Council Secretary
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Job no: 580898
Work type: Full-time
Location: Flexible, Geelong - City, Melbourne - Burwood
Categories: Management
Benefits for working with us
At Deakin, we offer more than just a job - we offer a lifestyle. Across our campuses in Geelong, Melbourne, and regional Victoria, you’ll find everything you need to thrive: on-site childcare, gyms, medical centres, cafes, accessible public transport, and convenient parking. Enjoy flexible working arrangements that support your work-life balance, generous leave entitlements including extended parental leave and the option to purchase additional time off, plus a wide range of staff discounts on travel and more. Our health and wellbeing services, ongoing professional development opportunities, and inclusive, supportive culture make Deakin a place where you can grow - whether you're working remotely or immersed in the vibrant energy of campus life.
Deakin is a cutting-edge public university headquartered in Victoria, revolutionising education with 61,000 students across our campuses: Melbourne Burwood, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront, Warrnambool, Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia (DLI), GIFT City, India, and our vibrant online environment. We're proud to be a progressive and open-minded university, delivering the highest student satisfaction in Victoria and consistently ranked in the top 1% of the world's universities.
As a Council Secretary, you will:
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Deliver expert governance advice and high-quality documentation to the Chancellor, Council members, Vice Chancellor and Executive, ensuring the effective operation of Council and its committees.
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Oversee all Council and committee business, including agenda preparation, papers, minutes, follow-up actions, planning conferences and the ongoing enhancement of secretariat services.
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Ensure governance excellence through managing delegations, maintaining compliance and reporting obligations, assuring documentation quality, and offering accessible advice to the wider University community.
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Drive stakeholder collaboration and strategic initiatives by working closely across the University, conducting research and analysis, and ensuring alignment and successful delivery of governance priorities.
In a typical day in this role, you will:
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Lead and develop your team by setting clear performance benchmarks, providing constructive feedback, empowering staff through meaningful delegation, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.
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Demonstrate adaptive leadership by responding flexibly to shifting priorities, resolving conflicts, managing resource constraints, and stepping in proactively to ensure objectives are met.
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Align work with strategic priorities by understanding long term organisational goals, contributing to the University’s strategic direction, and ensuring activities, standards and decisions support broader institutional outcomes.
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Provide high level advice and insight to senior leaders, drawing on sector awareness, research and analysis to influence major programs and ensure governance processes, systems and initiatives remain relevant and high quality.
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Drive stakeholder engagement and delivery excellence by maintaining strong quality control, addressing concerns early, and ensuring key projects, programs and governance commitments are delivered effectively.
To be successful, you’ll have:
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Relevant qualifications and substantial governance experience, including demonstrated capability as a Council or Company Secretary and a strong understanding of university governance, academic processes and contemporary discipline practices.
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A proven record of strategic leadership, with experience designing and implementing modern organisational solutions, driving improvement, and contributing to largescale institutional objectives.
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Exceptional relationship building and influencing skills, with the ability to form productive partnerships, exercise sound judgement, adapt to changing priorities and gain support for new initiatives.
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Highly developed communication, consulting and analytical capabilities, including strong written and verbal communication, project management expertise, and advanced research and report writing skills.
Please submit your updated resume and a short cover letter outlining your skills and experience. For any enquiries please contact vc@deakin.edu.au
For a copy of the position description, please see below:
Applications for this position close at 5:00pm, Sunday 1 March 2026.
Deakin is a Victorian university with a global impact. We are an agile, dynamic, and innovative university committed to making a positive impact through our excellence in education, research and innovation and the contributions we make to the wider community.
We understand that our reputation has been built on the dedication and expertise of our staff and we offer a dynamic and diverse working environment with opportunities to grow and develop careers. We believe that a progressive, thriving culture will ensure that people choose to come, and stay at Deakin and contribute to our ongoing success.
We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences. We support and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientation, and genders.
Pre-employment safety and suitability checks: In accordance with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, appointment to this role is subject to successful completion of relevant pre-employment checks, including Working With Children Checks and candidate gender-based violence declarations.
Candidates may be asked to declare whether they have been investigated for an allegation of Gender‑based Violence, or determined to have engaged in conduct that constitutes Gender‑based Violence during the course of their previous employment, or otherwise in a legal process. A declaration is not required from individuals who have experienced gender‑based violence. A ‘Yes’ response does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment, and any information provided will be treated confidentially and considered only for relevance to the role and the University’s safety obligations.
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