WIRE is a centre for gender and economic equity. We are a proud intersectional feminist organisation, and we are committed to creating a fair society for all women and gender diverse people. 

For further information about WIRE and our programs and impact visit: www.wire.org.au.

Building on our 40+ year heritage as a leading feminist organisation in Victoria, we are now implementing our revised strategic plan (2026-2029) and refreshed focus for the organisation. The strategic plan prioritises three core pillars: Driving sustainability; Advocating for change; and Achieving targeted impact. 

In doing so, we are diversifying our income through the growth of our training and consultancy services and consolidating our back-end systems and processes to better measure our impact and improve our organisational efficiency – whilst maintaining consistent services and advocacy for community members.

Through this recruitment, we aim to strengthen our governance capacity and capability to deliver on our strategic goals and secure WIRE’s future position within the sector.

We are seeking to strengthen WIRE’s governance capacity through this recruitment process by appointing up to three new Directors, including to fulfil an office-bearer role of “Secretary”.

About the Board

Our Board (currently six members) is collaborative and dynamic, with a strong, collective understanding of the strategic direction of WIRE. Four Directors will reach the end of their terms at the 2026 AGM (November), with at least two having notified the Board that they will not stand for re-election. Therefore, we are now recruiting to fill those future skills gaps.

WIRE is an ACNC-registered Incorporated Association in Victoria. The role of the Board is to ensure that WIRE carries out its vision and achieves its strategic objectives practically, sustainably, ethically and in accordance with its constitution, relevant laws, regulations, and good governance practice. Board members can be co-opted between AGMs and will be officially elected for a three-year term at the subsequent AGM.

The Board meets approximately six times per year, with meetings held outside business hours with a flexible mix of face-to-face and online. All Board Directors are required to participate in at least one sub-committee, as relevant to their skills and experiences (usually online). Our current Board sub-committees are:

• Finance and Income Generation (FIG)
• Governance, Nominations and Compliance (GNC)
• Strategy, Impact and Risk (StIR)

Board members are expected to attend in-person events on behalf of the organisation, including at least 2 in-person board meetings per year, Board and leadership dinners (approx. 2 a year), the AGM, annual fundraising events, and strategic planning days. Board roles are voluntary positions with expenses reimbursed. 

Whilst hours of work vary throughout the year, it is expected that Directors will commit approximately 8 hours a month to WIRE.

About the roles

We are seeking applications from candidates with skills and experience in one or more (not necessarily all) of the following:

Income generation, marketing and partnerships:

• Experience building and managing relationships with corporate, philanthropic or institutional funders (e.g. banking, superannuation, foundations or corporate social responsibility programs), either through partnerships with the for-purpose sector or from within these institutions.
• Marketing, Business development, philanthropy or fundraising experience
• Experience growing training, consulting or service-based organisations, in either for-purpose, social enterprise or commercial sectors

Sector leadership and organisational capability:

• Executive leadership experience within the not-for-profit, social impact or community sector (CEO, Executive or senior leadership roles)
• People & Culture / organisational development leadership within a for-purpose organisation

Governance, legal and compliance:

• Legal qualifications, with understanding of the not-for-profit legislative and compliance context Secretary experience or Governance expertise in the not-for-profit sector with interest in stepping into the Secretary position on the retirement of the incumbent in November 2026. The Secretary chairs the Governance Nominations & Compliancesub-committee.

Finance, risk and commercial oversight:

• Financial management and oversight (with accounting qualifications desirable) - (with interest in a Deputy Treasurer role)
• Risk management
• Not-for-profit executive leadership experience, particularly in a CEO or C-suite role within a similar organisation 
• Stakeholder engagement, especially governmental relations and advocacy

Policy, advocacy and stakeholder engagement:

• Experience engaging with Victorian or Federal government, policy development, or sector advocacy
• Stakeholder engagement across government, industry or community sectors 

Content and mission expertise:

• Technical and programmatic expertise in gender equality, financial equity, economic abuse, or social justice issues

Governance experience:

• Prior board governance experience in a not-for-profit context, is desirable but not essential. Emerging leaders looking for their first governance role are encouraged to apply. 

All WIRE Directors must have a demonstrated interest in the outcomes of WIRE's work for women, non-binary and gender diverse people. 

WIRE acknowledges the skills and knowledge acquired through lived experience of accessing services equivalent to WIRE’s. We welcome applications from people who could utilise those skills and knowledge on WIRE’s board. 

WIRE also recognises that issues of gender injustice disproportionately impact on some people – including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people of colour, those from working class backgrounds, those who are part of the LGBTIQA+ communities people with disabilities, or those who  are neurodivergent We particularly encourage people who are members of these and other marginalised communities to apply. 

Conditions of engagement

Successful applicants will be required to:

• Maintain membership of WIRE throughout their appointment
• Demonstrate an understanding of ACNC governance standards
• Enter into a confidentiality agreement with WIRE 
• Adhere to relevant codes of conduct and policies, as required by WIRE
• Undergo a national police check (and working with children check if requested)*

For more information

For more information or to discuss the role please contact WIRE Chair, Emilie Perrot (she/her) on [email protected] using the subject line: Board Directors (Voluntary) enquiry via EthicalJobs or 0403 451 836.

We actively seek to remove barriers that prevent people from applying for roles. This includes but is not limited to providing flexibility in the application process and communicating interview questions/discussion points in advance. If there are any adjustments, we can make to assist you in applying, please contact us. We will do our best to accommodate all reasonable modifications.

To apply

Please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for this role via the "Apply Now" button.

*We know that systemic discrimination causes some communities to be over-represented in the criminal justice system – and therefore mandatory background checks can discourage some people from applying. Please be assured that WIRE only uses mandatory checks as required to maintain compliance standards and uphold community safety. Only information pertinent to the governing of the organisation will be considered, and the results of any checks will be kept in confidence. We will speak to you prior to conducting any checks, should you wish to discuss this in advance.