About the Treaty Authority

The Treaty Authority is a new independent entity with a mandate to facilitate the formation of treaties between the State of Victoria and First Peoples in Victoria.

The Authority’s work is grounded in Aboriginal culture, lore and law and led collectively by a panel of five Members committed to Aboriginal self-determination and empowerment. It engages with a broad cross-section of stakeholders including the State of Victoria, the First Peoples’ Assembly and Traditional Owners in Victoria.

The objects of the Authority’s work are to:

• Facilitate the journey towards reconciliation, mutual respect and tolerance between First Peoples and other people of the State and to
• Maintain, promote and advance the self-determination and empowerment, culture and human rights of First Peoples.

About the Role

The Treaty Authority is looking to appoint a pivotal role to its team in the role of Operations Manager. This role will ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of the day-to-day operations of the Authority and support the Operations Director in leading and managing the delivery and development of business services, procurement and IT services, ensuring alignment with budget and following the operational plan.

The Operations Manager will drive the implementation of policies and procedures to meet the Treaty Authority’s objectives and ensure required standards, legislative and compliance obligations are met. They will also play a key role in providing governance and secretariat support to the organisation.

The Operations Manager will be key in influencing, managing and delivering key projects and programs that impact the whole of the Treaty Authority, ensuring projects are completed efficiently, on time and within budget.

Key Duties

• Collaborate with the Operations Director to develop and implement the Treaty Authority's operational plan and initiatives, ensuring alignment with the Treaty Negotiation Framework.
• Lead improvements in operational systems and processes.
• Provide expert project management support for key programs and projects, ensuring projects are completed efficiently, on time and within budget.
• Ensure governance requirements are met by advising on legislation, policy and compliance.
• Provide support, advice and training on key governance policies and processes including financial approvals, auditing and managing registers to lead the enhancement of corporate governance practices.
• Advise on culturally strong governance systems, structures, processes and practices.
• Work closely with the Operations Director to support risk, compliance and reporting.
• Focus on continuous improvement of governance, risk, audit and assurance frameworks.
• Select, liaise with and manage relationships with external procurement advisors to ensure the effective and compliant procurement of goods/services in line with the procurement framework.
• Implement systems, tools and processes for good practice procurement and contracting.
• Oversee the management of the Treaty Authority’s IT infrastructure and implementation of IT platforms across the organisation to ensure that effective systems are in place and operating effectively and meet the organisation’s IT needs.
• Establish effective IT security systems for the organisation.
• Manage compliance, safety and risk governance across the Treaty Authority, including through applying the Audit and Risk Management Framework.
• Monitor the health and safety system ensuring compliance with legislation (including emergency and incident management).
• Monitor the safety of all team members and external visitors.
• Monitor and manage identified risks and ensure remedial action is implemented.

Selection Criteria

• Passionate about being part of a reform to benefit First Peoples in Victoria.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in business, economics or related discipline.
• Technical project management qualification/accreditation (eg Prince2) preferred along with strong project management delivery experience.
• Experience in a similar operations management or project management role.
• Experience in a governance and/or company secretary role.
• A proven track record in providing a high level of specialised advice, support and corporate governance services across the organisation.
• Proficient in the use of Gant charts as well as a high level of competence in MS project (or similar) software. Demonstrated experience managing and delivering multiple projects concurrently.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, along with excellent interpersonal skills, to build and maintain positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Highly developed analytical skills, a strong level of initiative, problem-solving and professional judgment.

This is a full-time permanent role, based at our offices in Collingwood.

This position is commensurate with a VPS6 range starting at a salary of $130,600 plus super, depending on the successful applicant’s experience.

Given the nature of the Treaty Authority’s work, we strongly encourage First Peoples to apply. However, this position is open to everyone.