The Position

The Operations Lead supports the delivery of centre services by providing a welcoming space for all visitors to the centre at reception, managing daily operations, and handling a broad range of tasks, including facility management, small project management, and other operational activities that support service delivery.

Wingate Avenue Community Centre provides services to community members living in Ascot Vale and surrounding area, with a priority for people experiencing disadvantage or vulnerabilities. The Operations Lead plays a key role in the organisation, as it provides hands-on, high quality operation support for key services, programs and activities.The Operations Lead is required to work across services and will often be the first person visitors meet when entering the centre.

The role requires a dynamic individual with strong leadership skills, excellent organisation skills, and strong interpersonal skills, as well as a willingness to work across services, and with a range of staff and community members. The Operations Lead will work closely with the General Manager.

Delivery of centre services will be guided by the centre’s core values of compassion, inclusiveness, diversity and quality.  

Employment Conditions

• Reports To: ​General Manager
• Work Type​: Ongoing, Part-Time
• Hours: ​30.4 hours per week, between the hours of 8:45am to 4:45pm, four days a week
• Award/Agreement: ​Neighbourhood Houses and Adult Community Education Centre Award, 2024
• Classification: ​Schedule 3B, Class II, Level 5, 1st Year
• Rate​: $51 per hour (gross), plus superannuation. Salary packaging available
• Location​​: 13a Wingate Avenue, Ascot Vale and other locations as required from time to time

The Workplace

Wingate Avenue Community Centre (WingCC) was established in 1985 and is a busy, vibrant neighbourhood house, based in the heart of the Ascot Vale public housing estate. The centre is a not-for-profit, incorporated association, governed by a Committee of Management that provides the governance structure and strategic direction for the centre’s management. The General Manager leads a team of 30+ staff that deliver services and programs that meet community need.

WingCC provides multiple place-based services at the centre, including occasional childcare, accredited and non-accredited education programs, employment support services, community programs and activities, food relief, social support, as well as co-located services including Moonee Valley Legal Service and the council’s Maternal and ChildHealth Nurses. The Centre’s facilities include two computer labs, a commercial kitchen, a 19-place childcare centre, five training rooms and a community hall. 

WingCC strives to support people to increase agency by providing services, programs and activities that are relevant to our community, are accessible, and of outstanding quality. The centre believes that providing place-based services is an integral part of a whole-of-centre approach to supporting individuals to overcome disadvantage, in order toimprove their quality of life, in ways that they choose. The centre is a registered occasional childcare provider and training organization that delivers non-accredited and accredited courses, including Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), Skills First, and Adult Community and Further Education (ACFE).

Position Goal

The Operations Lead will provide a values-based approach to supporting centre services, programs and activities. They will:

• Provide excellent front of house services, being the first point of contact for community members and visitors, either in person, by phone or email, and directing enquiries to the appropriate person or service.
• Provide excellent operations management, overseeing the daily operations of the community centre, ensuring it runs effectively for the needs of the community and staff.
• Work within the centre’s mission and values, and in accordance with the centre’s aims and objectives, as described in the Strategic Plan.

Role and Responsibilities

Reception and Front of House

• Staff and maintain reception during open hours. This will include managing a mixture of volunteers, social work students, and paid receptionists, as well as working on reception when other staffing options aren’t available.
• Attend to general enquiries by phone, email and in-person, and direct enquiries to the appropriate staff member or service area.
• Coordinate and lead centre administration support. This will include distributing mail and other communication material, purchasing stationery and kitchen supplies as needed, supporting the preparation of Centre publications (such as Wingate News), providing keys for tutors and other official centre visitors, and ordering Container Deposit Scheme supplies as needed.
• Coordinate and lead point of sale (cash til) on a daily basis. This will include managing the daily float, supporting the Container Deposit Scheme counter to operate, and reconciling the til daily.
• Coordinate information material at the Centre. This will include updating posters and printed material on display in the foyer and public spaces.

Facilities

• Coordinate and manage urgent maintenance using Homes Victoria’s maintenance department and the Centre’s limited maintenance budget.
• Plan, coordinate and manage regular maintenance using Homes Victoria’s maintenance department, partner support, and the Centre’s limited maintenance budget.
• Coordinate and manage hall hires of Centre facilities (which is mainly in the Community Shed) to support community access to affordable facilities for their special occasions, as well as raise revenue for the Centre.
• Coordinate and maintain key register for safety and security.
• Coordinating the archiving of relevant files, in accordance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee contract cleaners to maintain a high standard of cleanliness in the Centre; time permitting.

