Chief Operating Officer

About the role

Stockdale Higher Education Institute is a TEQSA-registered private higher education provider opening a new campus in West Melbourne. As the Chief Operating Officer, you will become the operational leader of the institute, accountable for its operational performance, regulatory position, student outcomes, and financial results. Working closely with the CEO, you will lead the institute through establishment and into delivery. Student recruitment and marketing are led separately, so your accountability begins at the application. This is a fast-paced environment, with the campus opening and the first cohort commencing in the same year.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop the professional staff team across admissions, student services, and administration, ensuring accountability, performance, and consistent execution.

• Set the operating standards for the institute and embed the student management and learning platforms, driving adoption, workflow efficiency, and automation.

• Deliver operational readiness for the campus opening and founding cohort, and lead the student lifecycle from application through to completion.

• Uphold the admissions standard, including entry requirements, English language proficiency, credential verification, and Genuine Student assessment.

• Improve student retention, progression, satisfaction, and wellbeing, and build the support framework required to deliver them.

• Maintain compliance with the Higher Education Standards Framework, ESOS Act, and National Code, including PRISMS reporting, CoE issuance, monitoring obligations, complaints and appeals, and education agent oversight.

• Oversee budgets, reporting, unit economics, cost per student, and gross margin improvement initiatives.

• Work with the CEO on business planning and growth readiness, and present operational, compliance, risk, and financial reporting to the Board, Academic Board, and Audit and Risk Committee.

About you

• Senior operational leadership experience in Australian higher education (COO, General Manager, Director of Operations, Head of Operations, or similar), including international student delivery.

• Working knowledge of the Higher Education Standards Framework, ESOS Act, and National Code, together with practical PRISMS and CoE experience.

• Strong commercial and financial understanding, including margins, cost control, and business performance.

• Experience reporting to a board or governance committee.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to develop teams and create accountability.

• The resourcefulness and self direction to succeed in a start up environment.

• Experience through a TEQSA registration process, or launching a first teaching cohort or new campus, will be highly regarded.

• The right to work in Australia, a National Police Check, and a Working with Children Check.

About us

Stockdale Higher Education Institute is a TEQSA-registered private higher education provider opening a new campus in West Melbourne.

Benefits

• A competitive executive remuneration package, negotiable with experience, plus superannuation and performance incentive.

• A newly created executive leadership position with genuine ownership.

• Direct access to the CEO, the Board, and its committees.

• Mentoring by an experienced legal and governance professional across regulatory strategy, governance, academic integrity, and board reporting.

• Opportunity to own and influence institute performance across operations, systems, compliance, student outcomes, and financial results.

• Opportunity to open a new campus and take a founding cohort through it.