Job Description
Synopsis:
Head of Student Centre (First Nations)– Ongoing, Full Time (5 Days per week)
This is an identified position. AFTRS considers that being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander is a genuine occupational qualification under s 14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).
Salary: AFTRS Level 8 ($125,178 per annum) + 15.4% super, and excellent benefits.
Close Date: The closing date for applications is Sunday 1 March 2026 11:59pm. Late applications cannot be accepted.
Apply: Via the AFTRS Jobs Portal
AFTRS is the national screen and audio school – the only Australian education institution to consistently make The Hollywood Reporter‘s prestigious annual list of the top film schools in the world. Working hand-in-hand with the screen and broadcast industries, AFTRS is a global centre of excellence that delivers the highest level of screen and audio education, training and research across Australia.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Head of Student Centre to join our People & Culture team.
About the Role
Reporting to the Director, People & Culture, the Head of Student Centre plays a pivotal role in shaping the student experience at AFTRS. The role leads the Student Centre team to deliver high-quality, safe and student-centred support services that promote wellbeing, engagement and student success.
The Head of Student Centre provides expert advice to the Director, People & Culture, identifying trends, emerging concerns and potential risks to student wellbeing and safety. By providing strategic insight, leading a capable team, and strengthening collaboration across the School, the position drives continuous improvement and fosters a safe, inclusive and vibrant School community where all students feel valued, supported and able to thrive creatively and academically.
Key Accountabilities
Student Support and Wellbeing Leadership
Oversee the provision of consistent, structured and professional support and guidance to AFTRS students.
Foster a learning environment grounded in wellbeing, safety, and strengths-based, trauma-informed practice that respects and values lived experience and enables student agency.
Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of responsive support programs and community building initiatives that foster a sense of belonging, inclusion and respectful engagement.
Maintain strong internal relationships to ensure holistic and connected approaches to improving student experience and outcomes.
Oversee reasonable adjustments and Learning Access Plans to ensure dignified equitable access and participation for students in line with the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and AFTRS Disability Action Plan.
Oversee a targeted approach to information and support for international students in line with the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (National Code) 2018.
Oversee the operation of the Student Representative Committee.
Manage non-academic at-risk processes, including early identification and interventions in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.
Leadership and Team Capability
Lead, coach and develop the Student Centre team, creating a collaborative, high-performing and values-aligned culture.
Ensure team members maintain currency of essential knowledge and skills through ongoing feedback and structured professional development.
Establish and maintain safe, inclusive and enabling environments that support learning, innovation and excellence. Accountable for:
Driving positive impacts – Achieve high quality team performance and outcomes.
Balancing creativity with responsibility – Ensure results are met within agreed timelines and standards.
Modelling AFTRS values – Behave consistently in line with the AFTRS values.
Human-centred approach – Shape culture, enhance wellbeing and enrich experience through actions and decisions.
Unit Management
Contribute to divisional planning, reporting, and performance monitoring, including oversight of strategic projects and KPIs.
Manage the development and review of policies, procedures, guidelines and practices to ensure effective management of student support and information.
Contribute to the School’s business continuity, including ensuring preparedness and capacity to respond to student incidents in compliance with applicable regulations.
Lead the team in identifying, developing and implementing appropriate mitigation strategies to manage student-facing risks. This includes but is not limited to:
Consultancy to academic staff on pastoral care.
Identifying and reporting/recommending to management on broad trends, issues and concerns relevant to the student experience.
Working with Human Resources to design and conduct staff development program in specialist areas as appropriate.
Manage and triage student grievances and complaints as required, including informal resolution, facilitated conversations, investigations and mediation.
Oversee course enrolment processes and communications including course and subject enrolments, variations to study load, alternative exits, exit clearances, and academic document replacements.
Manage the Student Centre budgets, ensuring they are monitored, reconciled and reported accurately.
Other Duties: There may be a requirement to undertake tasks outside the scope of the responsibilities listed to support the organisation. AFTRS will engage in a conversation should these tasks arise.
About you – You Have:
Student Support: Experience leading student-facing services or wellbeing functions in an education or community setting.
Student Engagement: Demonstrated success designing and leading relevant and responsive student wellbeing, engagement and support initiative that respect and value the lived experience of students, including First Nations students.
Quality Focused: Highly motivated and outcome focused, able to act proactively with sound judgement in a quality assurance and compliance environment.
Equity and Inclusion: A highly developed understanding of systemic barriers to equitable learning access.
Team Leadership: Strong people leadership capability, with experience building high-performing collaborative teams.
Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to build rapport with people from a wide range of backgrounds, provide clear, bench-marked, written reports and represent AFTRS in a range of professional situations.
Organisational Skills: Demonstrated ability to proactively manage a high workload and competing demands.
Safe Work Environments: Experience in fostering culturally and psychologically safe work environments.
Please note, the successful applicant will be required to provide a:
Fit and Proper Persons Assessment
National Police Check
Working with Children Check
Confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent form executed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation with a common seal.
Qualifications in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), or should you not possess qualifications, you must be willing to be trained in MHFA.
As a creative organisation, we understand the importance of offering flexible working to support your own creativity, wellbeing, and balance. We will genuinely consider applications for job share and part time working. We also support working from home and flexible working hours.
AFTRS is committed to building a richly diverse staff and faculty. AFTRS actively supports and appreciates workplace diversity, First Nations values, and we strongly encourage and welcome applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from a wide range of backgrounds and people with a disability. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments through our recruitment and selection process. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] or call 02 9805 6610.
