Queensland Family and Child Commission
Executive Director, Child Safe Organisations
Kingston Human Capital is proud to partner with the Queensland Family and Child Commission in the search for an exceptional executive to lead the Child Safe Organisations Division.
About the Queensland Family and
Child Commission
Lead the future of child safeguarding across Queensland.
The Queensland Family and Child Commission (the Commission) is a statutory body charged with responsibility to review and improve the systems that protect and safeguard our children.
The Commission was established in 2014 in response to a recommendation of the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry.
The Commission works collaboratively with government and non-government partners, including families and communities themselves, to help ensure young Queenslanders grow up in safe and inclusive environments where they are valued and supported to reach their full potential.
We influence systemic change that improves the safety and wellbeing of Queensland’s children and their families. We do this by assessing the child protection system’s performance, collaborating for impact, and amplifying the voices of Queensland’s children and their families.
Our vision
Every Queensland child is loved, respected, and has their rights upheld.
Our purpose
To influence change that improves the safety and wellbeing of Queensland’s children and their families.
About the Child Safe Organisations Division
The Child Safe Organisations (CSO) Division is responsible for the operation of Queensland's CSO regulatory scheme, delivering the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct scheme established under the CSO Act. The division administers a large-scale regulatory program that supports organisations to create and maintain safe environments for children and young people. Through education, compliance monitoring, assessment, investigation and statutory decision-making, the division promotes accountability, drives continuous improvement in safeguarding practice, and responds to concerns about organisational child safety.
The division combines regulatory operations, compliance and investigations, stakeholder engagement, policy and practice expertise, and regulatory intelligence to deliver a modern, risk-based regulatory model.
The CSO Division is responsible for enquiries and intake assessments, investigations and compliance activities, stakeholder engagement and education, regulatory intelligence reporting and continuous improvement. Together the team work to ensure the effective administration of the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct scheme is achieved.
The Queensland Government has announced its intention to establish the Queensland Protection Commission, bringing together the Child Safe Organisations Framework, Worker Screening Services and a new, nation-leading intelligence capability. Subject to the passage of legislation, the Executive Director, Child Safe Organisations will become part of the executive leadership of this new Commission, helping shape its establishment and future direction.
Annual Report 2024-2025
For insights into the department’s performance, financial results, governance framework and key delivery outcomes for the reporting year.
For understanding the department’s long-term priorities, strategic objectives and measurable outcomes shaping decision-making for the past four years.
About the opportunity
Executive Director, Child Safe Organisations
Lead a regulatory function that protects Queensland's children and strengthens safeguarding across the state.
Your opportunity
As the Executive Director, CSO, you will lead Queensland's Child Safe Organisations regulatory scheme, overseeing the delivery of a complex, high-volume regulatory function established under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (CSO Act). This is your opportunity to prevent harm and increase the protection of children and young people.
In this role you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the administration of the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct scheme, ensuring regulatory decisions are timely, consistent, evidence-based and aligned with legislative requirements. Leading a dedicated operational workforce, you will be responsible for the effective management of regulatory assessments, investigations, compliance activities and statutory decision-making processes that strengthen child safety across Queensland organisations. You will drive a riskbased regulatory approach that balances education, engagement and enforcement, supporting organisations to meet their safeguarding obligations while maintaining public confidence in the integrity, fairness and effectiveness of the scheme. Through strong governance, performance oversight and continuous improvement, you will ensure the Commission delivers a responsive, efficient and authoritative regulatory service.
Working closely with government, sector leaders and safeguarding partners, you will provide strategic leadership on emerging risks, regulatory trends and system performance, using evidence, intelligence and regulatory insights to inform policy development and strengthen safeguarding outcomes for children and young people. You will also have legislative obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) to identify and manage physical and psychological risks to health and safety within your division through the implementation and verification of appropriate controls, while ensuring workers are provided with the information, support, training and supervision necessary to undertake their work safely and effectively.
About you
You are an accomplished executive leader with demonstrated experience leading complex regulatory or organisational functions and delivering strategic outcomes in dynamic environments. You have a proven ability to navigate complexity, provide high-level strategic advice and build trusted relationships with government, regulators, peak bodies and diverse stakeholders.
You are a collaborative and influential leader who fosters high-performing, inclusive and culturally safe teams, while driving continuous improvement and organisational excellence. Your ability to balance strategic leadership with operational oversight enables you to deliver evidence-based, risk-informed outcomes that strengthen safeguarding across Queensland.
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
- Extensive experience leading a complex regulatory or organisational function and driving system-wide change
- Proven ability to provide strategic advice to senior leaders, government, regulators and key stakeholders on complex and emerging issues
- Exceptional stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build and sustain high-trust relationships and strategic partnerships
- Experience leading diverse, high-performing teams and fostering inclusive, culturally safe workplaces
- Strong strategic, operational and governance capability, underpinned by sound judgement and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Desirable:
- Qualifications in law, criminology or a related discipline would be highly regarded
- Previous experience in a comparable regulatory leadership role is highly regarded.
Pre-employment requirements:
- Successful applicants will be required to undergo criminal history screening and, where applicable, obtain a Working with Children (Blue Card) clearance.
- Appointment is subject to the requirements of the Public Sector Act 2022, including entering into a written contract of employment.
Your application
The Commission is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of the Queensland community. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people of all ages, genders and identities.
How to apply
- To enable us to assess your merit, your application should include:
- Your current resume, including the names and contact details of two (2) referees with a thorough knowledge of your conduct and performance over the last two (2) years. One of the referees should be your current or immediate past supervisor.
- A brief claim to the role of no more than two pages outlining your skills, experience and achievements against the competencies, role responsibilities and specific experience and skills sought.
Your contact
This recruitment process is being managed by Kingston Human Capital in partnership with the Commission.
For confidential enquiries or further information regarding this opportunity, please contact Gerard Kerr, General Manager, Executive Search and Selection at Kingston Human Capital.
Mobile: 0432 544 444
