About the Branch

The Complex Investigations Branch is responsible for leading and supporting complex investigative activities across VECRA. The Branch currently comprises two business units that work collaboratively with regional and central teams to ensure consistent, high-quality investigative practices. The Branch is expanding to include a third, Triage Unit.

- Central Investigations Unit

The Central Investigations Unit leads complex and high-risk investigations and provides expert advice and guidance on investigative matters. The Unit supports our operational regional teams by offering specialist expertise, oversight, and coordination to ensure investigations are conducted in a consistent, timely, and effective manner.

- Complex Child Safeguarding Investigations Unit

The Complex Child Safeguarding Investigations Unit is responsible for delivering high-quality, rigorous investigations into complex, sensitive, and often high-profile child safeguarding matters.

- Triage Unit (new)

The Triage Unit will be a new team responsible for developing and implementing a recent system of triaging based on incoming notifications to VECRA. This will include notifications of incidents and complaints made by approved providers and services required by the legislation along with complaints from parents, guardians and members of the public.

The Units also manage important projects for VECRA including but not limited to those related to investigations and triage, and lead, oversee or triage investigations that involve allegations of child sexual abuse, reliable misconduct, or significant risk to children, requiring a high level of expertise, discretion, and trauma-informed practice.

About the Role

The Triage Manager(Complaints, Intake & Assessment) will be responsible for the rapid establishment of the new Triage Unit and its functions. This will include designing and operationalising a risk-based triage model that ensures early escalation of immediate risks and responsive and respectful engagement with people who make complaints to VECRA.

As part of this work, the Triage Manager will be required to lead a change management process with internal stakeholders, recruit a small team, develop new processes and key performance indicators, and commence implementation of triaging of defined incoming notifications within the jurisdiction of the Education and Care Services National Law 2010 and Children's Services Act 1996.





The Triage Manager will work closely with downstream teams to ensure that triage thresholds are appropriate and will identify and act on opportunities to innovate and improve intake and assessment processes. The Triage Manager will provide time-sensitive, strategic and operational leadership to ensure identification of risk and appropriate and timely VECRA responses which are risk-based and data-informed.

The Triage Unit will focus on ensuring responsive and respectful engagement with people who make complaints to VECRA. It will be the centre of excellence for how VECRA engages with staff members, parents and families who make contact with VECRA and ensure they have a positive experience with VECRA. The Triage Manager will have strong interpersonal skills and will establish a complaints process that embeds communications back to families who make complaints or who are party to an investigation on progress and outcomes.

This role will strengthen VECRA's investigations function through systemising and centralising processes for complaint management and triage of resulting investigations and further systemisation of processes to escalate immediate risks.

The role involves overseeing complex, highly sensitive child safeguarding matters, often under scrutiny. It requires a strong commitment to professional practice that includes prioritising wellbeing, strong relationships and the ability to apply calm, strategic, risk and evidence-based analysis under pressure in a high volume, high-stakes environment.

Attributes

The Triage Manager will possess outstanding communication and relationship skills and extensive experience in assessing risk in similar fast paced and dynamic regulatory, investigation or complaints handling environments.

This role requires someone who can confidently make complex risk-based decisions in short timeframes. The Triage Manager will manage a high volume of sensitive matters often containing distressing content, while supporting the wellbeing of both themselves and their team.





The Triage Manager will have exceptional regulatory experience, be decisive, evidence-informed and able to tailor advice and support to VECRA leaders, peers and reports.

For more details regarding the required attributes please see attached position description.

Qualifications and Experience

- Essential: Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline such as regulation or equivalent work experience.
- Essential: Successful applicants will be required to hold a valid Victorian Working with Children's Check and Victorian driver's licence
- Desirable: Experience in investigation, complaints management, service delivery, system design or organisation reform or another human services regulatory context.

Further Information

Applicants are required to submit a CV and cover letter (max 2 pages for cover letter) summarising their skills, relevant experience and suitability to the role.

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

VECRA values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for VECRA, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the VECRA website and our Diversity and Inclusion page.

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about VECRA's operations and employment conditions can be located on the VECRA website.

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Hayley Marano - Director, Complex Investigations via (03) •••• •697 or [email protected] or Katherine Francis - Acting Director, Complex Investigations via (03) •••• •913 or [email protected].

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to VECRA will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g. large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on 28 September 2026.

📌 Triage Manager (Complaints, Intake & Assessment) (Melbourne)
🏢 Department of Education Victoria
📍 Melbourne