Curriculum Writer

About the organisation

Good to Great Schools Australia (GGSA) partners with schools and school systems to support school improvement along a journey from Poor to Fair, Fair to Good and Good to Great. 

GGSA has developed an innovative 6C education model and the 8 cycles of school practice to give every child the opportunity to develop to their full potential. The six distinct but inter-connected domains that make up the 6Cs are Childhood, Class, Culture, Club, Civics and Community. GGSA assists schools to tailor a package from the 6C’s that meets the needs of their students, teachers, school and community. The 8 Cycles of School Practice provides the information and guidance a school needs to support their implementation. 

GGSA has an experienced team of professionals who support the school team, students and parents to effectively deliver the 6C model. Each school receives significant training, coaching, data monitoring and tools to enable them to develop into great teachers delivering effective instruction to every child and to continually improve on the journey to becoming a great school.

About the business unit

The School Improvement unit encompasses the Literacy in Remote Schools (LRS) and the Academy programs.  These programs span remote schools across Cape York, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

School Partnerships is the unit responsible for the delivering all projects that support schools across Australia to implement GGSA’s 8 Cycles of School Practice and 6C Education Model. The leader of the team is responsible for identifying and on boarding new schools, school networks and systems and then supporting them for the duration of their project/s.

The team largely consist of the service team who provide direct support to the schools and systems and other staff who provide project and administrative support or who work on innovation.

The team’s current focus is on implementing the Class domain of the 6Cs using Direct Instruction (DI) or Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI). The current major project is Literacy in Remote Schools (LRS) project, which started in late 2014 and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Flexible Literacy for Remote Primary Schools Program. The team is also working with the Northern Territory Education Department on implementing DI Maths and—in partnership with McKinsey & Company—delivering a school-improvement framework for poor schools in that system.

The Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (the Academy) operates schools in Coen and Hope Vale. GGSA manages these schools through a unique partnership with Queensland Department of Education and Training. The Academy delivers GGSA’s ‘best of both worlds’ education to Indigenous students; that is it supports the bicultural identity of Indigenous students while preparing them to successfully transition into high quality, high-expectation secondary boarding schools.

About the role

The Curriculum Writer - Developer is responsible for creating units of work which include detailed PowerPoint lessons, assessments, teacher guides and student worksheets. The units of work form part of GGSA’s Club and Culture curriculum for primary aged students (F-6) that are to be implemented in remote Queensland schools. These units are created using the Explicit Direct Instruction pedagogical approach, are developed to align with the Australian Curriculum standards, and draw on Indigenous perspectives and community knowledge. 

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of Direct Instruction and Explicit Direct Instruction models

• Tertiary qualification in education, business, economics, engineering, public policy or a related discipline;

• Strong track record of successful project delivery, including managing multiple projects concurrently;

• Experience in project scheduling; including activity definition, duration estimating and activity scheduling;

• Experience in coordinating cross-functional team members;

• Experience in leading and undertaking business and/or social policy related research, analysis and design;

• Strong writing skills in business cases, briefs and presentations;

• Proven ability to develop strong networks with diverse key partners with demonstrated negotiation skills and the ability to address difficult or contentious concepts;

• Exceptional research, communication skills (oral and written), IT skills (Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint), and strong organisational and time management skills;

• Empathy with less advantaged peoples and a desire to see them gain access to the same opportunities as other Australians;

• Willingness to travel away from base location to spend time visiting regional and remote areas of Australia;

• Ability to obtain a working with children check (QLD Blue Card); and

• Ability to obtain a successful police check.

Desirable criteria 

• Experience as an analyst in a management consulting firm

• Masters level tertiary qualifications, particularly an MBA

• A familiarity with and knowledge of the Australian primary and secondary education sector

• Understanding of design and co-design processes; education reform; business development, monitoring and evaluation and

• Understanding of the social, political and legal framework in which the organisation operates. 

How to Apply  

Applicants need to submit a resume and an application letter that addresses the essential selection criteria above to: workwithus@goodtogreatschools.org.au

GGSA does not consider applications who do not address the selection criteria.  If you are looking for the next stage of your career and have a desire to contribute to a not-for-profit organisation that supports Australian schools, we'd love to hear from you!  

Apply now!