<p><strong>Salary:</strong> Executive<br><strong>Employment Status:</strong> Full-time<br><strong>Eligibility: </strong>Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident<br><strong>Applications Closing Date:</strong> 21st of July, 2026</p> <p><br><strong>About Us</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Education Limited (CACGEL) is seeking an accomplished, values-led and practising Catholic HR executive to lead the people, culture and workforce agenda across one of Australia’s most distinctive Catholic education systems.</p> <p>Operating across the ACT and NSW, CACGEL supports a large network of schools and early learning centres, serving families and communities across metropolitan, regional and rural settings. This is a significant system leadership role with direct impact on principals, teachers, support staff, students and families.</p> <p>Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director, Corporate Services, the Chief People Officer will lead a multidisciplinary People and Culture function spanning people partnering, workforce strategy, recruitment, retention, health, safety and wellbeing, payroll, employee and industrial relations, organisational development and culture.</p> <p>This is a rare opportunity to shape a contemporary people function in a faith-based education system where workforce quality, leadership capability, wellbeing and Catholic identity sit at the heart of student outcomes.</p> <p><strong>Why this role</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Mission with scale:</strong> Lead the people strategy for a Catholic education system supporting 56 schools and nine early learning centres across the ACT and NSW.</li> <li><strong>System-wide influence:</strong> Partner with the Executive Leadership Team, Board Committees, school principals and senior stakeholders to build workforce capability and service excellence.</li> <li><strong>Contemporary people leadership:</strong> Drive attraction, retention, workforce planning, employee relations, WHS, wellbeing and organisational culture in a complex and purpose-led environment.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></li> </ul> <p><strong>The opportunity</strong></p> <p>The Chief People Officer will provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure People and Culture services are responsive, trusted, contemporary and aligned to Catholic mission.</p> <p>A key measure of success will be the extent to which principals and system employees experience People and Culture as enabling them to do their work well. This will require a leader who can balance strategic workforce reform with practical service delivery, build confidence across schools, and bring clarity, pace and consistency to a complex employment environment.</p> <p>The role will lead enterprise-wide workforce health, safety and wellbeing initiatives; strengthen recruitment and retention; support leadership and performance frameworks; contribute to principal and executive appointments; and provide high-level advice on employment, industrial and workforce matters.</p> <p>The CPO will also work closely with Finance, ICT, School Operations and other corporate service leaders to ensure joined-up support to schools and a strong customer service mindset across the system.</p> <p><strong>Key priorities</strong></p> <ul> <li>Lead and deliver the People Strategy, with a focus on workforce sustainability, culture, safety, wellbeing, attraction, engagement and retention.</li> <li>Build a high-performing People and Culture function that provides timely, practical and trusted advice to principals and system leaders.</li> <li>Lead complex employee and industrial relations matters, enterprise agreement activity, union engagement and consultative forums.</li> <li>Strengthen strategic workforce planning, talent pipelines, leadership development and recruitment across schools and the Catholic Education Office.</li> <li>Drive contemporary frameworks for performance, capability, culture, wellbeing and organisational development.</li> <li>Provide high-quality reporting and advice to the Executive Leadership Team, CACGEL Board and relevant Board Committees.</li> <li>Represent CACGEL in workforce forums with Catholic dioceses, government, regulators, unions and education sector bodies.</li> <li>Support faith formation, Catholic identity and the development of leaders who serve the mission of Catholic education.</li> </ul> <p><strong>About you</strong></p> <p>You are an experienced senior HR, people and culture, employee relations or organisational development executive with the credibility to operate at system, executive and Board level.</p> <p>You will bring experience from a complex organisation, ideally with exposure to education, Catholic education, faith-based, human services, public sector, health, not-for-profit or another highly regulated workforce environment.</p> <p>You will be commercially astute, mission-aligned and people-centred. You will understand how to lead through complexity, influence senior stakeholders, manage risk, improve systems and build a culture of service, accountability and trust.</p> <p>You will also bring strong knowledge of Australian workplace relations, enterprise agreements, work health and safety, employee relations, organisational change and contemporary workforce practice.</p> <p>Most importantly, you will be a practising Catholic who is connected to a parish or worshipping community and able to authentically contribute to the mission, identity and values of Catholic education.</p> <p><strong>Essential requirements</strong></p> <ul> <li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://publicstorage.dc2.pageuppeople.com/832/ClientPublicFile/82e4cf32-2283-4aa0-a0ce-14af922a6dc0.docx">Practicing Catholic connected to a worshipping parish, supported by a Parish Priest reference</a></li> <li>Relevant tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Employee Relations, Organisational Psychology, Business or a related discipline.</li> <li>Senior executive experience in a complex, multifaceted organisation.</li> <li>Strong knowledge of workplace relations, enterprise agreements, employment law, WHS and contemporary HR practice.</li> <li>Ability to obtain and maintain relevant Working with Vulnerable People and Working with Children clearances.</li> <li>Driver’s licence.</li> <li>Accreditation in accordance with the Work, Teach and Lead in Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn policy.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Lead with purpose</strong></p> <p>This is a significant executive appointment for a Catholic HR leader who wants to bring professional excellence, faith, service and strategic impact together.</p> <p>For a confidential discussion, please contact&nbsp;Paul Phillips,&nbsp;Senior Business Director or Andy Sundberg, Senior Researcher on 02 8226 9630 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Andy.sundberg@hays.com.au?subject=Chief%20People%20Officer%20position%20%28via%20Teachers%20On%20Net%29">Andy.sundberg@hays.com.au</a></p> <p><br><br> &nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://careers.pageuppeople.com/832/cw/en/PositionDescriptionDocument/507059/chief-people-officer">Applicant Information Pack</a></p>