Head of Student Centre (First Nations)– Ongoing, Full Time (5 Days per week)
This is an identified position. AFTRS considers that being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander is a genuine occupational qualification under s 14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).
Salary: AFTRS Level 8 ($125,178 per annum) + 15.4% super, and excellent benefits.
Close Date: The closing date for applications is Sunday 1 March 2026 11:59pm. Late applications cannot be accepted.
Apply: Via the AFTRS Jobs Portal
AFTRS is the national screen and audio school – the only Australian education institution to consistently make The Hollywood Reporter‘s prestigious annual list of the top film schools in the world. Working hand-in-hand with the screen and broadcast industries, AFTRS is a global centre of excellence that delivers the highest level of screen and audio education, training and research across Australia.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Head of Student Centre to join our People & Culture team.
About the Role
Reporting to the Director, People & Culture, the Head of Student Centre plays a pivotal role in shaping the student experience at AFTRS. The role leads the Student Centre team to deliver high-quality, safe and student-centred support services that promote wellbeing, engagement and student success.
The Head of Student Centre provides expert advice to the Director, People & Culture, identifying trends, emerging concerns and potential risks to student wellbeing and safety. By providing strategic insight, leading a capable team, and strengthening collaboration across the School, the position drives continuous improvement and fosters a safe, inclusive and vibrant School community where all students feel valued, supported and able to thrive creatively and academically.
Key Accountabilities
Student Support and Wellbeing Leadership
Oversee the provision of consistent, structured and professional support and guidance to AFTRS students.
Foster a learning environment grounded in wellbeing, safety, and strengths-based, trauma-informed practice that respects and values lived experience and enables student agency.
Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of responsive support programs and community building initiatives that foster a sense of belonging, inclusion and respectful engagement.
Maintain strong internal relationships to ensure holistic and connected approaches to improving student experience and outcomes.
Oversee reasonable adjustments and Learning Access Plans to ensure dignified equitable access and participation for students in line with the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and AFTRS Disability Action Plan.
Oversee a targeted approach to information and support for international students in line with the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (National Code) 2018.
Oversee the operation of the Student Representative Committee.
Manage non-academic at-risk processes, including early identification and interventions in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.
Leadership and Team Capability
Lead, coach and develop the Student Centre team, creating a collaborative, high-performing and values-aligned culture.
Ensure team members maintain currency of essential knowledge and skills through ongoing feedback and structured professional development.
Establish and maintain safe, inclusive and enabling environments that support learning, innovation and excellence. Accountable for:
Driving positive impacts – Achieve high quality team performance and outcomes.
Balancing creativity with responsibility – Ensure results are met within agreed timelines and standards.
Modelling AFTRS values – Behave consistently in line with the AFTRS values.
Human-centred approach – Shape culture, enhance wellbeing and enrich experience through actions and decisions.
Unit Management
Contribute to divisional planning, reporting, and performance monitoring, including oversight of strategic projects and KPIs.
Manage the development and review of policies, procedures, guidelines and practices to ensure effective management of student support and information.
Contribute to the School’s business continuity, including ensuring preparedness and capacity to respond to student incidents in compliance with applicable regulations.
Lead the team in identifying, developing and implementing appropriate mitigation strategies to manage student-facing risks. This includes but is not limited to:
Consultancy to academic staff on pastoral care.
Identifying and reporting/recommending to management on broad trends, issues and concerns relevant to the student experience.
Working with Human Resources to design and conduct staff development program in specialist areas as appropriate.
Manage and triage student grievances and complaints as required, including informal resolution, facilitated conversations, investigations and mediation.
Oversee course enrolment processes and communications including course and subject enrolments, variations to study load, alternative exits, exit clearances, and academic document replacements.
Manage the Student Centre budgets, ensuring they are monitored, reconciled and reported accurately.
Other Duties: There may be a requirement to undertake tasks outside the scope of the responsibilities listed to support the organisation. AFTRS will engage in a conversation should these tasks arise.
About you – You Have:
Student Support: Experience leading student-facing services or wellbeing functions in an education or community setting.
Student Engagement: Demonstrated success designing and leading relevant and responsive student wellbeing, engagement and support initiative that respect and value the lived experience of students, including First Nations students.
Quality Focused: Highly motivated and outcome focused, able to act proactively with sound judgement in a quality assurance and compliance environment.
Equity and Inclusion: A highly developed understanding of systemic barriers to equitable learning access.
Team Leadership: Strong people leadership capability, with experience building high-performing collaborative teams.
Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to build rapport with people from a wide range of backgrounds, provide clear, bench-marked, written reports and represent AFTRS in a range of professional situations.
Organisational Skills: Demonstrated ability to proactively manage a high workload and competing demands.
Safe Work Environments: Experience in fostering culturally and psychologically safe work environments.
Please note, the successful applicant will be required to provide a:
Fit and Proper Persons Assessment
National Police Check
Working with Children Check
Confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent form executed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation with a common seal.
Qualifications in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), or should you not possess qualifications, you must be willing to be trained in MHFA.
As a creative organisation, we understand the importance of offering flexible working to support your own creativity, wellbeing, and balance. We will genuinely consider applications for job share and part time working. We also support working from home and flexible working hours.
AFTRS is committed to building a richly diverse staff and faculty. AFTRS actively supports and appreciates workplace diversity, First Nations values, and we strongly encourage and welcome applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from a wide range of backgrounds and people with a disability. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments through our recruitment and selection process. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] or call 02 9805 6610.
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Head of Student Centre position is now open for candidates interested in the Health Jobs sector. This role in Sydney offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Health Jobs is a plus.
