Vacancy Details

  • Bannockburn location – perfectly positioned with an easy drive from Geelong, Ballarat, and Melbourne (plus free onsite parking!)
  • Permanent full-time role with real opportunities to grow and make your mark
  • Genuine flexibility – Flexible working arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance
  • Senior leadership opportunity
  • Total remuneration package: $178,115

Golden Plains Shire Council provides a workplace where people matter, communities are connected, and the future is bright. We offer a diverse range of career pathways in meaningful roles with a sense of purpose where you can grow and thrive. 

To continue to deliver for our community and families, we are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Manager Children’s Services to join our leadership team.

Reporting to the Director Community Planning and Growth, the Manager Children’s Services plays a critical role in providing strategic direction and leadership across the planning, coordination, and delivery of Early Years Management (EYM) Kindergartens, Maternal and Child Health and Community Immunisation. The role also leads Early Years Infrastructure Planning and the implementation of sector reforms. This position is integral to ensuring positive and meaningful outcomes for children and their families.

This role offers the opportunity to:

  • Provide strategic leadership across Maternal and Child Health and Early Years Management kindergarten services, ensuring high-quality, responsive, and compliant service delivery aligned to community needs.
  • Drive service planning and innovation by identifying emerging community needs, leading continuous improvement, and shaping future-focused early years’ service models.
  • Build and maintain strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including families, service providers, schools, and government agencies, to enhance service access, integration, and community outcomes.
  • Lead a high-performing team, fostering a positive culture of accountability, professional development, and excellence in service delivery.

Our ideal candidate will have:

  • Tertiary qualifications in early childhood education and care, community services, health, education, or a relevant social science field.
  • A high level of relevant knowledge and supervisory experience and a proven record of accomplishment as an effective leader within the child and family services delivery environment.
  • Demonstrated understanding of and experience in responding to government policy, compliance and trends related to early years education and Maternal & Child Health services.
  • Demonstrated, high-level experience in leading service delivery, fostering strategic stakeholder relationships, and providing effective organisational leadership.
  • Demonstrated strategic planning and policy development skills including the ability to provide sound advice on how to position the organisation to respond to changes in the broader policy environment and community needs.
  • The ability to manage time, set personal and team goals and delegate tasks. 
  • A commitment to the Council's values: Pride, Respect, Integrity, Collaboration and Excellence.

We care We thrive We grow 

Our people are passionate, collaborative and deeply committed to both the community and the work they do. This commitment is felt from the moment you step through the doors, in every interaction and in the way we celebrate our collective achievements.

We care about our community and our people, provide flexibility and support so you can thrive and offer a diverse range of opportunities to support your personal and professional growth. We are dedicated to fostering this culture, because we know that our people are the key to the future growth and success of Golden Plains Shire.

With an Enterprise Agreement in place till 2028 we offer all employees:

  • Learning and development opportunities aligned to your role and aspirations, along with opportunities to work on a variety of projects and undertake secondments 
  • Flexible work arrangements to empower you to achieve better life/work balance
  • A modern, high-quality working environment with free onsite parking
  • An environment where health, safety and wellbeing are prioritised in all that we do
  • An active Social Club
  • Novated leases available to permanent full and part-time staff 
  • Transfer of service and LSL (where applicable)
  • Generous leave entitlements including but not limited: 
    • Up to 16 weeks' primary & up to 3 weeks secondary parental leave
    • Purchased leave
    • Ceremonial leave
    • Volunteer leave
    • Reproductive leave
    • Gender affirmation leave
    • Higher than NES Family violence leave

For further information about the role and the key selection criteria, please view the Position Description below or, for a confidential discussion, contact Jonathan Daly, Director Community Planning and Growth on 03 5220 7164.

We’d love to hear from you ASAP regarding this role!  To ensure we find the best candidates, applications for this role will be assessed as they are received, and the vacancy may close prior to any end date advertised.

APPLY NOW

Click on Apply to submit your application and following the prompts.  

Please address the key selection criteria (KSC) in your cover letter or use the KSC to guide your responses to the online questionnaire when submitting your application.

We encourage you to talk to us about any adjustments or additional support you may require during the recruitment process, as well as how this role can be flexible for you. Please contact our People & Culture team at peopleandculture@gplains.vic.gov.au to discuss how we can best support you.

Applications close on WEDNESDAY 22 JULY 2026 at 11.59PM

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace that allows staff to bring their whole selves to all that they do.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing a safe workplace that embraces and values child safety, diversity and inclusion. We recognise the value and diversity and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to the heritage of all Australians and our workplace.

We wholeheartedly believe that the decisions we make and the services we deliver benefit from having a workforce representative of the community we support - that the diversity of thought, experience, insights and background will ensure the needs of the broader community are considered in all we do. We encourage applications from people of all ages, genders, abilities and cultural backgrounds.