Senior Manager, Practice Support

Summary about this job

Detail information about job Senior Manager, Practice Support. Terms and conditions vacancy

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is Australia’s premier professional association for psychologists with over 24,000 members and a long established national presence. The APS is managed from the National Office in the CBD of Melbourne.

The overarching purpose of the Senior Manager Practice Support role is to manage the operations that support members in the areas the provision of advice, resources, practice guides, standards and information. The Senior Manager Practice Support oversees the delivery of the Professional Advisory Service, the identification and development of member resources, and the representation of the APS on various committees and consultative forums. Additionally, this role will identify and drive organisational and cultural change in response to internal and external demands. 

To be successful in this role, you will be a registered psychologist with postgraduate qualifications and possess proven experience working in a senior level role within the psychology sector.  You will possess the ability to implement and manage change at the operational level.  Experience working in private practice will be highly desirable.     

Applications, addressing the selection criteria, as set out in the Position Description, should be addressed to Jan-Louise Godfrey, Human Resources Advisor at [email protected] by COB Friday 27 July 2018.

Position description:

Position Title

Senior Manager, Practice Support

Position Type

1 FTE (2 year contract)

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is a leading source of psychological knowledge in Australia and the premier professional organisation for psychologists.  The APS has approximately 24,000 members and works to provide services to meet members’ diverse professional needs, advance the discipline and profession of psychology and contribute psychological knowledge for enhancement of community wellbeing.

The APS employs over 100 staff and is managed from the National Office in the Melbourne CBD.

1.  Organisational Objectives

The mission of the APS is to advance the discipline and profession of psychology for the benefit of its members and the communities they serve.

The Organisational Strategic Objectives for the APS are specified in the 2015 – 2018 Strategic Plan:

• Foster a collaborative approach to issues among APS members and the psychology community that grows the influence of psychology collectively, while valuing and promoting the diversity;
• Enhance the value of APS membership;
• Ensure the APS is the voice of psychology in Australia;
• Foster and promote the knowledge base of the discipline and the profession of psychology; and 
• Promote the value of APS psychologists to the community.

2.  Position in Context

The Manager - Practice Support role is located in the Professional Practice team. The Professional Practice team undertakes a number of roles:

• Initiating commentary about, or responding to, policy initiatives of government and other national agencies regarding the practice of psychology.
• Providing advice, representation and advocacy regarding the practice of psychology.
• Developing professional standards and resources to support members in their professional practice.
• Responding to member queries about the practice of psychology.
• Providing up-to-date information to members on matters pertaining to professional practice.

The Manager - Practice Support reports directly to the Executive Manager (Professional Practice). The role supports members to deliver high standards in psychological practice through the provision of advice, resources, practice guides, standards and information. 

3.  Key Responsibilities

Professional Advisory Service

• Manage and support the efficient functioning of the Professional Advisory Service (PAS).
• Investigate and implement systems to manage the workflow in PAS.
• Drive quality improvements in the PAS to ensure member needs are met.
• Ensure the appropriate collection of data from PAS enquiries; regularly monitor this data to identify trends in issues raised by members to inform the development of relevant member resources/training.
• Collate and report on PAS data as part of the Professional Practice team KPIs.
• Ensure PAS advisers are well supported to carry out their role, including providing access to appropriate professional development.

Member support

• Develop and utilise mechanisms to identify member needs in relation to professional practice (e.g., PAS data, targeted member surveys and focus groups).
• Develop standards, practice guides and other resources to support members in their professional practice, focusing on members working in different sectors (private practice, public sector, non-government sector, schools) and at different stages of their career pathways (early, mid, late career). Utilise a range of appropriate communication channels to provide professional supports (e.g., APS website, APS Matters, InPsych, podcasts, webinars).
• Provide timely and accurate information to members on hot topics in professional practice using a range of appropriate communication channels (e.g., APS Matters, InPsych, podcasts, webinars, social media).
• Develop relationships with an APS State/Territory Committee to identify and respond to local issues impacting on professional practice. 

External stakeholder management

• Develop effective working relationships with external stakeholders including relevant professional peak bodies, government and other agencies.
• Represent the APS on various committees and consultative forums relevant to the professional practice of psychology.

Management

• Identify and drive organisational and cultural change in response to internal and external demands. 
• Manage work flow in the Practice Support team.
• Participate in the recruitment of staff for the Professional Practice team, especially the Practice Support sub-team.
• Manage the performance of the Practice Support team members by setting clear goals and performance expectations, providing appropriate feedback in a timely manner and coaching and acting decisively to deal with team members who do not meet standards.
• Develop Practice Support team member competencies aligned with the APS’s and individual needs.
• Ensure the Society’s policies and procedures are adhered to by Practice Support team members.
• Develop a positive culture in the Practice Support team.

Other

• Oversee reporting of the team Key Performance Indicators for practice support.
• Provide the secretariat to the Professional Practice Advisory Group to the APS Board.

4.  Key Contacts

Internal

• Professional Practice Team
• Executive Manager, Professional Practice
• APSI
• APS marketing team

External

• APS Members and Member Groups
• APS Ethics Committee
• Government Departments and agencies
• Other professional associations and external stakeholders

5.  Required skills and attributes

Personal attributes

• Ability to implement and manage change within a new organisational structure. 
• Demonstrated capacity to work on multiple tasks, manage competing priorities and work to deadlines in a complex and fast-paced work environment.
• Outcomes-focused with attention to detail.
• Ability to work co-operatively in a team environment.
• Capacity to participate in effective networking and build relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Capacity to conceptualise, plan and lead the development, implementation and evaluation of projects.

Qualifications technical knowledge, experience

• Registered psychologist with a postgraduate qualification in psychology.
• Proven experience working in a senior level role in the psychology sector, with experience conducting a private practice.
• Demonstrated experience in managing staff and developing effective teams.
• Demonstrated experience in managing high workflows.
• High level of awareness of practice issues, professional standards and current developments in the practice of psychology.
• Excellent written communication skills with demonstrated experience in writing professional documents.
• Awareness of APS objectives and activities.

Desirable

• Experience working for a membership-based organisation.
• Experience working in private practice.