NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
POSITION DESCRIPTION
POSITION DETAILS
POSITION TITLE:
Human Resource / Payroll
Workstream Lead, LMBR Program
REPORTS TO:
General Manager, LMBR Program
LOCATION:
725 George Street Sydney
DIRECTORATE:
Learning Management Business Reform
DATE:
October 2009
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
Provide expert and forward looking strategic and technical advice to the General
Manager, LMBR on the implementation of LMBR strategies and initiatives to ensure
the delivery of HR/ Payroll business services and systems to support the current and
future needs of the Department.
Lead the development of project plans, provide expert advice to internal and external
stakeholders and work across functional areas to ensure streamlined, smart and
flexibly designed HR/ Payroll service delivery models, systems, and processes.
Ensure effective and strategic leadership of project development teams and liaison to
manage the development of tools to enhance the performance of the Department
and act as the primary point of contact for the relevant business area.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
There are seven (7) Workstream Leads, (1) Finance, (2) HR/Payroll, (3) Deployment,
(4) Project Management Office (PMO), (5) Business Transformation, (6) Business
Intelligence and (7) Student and Learning Management (SALM) reporting directly to
the General Manager, LMBR.
ORGANISATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
The Department of Education and Training is an innovative organisation focused on
provision of service to the community through the delivery of quality education and
training.
It is the role of senior staff in the Department to lead the development of an
organisational culture which is focused on the work of staff in schools and TAFE
Institutes. Senior staff serve and support students, staff and the community; promote
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the development of key relationships and values; and work collaboratively with
interest groups. They also value team work, problem solving and strategic issues
management; and promote the significant role of education and training for the social
and economic future of NSW.
More than 1.5 million students (in schools, TAFE and community education) in NSW
benefit from the services of the Department of Education and Training. To achieve
this, the Department has a recurrent budget of over eleven billion dollars and a
workforce of over 96,000 FTE. Its size, power and capacity for coordination provide
opportunities to integrate the provision of education and training in ways that had not
been possible traditionally.
The challenges and opportunities facing the Department are immediate and
significant. Success depends on providing quality support to teachers in schools,
TAFE Institutes, communities and industries; ensuring that high quality learning and
teaching are everyone’s central focus; providing students with the knowledge,
understanding, skills and values for productive and rewarding lives; and providing
vocational education and training of the highest quality. This ongoing focus is needed
to meet the needs and aspirations of the community and industry, and to implement
government initiatives in the provision of educational technology.
The Department of Education and Training will meet these challenges and
opportunities by strengthening its focus on support for teaching and learning; leading
the growth of the market position of public schools; ensuring accountability to the
Government and community; and implementing an ethos of customer service
throughout the Department. The Department is committed to promoting public
schools and TAFE and the teachers who work in them; and creating harmonious and
productive relations with the teaching profession (and those who represent its
members), the community and industry.
Rapidly changing information and communications technology provides further
opportunities for the Department of Education and Training to apply and adapt work
practices to e-business, online curriculum, flexible delivery of services and products,
and strategic use of executive information to inform corporate and educational
decisions.
Provision of high quality public education and training requires the concerted effort of
every senior officer of the Department. These efforts require close alignment of policy
and support through the Department’s directorates and portfolios with the needs of
schools and TAFE Institutes.
The staffing environment of the Department of Education and Training is diverse and
complex. Staff are employed under a number of Acts of Parliament, with the majority
being covered by the Teaching Service Act 1980 and the Public Sector Employment
and Management Act 2002 (this includes staff employed under Chapter 1A of the
Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002 in the Department of
Education and Training, or the TAFE Commission Division, to enable the TAFE
Commission to exercise its functions). Every senior officer of the Department will
ensure that all staff, regardless of the awards governing their employment, are
committed to the corporate priorities.
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The LMBR Program is part of the Workforce Management and Systems
Improvement portfolio. Other areas within the portfolio are Industrial Relations,
Human Resources, Legal Services and Occupational Health and Safety.
Collectively, the Workforce Management and Systems Improvement portfolio works
with other areas of the Department to drive, facilitate and support the Department’s
strategic directions for the promotion of public education.
The Deputy Director-General, Workforce Management and Systems Improvement is
the sponsor of the LMBR Program.
The LMBR Program consists of a series of interrelated projects which include the
introduction of learning management systems, the replacement of legacy systems
across DET, including human resource/payroll for schools and TAFE NSW, finance
systems and student administration systems. Related critical projects involve
integration of processes or other change management projects to improve the
performance of DET.
