Position Description
Family, Youth and Children
Project Officer
At the City of Port Phillip we aim to put our community first. Community First is a mindset that we bring to
everything we do. It encourages us to look through the eyes of community, work collaboratively across the
organisation and with our community, to improve outcomes, value for money and service.
The City of Port Phillip celebrates a vibrant and diverse work environment and community, which includes
people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, people of diverse sexual orientation and
gender, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people of varied age, health, socioeconomic status, faith and spirituality. Employees are able to develop both professionally and personally
whilst planning and delivering a range of important services and programs to the community.
Our ‘Community First’ organisational strategy aims to strengthen our focus on delivering Council’s vision:
•
Engaged – A well governed city
•
Healthy – A healthy, creative & inclusive city
•
Resilient – A strong, innovative and adaptive city
•
Vibrant – A liveable and connected city
Community First is a whole of organisation approach that sets out how we deliver the Council Plan and
Council’s key strategic priorities. As part of our commitment to being an organisation that puts the
community first, we have agreed to focus on the following priorities:
1.
Enterprise Portfolio Management
2.
Great Places and Precincts
3.
Continuous Improvement
4.
Aligned Organisational Culture and Capability
5.
Good Governance
POSITION TITLE:
Family, Youth and Children Project Officer
Part time (0.5 EFT)
AWARD CLASSIFICATION:
Band 7
DEPARTMENT:
Family, Youth and Children
DIVISION:
Community Development
DATE APPROVED:
April 2016
APPROVED BY:
Manager Family, Youth & Children
Position Description
Family, Youth and Children
Project Officer
ORGANISATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
REPORTS TO:
Coordinator, Family Youth and Children Projects Team
SUPERVISES:
No direct reports
INTERNAL LIAISONS:
Executive Management Team, Councillors, Family Youth and Children (FYC) staff,
Project Managers and Sponsors, Property Services, Building Maintenance,
Community and Service Planning, Business Technology, Finance and other
departments
EXTERNAL LIAISONS:
Local, State and Federal Government, community, family, youth and children’s
service providers, peak bodies, various policy and planning forums and networks
POSITION CONTEXT
The City of Port Phillip is jointly investing with state government in the Ferrars Street Education and Community
Precinct (FSECP) which is a significant new community infrastructure and precinct development in the Montague
precinct of the Fisherman’s Bend Urban Renewal Area. The shared vision for the precinct is for it to be the heart of
the Montague community and support a healthy and engaged community.
The new facility in Ferrars Street is an innovative vertical design that integrates the South Melbourne (Ferrars St)
Primary School with community and recreation facilities. These include an early learning centre for kindergarten
provision, maternal and child health/allied health consulting rooms, multi-purpose rooms, a community kitchen, indoor
and outdoor courts. The facility is planned to open in January 2018.
The vision for the site is to deliver “a thriving integrated education and community hub providing high quality services
that are comprehensive, cohesive and valued by the local community”. The diversity of opportunities for community
activities on the site will be extended by opportunities to share use of some of the school specific facilities at times out
of school hours such as art, music and library spaces.
This position will play a lead role in co-ordinating the collaborative planning and delivery of a strategic, sustainable
operating model that achieves Council’s vision for the facility and positively engages all stakeholders through a
community development approach.
POSITION OBJECTIVES

Facilitate and coordinate the operationalisation of the integrated community facilities at the Ferrars St
Education and Community Facilities (FSECF) site through :
o
Finalising detailed design requirements to fit out
o
Development of a clear strategic direction for the facility including a viable business plan,
facility governance and management model
o
Operational planning and budget development
o
Achieving key milestones within the timelines required for the facility opening in 2018

Build and maintain strong and effective operational partnerships with all key stakeholders that will ensure
the FSECF delivers on the vision, objectives and timelines for the development.

Participate in the development of the CoPP business case to ensure Council’s significant investment
delivers the best value for Council and the community.
KEY RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTIES

Lead the development and implementation of sustainable community facility operational guidelines,
consistent with the FSECF vision, through/ including:
Position Description
Family, Youth and Children
Project Officer




Clear reporting lines and responsibilities to provide direction, efficiency and accountability

Documented community facility policies and procedures

Clearly articulating the interface between the primary users

Adaptability to meet the changing needs of the community over time
Develop and implement good governance practices through:

Agreed Community Joint Use Agreements

Appropriate and effective Leasing and Service Delivery Agreements

Governance and operational arrangements in conjunction with the new School
Council/Department of Education and Training (DET)