ICT

• Coordinate and manage the information and communication technology, including phones, audio visual equipment, and computers, using our ICT contractors.
• Review, plan and coordinate cyber security continuous improvements.
• Review, plan and coordinate a potential SharePoint migration; time permitting.

Safety and Wellbeing/OH+S Working Group:

• Participate in the OH+S Working Group as a leader in the organisation to maintain a strong health and safety cultural at the organisation.
• Participate in quarterly emergency evacuation and duress practice and maintain records of each.

Marketing

• Participate in the Marketing Working Group to support the promotion of Centre services, programs and activities. This will include planning and scheduling the production of our local newsletter Wingate News.

Project Management

• Support the commencement of grants as they are won and awarded, using a project management approach; time permitting.
• Support other staff to deliver grant outcomes, where support is needed. 

Policies and Procedures

• Support the maintenance of policies and procedures.

Quality and Compliance

• Adhere to the centre’s policies and procedures.
• Foster positive staff relationships and promote a supportive working environment.
• Contribute to staff meetings and information sharing sessions.
• Participate in regular professional development activities to maintain current knowledge and skills in vocational training and learning.

Qualification and Skills Requirement

Demonstrable experience working in a dynamic environment, with changing priorities.

Desirable: Experience or qualifications in community development, social services, or related fields.

Strong Communication Skills: The Operations Lead must have excellent communication skills. These include:

• The ability to actively listen and absorb what others are saying, in order to respond appropriately.
• Awareness of non-verbal communication, such as body language, eye contact, hand gestures, tone of voice, and colour of the message you are trying to convey.
• The ability to convey your message clearly and directly to students and colleagues, in a way that can be understood by the other party.
• Ability to be flexible and have an open-mind when talking with others, in order to understand the other’s point of view.

Excellent Instructional Skills: The Operations Lead will be required to explain concepts and activities to people with low English literacy and numeracy skills in a manner they can understand.

Strong Interpersonal Skills: The Operations Lead will work closely with community members and colleagues andmust be able to work well with others and develop good relationships to ensure the best quality services areprovided.

• Friendly approach to community members and colleagues, in order to build strong relationships.
• Ability to understand what the other person is thinking and feeling in order to empathise with others and build rapport.
• Respect for colleagues and community members.

As per the NHACE 2024, Schedule 2, Part B of the award, the qualifications needed for positions at this level include experience attained through previous appointments, service and/or study with a combination of experience, expertise and competence sufficient to perform the duties required at this level.

• Responsibility for a range of functions within the organisation requiring a high level of knowledge and skills;
• Undertake responsibility for a moderately complex project, including planning, co-ordination, implementation and administration;
• Undertake a minor phase of a broader or more complex professional assignment;
• Assist with the preparation of or prepare organisation or program budgets in liaison with management;
• Set priorities and monitor workflow in the areas of responsibility;
• Provide expert advice to employees classified at lower levels and/or volunteers;
• Exercise judgment and initiative where procedures are not clearly defined;
• Understanding of all areas of computer operation to enable the provision of advice and assistance when non-standard procedures/processes are required;
• Monitor and interpret legislation, regulations and other agreements relating to occupational health and safety, workers compensation and rehabilitation;
• Undertake analysis/design for the development and maintenance of projects and/or undertake programming in specialist areas. May exercise responsibility for a specialised area of computing operation;
• Undertake publicity assignments within the framework of the organisation’s publicity and promotions program. Such assignments would be of limited scope and complexity but would involve the co-ordination of facets of the total program including media liaison, design and layout of publications/displays and editing;
• Operate as a specialist employee in the relevant discipline where decisions made and taken rest with the employee with no reference to a senior employee;
• Undertake duties that require knowledge of procedures, guidelines and/or statutory requirements relevant to the organisation;
• Plan, co-ordinate, implement and administer the activities and policies including preparation of budget;
• Develop, plan and supervise the implementation of educational and/or developmental programs for clients;
• Plan, co-ordinate and administer the operation of a multi-functional service including financial management and reporting;
• Where the prime responsibility lies in professional services, employees at this level would undertake at least some of the following:
  • under general direction undertake a variety of tasks of a specialised and/or detailed nature;
  • exercise professional judgment within prescribed areas;
  • carry out planning, studies or research for particular projects including aspects of design, formulation of policy, implementation of procedures and presentation;
  • provide reports on progress of program activities including recommendations;
  • exercise a high level of interpersonal skills in dealing with the public and other organisations;
  • plan, develop and operate a community service organisation of a moderately complex nature.

Next Steps

Click "Apply Now" by the 10am on the closing date to submit your application.

A position description is attached.