This is a permanent full-time position commencing Term 1, 2025
The Pilbara education region is seeking to appoint a motivated and dynamic leader to the position of Lead School Psychologist.
Find out more about our school by visiting tambreyps.wa.edu.au or Schools Online
Our Region
The Pilbara is one of eight education regions within the Western Australian Department of Education. The region consists of 29 public schools across four Local Government Authorities - Shire of Ashburton, City of Karratha, the Town of Port Hedland and Shire of East Pilbara. The region consists of five major towns with multiple schools. These include Port Hedland and South Hedland, Karratha, Onslow, Newman, and Tom Price, with a number of smaller towns and remote communities also home to public schools.
The Pilbara is one of the largest land regions in WA, twice the size of the United Kingdom and encompassing 507,896 square kilometres from the North West coastline to the border of the Northern Territory. The region is steeped in Indigenous history with Aboriginal people having lived in the Pilbara for more than 40 000 years and the region consisting of more than 31 Aboriginal cultural (language) groups. The Burrup Peninsula alone contains over 700 historic Indigenous archaeological sites and 1 000 000 rock engravings (petroglyphs) and provides a great opportunity to discover the unique art, history and culture of the Aboriginal people of the Pilbara.
The Pilbara landscape is thought to be 3.4 billion years old and can be separated into three distinct geographical formations, a vast coastal plain, breathtaking inland ranges and an arid desert region extending into Australia's dry centre. The coast and the countryside of the Pilbara offers unique outdoor adventure opportunity that includes camping, hiking, boating, diving, fishing and 4wd’ing in some of the world’s most stunning ancient and remote natural landscapes. These landscapes include the three national parks that the Pilbara is home to; Millstream-Chichester National Park, Karlamilyi (Ruddell River) National Park and the famous Karijini National Park, all home to amazing deep rocky canyons, natural gorges and stunning plunge pools. The coastal plain also offers spectacular settings for exploration with amazing unpopulated beaches and 100’s of remote islands dotted the length of the coast.
About the Role
As a Lead School Psychologist, you will provide professional leadership and support to a dedicated and dynamic team of school psychologists across the Pilbara region. The team comprises a mixture of graduate (provisional) and experienced psychologists. You will work collaboratively with the other Lead School Psychologist in the region in developing the team of school psychologists and leading the professional development and practice standards across the team. Travel within and external to the region will be required, including overnight stays. The ability to provide board-approved supervision would be advantageous.
As Lead School Psychologist, you will be directly accountable to the Director of Education and professionally accountable to the Department’s Chief Psychologist, with your practice guided and directed by Department policies and guidelines and the Psychology Board of Australia’s professional standards. The successful applicant will be responsible for providing leadership and access to professional support and learning for all School Psychologists, including ensuring professional supervision for provisionally registered psychologists to achieve standards outlined in the Competency Framework for School Psychologists. The position assures the quality of all School Psychologists’ practice meets the professional standards of the Department and the Board and also leads in the provision of contemporary psychological practices. Broad experience and capacity to provide leadership across all core areas of the service (mental health, learning, behaviour and disability) is required. Additionally, the successful applicant will provide direct advice to the Director of Schools, Principals and the system in the assessment and response to complex issues and situations, including incident management.
Advanced Skills School Psychologist (ASSP) status is required for permanent appointment to a Lead School Psychologist position. Candidates with and without ASSP status are encouraged to apply to this position. If there is no suitable candidate with ASSP status identified, a candidate without ASSP status will be considered for a 12-month fixed-term period only.
Candidates with ASSP status who are eligible for permanent appointment may negotiate for a three (3) year placement, which would enable you to return to your substantive Department of Education role at the end of the three (3) year term. This arrangement would need approval from your line manager, so you are encouraged to discuss this with them before applying.
Learn more about how we support school psychologists on our website: Education WA - School Psychologists
Professional Benefits
Working for the Department of Education you will enjoy a range of benefits including competitive salaries, flexible working arrangements, training and career development opportunities and attractive leave provisions. Find out more about the benefits by visiting professional and personal benefits.
Want to know more?
Full details of the role, selection criteria and eligibility requirements are listed in the attached Job Description Form (JDF).
For more information about this opportunity, please contact Stephen Galbraith, Lead School Psychologist, on 04 3667 9058 or emailing steve.galbraith@education.wa.edu.au
Equity and Diversity
We are committed to an inclusive and culturally responsive workforce reflecting the diversity in our schools and the Western Australian community. We welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, young people, people of diverse sexualities and genders, people with disability, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Explore our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2021-2025 for more details.
Eligibility
To work with us, you must:
- hold or be eligible for general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.
- be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or have a valid visa with relevant work rights for the term of the appointment.
- obtain a valid Working With Children Check before you start.
- consent to a National Criminal History Check with the Department's Screening Unit.
- have achieved Advanced Skills School Psychologist status for permanent appointment to this position.
Information about registration with the Psychology Board of Australia can be obtained by calling 1300 419 495 or by visiting www.psychologyboard.gov.au.
More information on employment eligibility can be found here and in the attached Job Description Form (JDF) located at the bottom of this advertisement.
Application Instructions
Apply online in two easy steps:
Step 1: Select Apply for Job
Complete the online application form, including details of two (2) work related referees, preferably one being your current line manager.
Step 2: Attach your documents
Your application should include:
- A CV of up to two (2) pages outlining your employment history and professional learning summary relevant to this position
- A five (5) page statement addressing the following selection criteria as outlined in the attached JDF:
- Evidence of Advanced Skills School Psychologist status (if held)
The criteria align with Phase 3 described in the Competency Framework for School Psychologists.
- Demonstrated highly-proficient skills and the application of scientific practitioner models that contribute to system-level understandings and decision making.
- Demonstrated application of exemplary specialist knowledge and skills and the provision of leadership in the development of programs and interventions.
- Demonstrated ability to clarify and communicate complex concepts and provide feedback and critical evaluation on the school psychology profession, system policy, direction and operation.
- Demonstrated leadership of strategic partnerships to build capacity, influence systemic policy and undertake interventions and prevention programs.
- Demonstrated leadership and engagement in a variety of professional activities that indicate critical self-reflection, flexibility, exemplary practice and the development of learning communities.
It is recommended you have your attachments ready before selecting Apply for Job.
Your application must be received before the closing date and time. Late applications will not be accepted.
For technical support submitting your application, you can call the Department of Education’s Recruitment team on (08) 9264 4127 for assistance.
Advertised Vacancy Number: DOE918266
The Department applies a four (4) day breach period to this selection process.
Applications close: 4.30pm (AWST) on Monday, 30 October 2024
