Senior Compliance and Program Officer

Lead complex investigations, risk-based compliance audits and enforcement activities to address non-compliance in early childhood services. Apply your regulatory expertise to protect children, drive accountability and strengthen compliance across Victoria.

About VECRA

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) is Victoria's independent early childhood education and care regulator. Our job is to ensure that Victoria's early childhood services are providing safe, high-quality education and care that children need to thrive.

VECRA carries out the regulatory functions of the Victorian Regulatory Authority and has oversight of more than 5,000 early childhood education and care services operating across the Victoria is undertaken through licensing, assessment and rating of quality, compliance monitoring, investigation and enforcement functions.

Compliance and Enforcement Branch 

The Compliance and Enforcement Branch comprises several specialist regulatory teams with responsibility for VECRA's compliance and enforcement functions. The Branch also facilitates risk-based regulation through the analysis of risk intelligence and provides expert regulatory advice, strategic direction, and leadership on a broad range of regulatory issues and complex compliance and enforcement matters.

About the Team

The Joint Compliance and Monitoring Team functions as a critical component of the regulators high-risk compliance and enforcement capability. The team undertakes targeted, intelligence-informed monitoring and compliance activities in relation to high-risk early childhood education and care services. The current team draws on the cross functional capability including intelligence analysis, inspections and enforcement. They also work closely with co-regulators and other state and territory regulators, conducting co-regulatory activities to ensure sound regulatory practice, judgement and decision making.

About the Role

The Senior Compliance and Program Officer plays a critical role enforcing non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations to ensure children attending early childhood education and care service are safe from harm and can maximise their educational and developmental opportunities. The position holder is expected to be able to demonstrate expertise in contemporary risk-based regulation, behavioural compliance and the ability to undertake complex audits, reviews and/or investigations to motivate or enforce compliance with the relevant laws and regulations and deter non-compliance.  

The Senior Compliance Officer will undertake a range of compliance and enforcement related activities and be expected to have expertise: 

• Leading investigations into non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations and applying best practice investigative techniques and methods, including collecting evidence and conducting records of interviews.
• Preparing recommendations and sanctions for the delegate based on proportionate, impartial and evidence-based submissions.
• Preparing high-quality briefs of evidence to support enforcement decisions and legal proceedings, including prosecutions.

• Interpretating legislation and applying legal and regulatory principles to provide authoritative, clear and accurate advice to internal and external stakeholders.

• Leading and conducting risk-based compliance audits and investigations to assess compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Undertaking research and analysis to identify emerging compliance and enforcement risks to inform evidence-based responses.
• Developing, leading and participating in targeted compliance projects involving cross-functional teams and a variety of internal and external stakeholders.

• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, including co-regulators and government departments to facilitate information sharing and effective co-regulation.
• Contributing to strategic and responsive regulation by identifying emerging risks, trends and industry issues through risk managed data analysis.
• Developing and implementing guidelines, frameworks, policies and procedures to ensure effectiveness of regulatory compliance and enforcement processes.
• Travel across Victoria will be required and, in some instances, overnight stays.

 

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant qualifications in areas such as regulation, investigations or enforcement.
• Demonstrated experience working in a regulatory compliance, enforcement and risk-based regulatory environments.
• Experience and technical competency in investigations, compliance audits, risk-based regulation, or intelligence and risk analytics.
• Certificate IV in Government Investigations or equivalent experience.

 

Essential

Required to hold a valid Working with Children Check and Victorian driver's licence

Further Information

Applicants are required to submit a CV and cover letter (max 2 pages for cover letter) summarising their skills, relevant experience and suitability against the requirements of the role.

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

The Authority values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. VECRA's corporate HR services are provided by the Department of Education. For more information about our work, working for the VECRA, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page.

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.

For further information about the role, please contact Leanne Pallot, Manager, Joint Compliance and Monitoring via leanne.pallot@education.vic.gov.au or  0428 234 157.

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on 20 November 2026.