Do you hold the passion for making the learning journey of students with disabilities the best it can be? Do you like to travel? Do you have leadership experience?

A unique opportunity has presented for an experienced Head of Special Education Services (HoSES) to service a cluster of small, rural and remote schools in the picturesque Cook Shire area of Far North Queensland. This role is offered on a temporary full-time basis, until 05 December 2025, unless otherwise determined.

With a base at Bloomfield State School, you will negotiate a travel schedule to the nearby schools of Rossville, Lakeland and Laura. You will also consult to the Cape York Australian Aborignal Academy campuses of Coen and Hopevale.

Departmental accommodation will be provided in Cooktown and you will have access to a departmental vehicle for your travel requirements.

Job details

About living in Cooktown

Cooktown is a coastal town at the mouth of the Endeavour River, located about 328 kilometres north of Cairns by road. Cooktown has become a popular tourist destination. The paving of the Mulligan Highway now provides all-weather access by road for the first time. There are two flights a day connecting Cooktown with Cairns. The town has good communications, many services, good roads, and offers residents a relaxed and healthy lifestyle. Cooktown is a service centre for the district of Cook.

Your Role

As the Head of Special Education Services, you will:

Promote an inclusive culture and practices within the school community to ensure equity and excellence for students with disability.

Develop and support a high quality of teaching and adjustments for students with disability in accordance to related legislation and policies.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Managing and coordinating the delivery of high-quality advice and support provided by the Special Education Program and/or Early Childhood Development Program.
• Leading and managing the Special Education Program and/or Early Childhood Development Program to provide advice to classroom teachers for students with disability as needed.
• Providing high quality advice to the school leadership team, classroom teachers and other school staff to develop, plan and implement effective reasonable adjustments for students with disability

About You

You will:

• Enjoy travelling.
• Be a strong communicator.
• Have exceptional time management skills.
• Have previous experience relevant to the role.
• Be flexible and accommodating to unforeseen challenges.
• Have exceptional record keeping skills.
• Be personable, patient and understanding.

Benefits

Working in rural and remote schools may give you access to a range of additional benefits, including:

• generous payments for teachers and their families through the Recognition of Rural and Remote Service (RoRRS) scheme
• additional leave days and extra school holidays
• relocation assistance when you move to your new school
• subsidised housing (in some locations)

Please refer to the attached role description for any mandatory requirements for this position.

How to Apply

• Please attach a brief resume including contact details for 2 referees (referees should have an understanding of your relevant previous work history); and
• A 2-pg response to the How you will be Assessed section of the attached role description.

We welcome all applicants to share any support needed to ensure our recruitment process is inclusive. 

Applications remain current for 12 months from the closing date and may be considered for appointment to identical or similar vacancies within the Department. 

Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted. 

When working in regulated employment an employee must have a current Working with Children Clearance (blue card) issued by Blue Card Services.

Salary rate shown is reflective of full-time (1.0 FTE). 

The Department of Education is a family inclusive workplace. Click here to find out more about our Inclusion and Diversity strategies. 

Further information

We are committed to building inclusive cultures in the Queensland public sector that respect and promote human rights and diversity.

For a full list of the position responsibilities and mandatory requirements, please ensure you download the attached role description and candidate information fact sheet and follow the instructions.

Documents

Before applying for this vacancy please ensure you read the documents below.

• FNR631850_25T - Role Description (PDF, 145KB)
  Role Description
  
  Candidate Information Fact Sheet (PDF, 728KB)
  Information Package for Applicants