The Centre for Independent Studies is seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented Project Administration Support Officer to support the delivery of a national early numeracy screening project involving schools, teachers, education systems, researchers and technology partners.

This position provides high-quality administrative and stakeholder support across all aspects of project coordination, including school participation tracking, consent and readiness administration, student and teacher data coordination, platform setup support, correspondence, helpdesk monitoring, documentation, meeting coordination and screening window administration.

Working closely with and reporting to the Project Lead, the Project Administration Support Officer will help ensure participating schools and sector partners receive a professional, timely and positive experience. The role will involve maintaining accurate project records, supporting routine school communications, coordinating required data and documentation, monitoring completion of key project steps, and escalating issues where required.

This role is ideal for someone who is highly organised, accurate, responsive and service-focused, and who is comfortable working across multiple deadlines in a school-facing project environment.

About The Centre for Independent Studies

The Centre for Independent Studies is a not-for-profit think tank. Our mission is to be an indispensable voice providing independent research and policy solutions that promote free choice and individual liberty, and defend cultural freedom and the open exchange of ideas. Crucial to our independence, CIS does not accept government funding nor undertake commissioned research. Our funding comes only from members, donors, businesses and foundations.

Key Responsibilities

School Participation Tracking and Follow-up

- Maintain accurate records of participating schools, school contacts, year levels, classes, teachers and screening windows.

- Track school participation status, including invited, confirmed, onboarding, data submitted, screening commenced, screening completed, paused or withdrawn.

- Monitor school progress through key project milestones and follow up where required.

- Record reasons for delays, non-completion, withdrawal or support needs.

- Maintain up-to-date contact lists for school and sector stakeholders.

Consent, Readiness and Data Coordination

- Support distribution and tracking of approved school participation, parent information and consent materials where required.

- Monitor whether schools have completed required readiness steps before participating.

- Provide schools with approved templates for student, teacher and class information.

- Check submitted data for completeness, accuracy and formatting consistency.

- Follow up on missing, duplicate or inconsistent information.





- Coordinate secure handling and transfer of student, teacher and class data using approved processes.

- Maintain accurate records of data submission, corrections and upload status.

Platform Setup and Access Support

- Assist with coordination of teacher, student, class and school setup in the digital assessment platform.

- Check that users and classes are assigned correctly where required.

- Support distribution of teacher access information, student login details or QR codes.

- Help troubleshoot routine login, access or setup questions.

- Escalate platform or technical issues to the appropriate project or technology contact.

- Track unresolved access or setup issues through to completion.

School Communications and Helpdesk Monitoring

- Monitor project inboxes, support forums or helpdesk channels as required.

- Respond to routine school queries using approved guidance and templates.

- Draft school communications, reminders and updates for review by the Project Lead.

- Maintain a warm, clear and skilled tone in all school-facing communication.

- Escalate complex questions relating to research, consent, privacy, data governance, technical issues or project scope.

- Track open queries and ensure timely follow-up.

Screening Window and Reporting Readiness Administration

- Support administration of screening windows by sending reminders, tracking completion and identifying schools requiring follow-up.

- Maintain records of schools that have completed, partially completed or not yet commenced screening.

- Record any technical or administration issues that may affect completion or data quality.

- Assist with preparation for reporting by tracking which schools have completed required steps.

- Support communication with schools about reporting timelines, access and follow-up processes.

Sector, Documentation and General Project Support

- Support communication with education system or sector contacts, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, taking notes and tracking action items.

- Maintain accurate project documentation, trackers, folders and records.

- Support version control of templates, guidance documents, school communications and implementation resources.

- Assist with maintaining and distributing due diligence, privacy, data governance and implementation documentation.

- Support coordination of online training, onboarding sessions or webinars, including calendar invitations, attendance records and follow-up resources.





- Provide general administrative support to the Project Lead and project team as required.

Skills and Attributes

This position requires strong administrative and organisational skills, with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Essential skills and attributes:

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a warm and professional manner.

- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

- High attention to detail, particularly when working with school, student, teacher and class information.

- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

- Confidence maintaining spreadsheets, trackers, records and action lists.

- Ability to follow processes carefully and identify when an issue needs escalation.

- Strong service orientation and willingness to support schools and stakeholders in a timely and helpful way.

- Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

- Ability to work independently while staying closely aligned with the Project Lead.

- Calm, flexible and practical approach to working in a fast-moving project environment.

Desirable skills and experience:

- Experience in project administration, school administration, research administration, customer service or stakeholder support.

- Experience working with schools, teachers, principals, education systems or other education-sector stakeholders.

- Familiarity with student data, class lists, consent processes or school administration.

- Experience using Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Forms, Excel trackers or learning management systems.

- Experience supporting webinars, online training, helpdesk functions or stakeholder communications.

- Experience with digital platforms, databases, assessment systems or customer relationship management systems.

- Familiarity with privacy, data handling or consent processes in education or research settings.

Prior Experience

Prior experience in one or more of the following areas would be highly relevant:

- project administration

- school or education administration

- research administration

- customer service or helpdesk support

- database, spreadsheet or records management

- stakeholder communication

- event, webinar or training coordination

- data entry, data checking or document management

Compliance Requirements

The successful applicant must hold, or be willing to obtain, a valid Working with Children Check or equivalent clearance relevant to their state or territory.

The role may involve access to sensitive school, teacher and student information. The successful applicant will be expected to handle all information confidentially and in accordance with approved project, privacy and data-handling processes.

📌 Project Administration Support Officer (Sydney)
🏢 The Centre for Independent Studies
📍 Sydney