Transparent decision making guidelines

Collaborative partnerships

Embedded review and evaluation
Facilitate strong and collaborative partnerships that have a clear and shared understanding of the needs
and aspirations of the Council and the community through:

Service mapping that informs comprehensive, flexible service planning for current and
projected demand for the community facilities, services and activities

Appropriate, timely and meaningful consultation and engagement activities

Evaluation and monitoring processes
Develop and implement a communications and engagement plan to achieve the position objectives that
considers the demanding timelines and dynamic political environment.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND EXTENT OF AUTHORITY

Reporting to the Family Youth Children Projects Team Coordinator, and

Engaging and working collaboratively with internal stakeholders across Council

Engaging and working collaboratively with external partners and stakeholders including School Council,
School community and DET with sensitivity to the dynamic political environment of the project.

Active participation in and/or facilitation of internal and external FSECF planning meetings

Accountable to work independently and professionally with external stakeholders within delegated
authority.

Responsible for facilitating engagement of resources within Council to improve communication with
external stakeholders, in accordance with the approved communication and engagement plan.
JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING

Effective, professional judgement and adaptability in evaluating and deciding on appropriate methods,
procedures and practices for achieving Council and community objectives as related to FSECF precinct

Effective judgement and discretion in selecting the appropriate level of response to be applied in any
given situation

Apply specialist knowledge and experience to solve complex problems and manage diverse stakeholder
groups

Seek support and receive direction from the Manager and Coordinators in FYC and when relevant the
Project Manager FSECP and other technical experts within Council

Apply sound decision making in accordance with Council’s governance practices
Position Description
Family, Youth and Children
Project Officer
SPECIALIST SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Sound understanding of the Family Youth and Children Strategy (2014-19) and Council’s Health and
Wellbeing Plan, with a focus on community development principles

Operational knowledge of local government policies, facilities and operations that maximise the use of the
facilities and optimise community benefits


A commitment to the Community First mindset of the organisation
Demonstrated knowledge of issues affecting the provision of community services in the sector and local
government; an awareness of broader policies and issues within the field
Ability to positively engage with a range of stakeholders including Council staff, external service providers,
governance committees and community members
Commercial acumen regarding viable business models that deliver financial and social value
Ability to develop innovative solutions while working within a risk management framework
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MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Ability to manage own time, plan & organise own work, ensuring stakeholder involvement, deliverables,
key performance indicators and timeframes are met

Experience in working in an autonomous manner, within a multi-disciplinary team, with strong
organisational skills and decision making to manage competing priorities and deadlines

Ability to champion initiatives, inspire stakeholders and effectively facilitate their participation

Ability to gain cooperation and assistance from a range of people including school Council , DET ,
Council staff and the evolving community within the developing precinct

Able to apply a risk management framework to a range of situations

Accountable for achieving key milestones within critical timelines
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Understand and comply with, the Council OH&S Policy, procedures and legislative requirements relevant
to the position.

Take responsibility for your own health and safety and that of others in the workplace. This includes the
reporting of incidents involving injury and near misses.

Communicate with employee health and safety representatives and supervisors about OH&S matters.

Proactively report any unsafe workplace practices and/or hazards and suggest injury prevention
measures.

Participate in regular training programs to improve awareness of risk management and health and safety
within the workplace.

Perform work in a safe and appropriate manner at all times.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Well-developed communication skills including business planning and report writing

Ability to positively implement Community Development strategies, policies and continuous improvement
initiatives

Effective conflict resolution, negotiation and decision-making skills

Interpret and convey complex information to different audiences using a range of mediums
Position Description
Family, Youth and Children
Project Officer

Build and develop collaborative relationships with a diverse stakeholder group
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE


Academic: Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline (a community development approach is required
for the role) and relevant experience as outlined below:
Experience in:
o governance/management of community and recreational facilities within the context of a
community development model
o service/business planning and options analysis
o working within the complex and dynamic political environment including local, state and /or federal
levels of government
o facilitating meaningful community consultation and engagement activities
o applying the principles of collaborative practice
o administration of asset management agreements, leases and licenses for community facilities .
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

Demonstrated community development experience with success in working collaboratively with diverse
community groups to deliver on agreed outcomes

Demonstrated experience and knowledge in the development and implementation of business plans and
operating models that deliver financial and social value for Council and the community.

Extensive experience and demonstrated success in working in an autonomous manner within a sensitive
and dynamic stakeholder environment.

Strong service/business planning and options analysis

Strong organisational ability, record keeping and decision making skills to manage competing demands,
meet governance requirements and critical deadlines

Proven ability to deliver on the outlined position objectives

Well-developed communication skills to convey complex information to different audiences, including
business case and report writing.