Board Director (Volunteer) - Education Sector
- Volunteer position on the board of a not-for-profit organisation
- Seeking individuals with experience in secondary education or related fields
- Contribute to governance and strategic direction for educational services
- Help shape the future of education for young people in one of Melbourne's fastest growing communities
- Bring your professional experience in secondary school education to a board that wants to hear it
- Join a values-driven, well-governed not-for-profit that is part of the global YMCA movement
About us
Y (YMCA) Whittlesea has worked alongside children, young and vulnerable people, families and people with disability in the City of Whittlesea for more than 36 years. We are a not-for-profit community organisation with around 480 staff across 12 sites, delivering early learning and kindergartens, disability inclusion supports, aquatics, gymnastics and fitness at Y Leisure City, and a flexible, trauma-informed secondary school for young people.
Our Y Community School offers flexible, trauma-informed secondary education for young people who have disengaged from education. Our senior campus supports students in Years 10 to 12 to work towards the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) or the VCE Vocational Major (VM). In Term 1 2027, we will be opening a new junior campus for students in Years 7 to 9, teaching the Victorian Curriculum.
Y Whittlesea Youth and Community Services Ltd is our registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status who oversees our Y community Schools, Disability Services and Youth Programmes. Its board provides governance, strategic direction and oversight of risk and safeguarding, working in close partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and the wider Y Whittlesea board.
The opportunity
We are seeking a volunteer Board Director who brings experience in education and schools. You might be a current or former teacher or school leader, or someone who has worked in student wellbeing, flexible or alternative education, vocational pathways or education policy.
Your perspective will inform decisions about how our services grow, how we listen to and support students and families, and how we keep safeguarding at the centre of everything we do. You will join board meetings, contribute to strategy and risk discussions, and help us ask better questions about who we serve and how well we are serving them.
This is a skills-based, values-based board. You do not need previous board experience, however, it is desirable. We will support you with an induction and, if it helps, a board mentor. What matters most is your insight, your judgement and your commitment to young people having real choice and opportunity in their education.
What you will bring
- Professional experience in secondary school education, such as teaching, school leadership, student wellbeing or education policy
- A commitment to safeguarding children, young and vulnerable people
- A current Working with Children Check (or willing to obtain)
- An NDIS Worker Screening Check (or willing to obtain)
- Sound judgement and the confidence to contribute your view, including when it differs from others around the table
- Curiosity about governance, strategy and risk, whether or not you have sat on a board before
- Alignment with our values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and safety
Experience in school governance, child safety in education, education advocacy, community services or the not-for-profit sector would be welcome but is not essential.
Commitment
The board meets six times a year in Mill Park. Directors may also contribute to subcommittee work as needed. This is a volunteer position. The successful applicant will need a Working with Children Check, a Director Identification Number and an NDIS Worker Screening Check. We can help you through these processes if you have not completed them before.
How to apply
Please send a short cover letter telling us about your experience and why this opportunity matters to you, along with your CV, to Carolyn Kleiman, Board Administrator, at carolyn.kleiman@ywhittlesea.org.au. Carolyn can also arrange a confidential conversation about the role.
Applications close Wednesday 4 November 2026.
We are committed to making our recruitment process accessible. If you need adjustments at any stage, or would prefer to apply in a different format, please let us know and we will make it happen.
Y Whittlesea acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, and pays respect to Elders past and present. We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and LGBTIQA+ people.
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