Participation in and commitment to the sacramental life of the Church
• Understanding and commitment to education in the Catholic tradition
• Professional qualifications in Education and Religion, as per Queensland Catholic Education Commission Policies of Qualifications for Senior Educational Leadership Positions in Catholic Schools in Queensland and The Religious Dimension of Senior Education Leadership in Catholic Schools in Queensland
• Demonstrated ability in curriculum development, including knowledge of contemporary educational issues at state and national levels
• Proficiency in the use of ICT for administration and the promotion of its role in effective learning and teaching
• Written and verbal communication skills of a high order
• Demonstrated commitment to the pastoral care and wellbeing of members of the school community
• Skills for building community, including facilitation, delegation and consultation
• Registered or eligible to register with Queensland College of Teachers

Are You Interested in this Opportunity?

If you are interested in this role, there are two options for you to proceed:

1. If interested, but have questions requiring a response before deciding whether to progress, then either (a) telephone our Director John Chesher (0417 068 220) or (b) email our office via mail@traksearch.com or from this page of our website with your questions.
2. If and when you have enough information to start this process, then simply email us at mail@traksearch.com or from this page of our website stating your interest in this role and nominating ref number TS1345; also providing a brief resume and contact telephone number.

At this stage we do NOT ask for you to labour over selection criteria or any application document – just a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘St Mary’s Principal, TS1345’ and providing your brief resume and contact telephone number. The timeline and details for this project are outlined below. All emails and applications are acknowledged within 48 hours.

The Selection Process

Key dates are as follows:

Trak Search has been instructed to provide a process that is welcoming for people interested in this role. Significant aspects include:

• Throughout the process, Trak Search is available for confidential discussions and to provide information to allow you to explore this opportunity and determine your interest in the role.
• A range of additional information will be provided to you as we progress through this process.
• At the outset you will not be required to: complete an application form; provide a lengthy, comprehensive document to address the selection criteria; or any referee details. However, you will be invited to supply us with additional information (verbally and in writing) as you progress through the process.
• A late application could be accepted, providing it does not adversely impact other applications or the schedule. Please be aware however that any application received after close of business on the date noted above is more likely to be returned to you.
• At the appropriate time (refer above) we will seek written consent to speak with referees – listing referees on your resume does not signify consent.
• We expect to contact one work related referee prior to short listing, with additional references (including a priest reference) completed later in the process.  You should always expect that prior to reaching the final stage of the project, we will ask to speak with at least one person who has: directly managed you; recently; and for a significant time period.
• All information provided to Trak Search will be made available prior to short listing, in confidence, to CES executives unless you instruct Trak Search otherwise.

You are also encouraged to view our Collection Statement which provides details on the manner in which we collect and use information obtained from you during your engagement with Trak Search.