MAJOR ROLE
The major role of the Workstream Lead is to provide direction and support in the
specification, development and implementation of project plans to ensure the most
strategic, efficient systems to meet the business requirements of schools, TAFE
Institutes and regional and state offices.
The position holder will build relationships with the business stakeholders and
program specialists to ensure that Departmental processes are smart, flexible and
enhance performance.
The position holder will consult widely within the Department to inform flexible and
responsive project plans based on best practice in business reform that meet the
needs of schools, TAFE, parents and the Department.
The position holder will prepare reports on progress and ensure the provision of high
quality advice to the General Manager, LMBR and relevant functional areas of the
Department.
The position holder is also responsible for promoting a culture to motivate and
develop staff, foster innovation and effective liaison with business stakeholders and
internal Departmental stakeholders.
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INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
The position is responsible for communicating with internal and external
stakeholders. The communication skills required are those necessary to guide,
change and influence the behaviour of a broad range of stakeholders.
Extensive skills in facilitation, negotiation and coordination will be needed in
communicating with:
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Senior Departmental staff
External Program Suppliers
Employees of the Department who hold expertise in the relevant program areas.
The Workstream Lead provides direction, leadership and has line management
responsibility for the Workstream team and ensures that the team has the necessary
skills, motivation and ability to achieve the efficient and effective delivery of project
outcomes.
The position holder is required to manage relationships and expectations at all levels
to ensure a successful outcome.
ACCOUNTABILITY LIMITS
To be successful, the position holder must demonstrate leadership and effective
influencing skills to obtain the support and involvement of all internal and external
stakeholders.
MAJOR CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS
The key challenges and constraints facing the position holder include:
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Assisting the General Manager, LMBR to meet internal and external
stakeholder expectations.
Working with the General Manager, LMBR achieve major business reform in
the area of workstream responsibility.
Ensuring the Workstream team consistently and correctly applies the program
office endorsed project management tools and methodologies.
Ensuring programs reflect current business reform methodologies.
Participating in the development of change management solutions to support
and influence the emerging needs of the Department, given the evolving uses
of technologies in education and efficiencies sought in administration.
Adopting and monitoring risk management methodologies in the development
of project plans.
Contributing expertise to the implementation of new and innovative solutions
that make the most cost-effective use of the Department’s infrastructure whilst
maintaining, where necessary, existing system strategies and frameworks.
A major challenge is to develop plans and applications that support
educational delivery in schools and TAFE and e-service applications for HR
and finance functions.
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A further challenge will be to guide Business Managers in the development of
change management strategies that new computer systems will introduce
within the workplace.
POSITION DIMENSIONS
Number of staff reporting directly are:
The Workstream Lead will have access to a pool of LMBR staff, which will change
during the multiple implementation Phases and planned releases. The average staff
numbers for the LMBR Program will be approximately 140.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
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Providing expert and forward looking strategic and technical advice to the General
Manager, LMBR on the development of programs that meet current and future
Departmental reporting requirements.
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Establishing close business relationships with business unit representatives for
the workstream.
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Developing, implementing and monitoring innovative practices, systems and
solutions to meet improved business requirements.
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Preparing business cases and project initiation proposals for new initiatives and
projects.
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Preparing project plans in the workstream area.
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Participating in monitoring and review of LMBR program deliverables.
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Providing input into the development of business cases for the workstream area.
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Participating in and contributing to workshops, meetings, forums and other
activities of the Enterprise Plan.
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Demonstrating commitment to core NSW public sector values of cultural diversity,
equity and ethical practice, and a healthy, safe and fair workplace; and capacity to
lead staff in implementing these values.
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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
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Proven experience in coordinating human resource programs which deliver
reform in a customer focused business environment.
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Demonstrated successful experience in business process design and application
requirements analysis for a large and complex human resource reform project.
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Understanding of and demonstrated capacity to apply technology to support
business and information processes and provide innovative business solutions in
a large organisation.
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Demonstrated ability to lead, manage and motivate multi-disciplinary project
teams in a structured project management discipline.
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Excellent leadership, interpersonal, negotiation and influencing skills and ability to
foster productive relationships with a diverse range of internal and external
clients.
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High level planning, analytical and problem solving skills with the ability to
develop and implement innovative solutions as well as address specific
challenges.
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Superior ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with key
stakeholders involved in the implementation of a major change process.
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Capacity to lead staff in implementing the Department’s Aboriginal education and
training policies and to ensure quality outcomes for Aboriginal people.
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