• Salary - $200,000 per year plus 11% superannuation; 17% leave loading; salary packaging worth around $15,000; and use of a vehicle
• Location - Darwin
• Duration - 3-year contract
• Reports to - Board of directors, particularly the chair
• Requirements - C-class driver’s licence; criminal history check; Ochre card; willingness to travel by 4WD and light aircraft

About AHNT

Aboriginal Housing Northern Territory (AHNT) Aboriginal Corporation incorporated in 2019 as the first peak body advocating for Aboriginal-controlled housing in the Northern Territory (NT). Five years on we are the NT’s leading voice on Aboriginal housing reform and Aboriginal community-control.

We are governed by a board of 12 Aboriginal leaders from across the Northern Territory. Our directors represent and are elected by our membership of 22 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations who provide housing and related services in town camps, remote communities and homelands. We also work closely and maintain close relationships with our associate members, the Anindilyakwa Land Council, Central Land Council, Northern Land Council and Tiwi Land Council, and maintain strong relationships with our funding partners the Australian Government and Northern Territory Government.

AHNT is a member of the Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT Alliance (APONT). We enjoy a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NT Shelter as the peak for NT housing and homelessness and Menzies School of Health Research undertaking critical health and housing-related research to inform policy design.

Our values

We embed the following core values across all our work:

• cooperative – we work together with all our partners to drive improved outcomes
• culturally strong – we are Aboriginal-controlled and embed deep respect for Aboriginal knowledge and languages
• strengths-based – we focus on what works and listen to what Aboriginal people tell us
• trustworthy – we are reliable and committed and do what we say
• innovative – we embrace new ideas with a growth mindset

About the role

As Chief Executive Officer you will draw upon your strong knowledge of the Northern Territory’s housing, homelands and town camps system and, combined with your extensive experience and relationships you will amplify the voices of the NT’s Aboriginal community-controlled housing sector to the national stage. You will utilise your strong knowledge and exceptional diplomacy skills to effectively drive meaningful and lasting reforms across the NT’s remote housing, homelands and town camps system. You will work closely with our membership of 22 Aboriginal community-controlled housing organisations, including the Anindilyakwa Land Council, Central Land Council, Northern Land Council and Tiwi Land Council, and our key funding partners the Australian Government and Northern Territory Government to ensure the housing needs and voices of Aboriginal people are embedded and central across all aspects of housing policy reform.

As Chief Executive Officer you will ensure that the organisation maintains the strategic direction set by the board and elaborated in our own Strategic Plan 2024–27, and that our work proceeds in accordance with the:

• National Agreement on Closing the Gap, priority reforms, socio-economic targets (especially outcome 9) and the NT implementation plan
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Sector Strengthening Plan
• Partnership Agreement for the Joint Steering Committee on Remote Housing in the NT
• NT Government’s Community Housing Growth Strategy 2022–32

You have extensive and well-developed skills with demonstrated experience leading a multidisciplinary team of highly skilled and experienced Aboriginal housing experts, ensuring the highest standard of advocacy for the Aboriginal community-controlled housing sector. You conduct yourself with absolute integrity and rigorous accountability to our board and extend respect and regard toward our funding partners.

Key duties and responsibilities

As Chief Executive Officer your duties include (but are not limited to):

• proactively lead and influence reforms to strengthen the Aboriginal-controlled sector across homelands, remote communities and town camps, and to support joined-up efforts to return housing to Aboriginal community control.
• work closely with the Joint Steering Committee for Remote Housing Northern Territory (JSC-RHNT), including the Anindilyakwa Land Council, Central Land Council, Northern Land Council, Tiwi Land Council, Northern Territory Government and Australian Government to drive reforms across significant remote housing and homelands investments and including strengthening the Aboriginal-controlled community housing sector.
• maintain strong partnerships with our members and key partners including the four land councils, Northern Territory and Australian governments, Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT (APONT), NT Shelter and Menzies School of Health Research.
• represent the Aboriginal community-controlled sector across high-level discussions with government ministers, national forums and media, and amplify understanding and prioritisation of the NT Aboriginal community-controlled housing sector.

• provide strategic advice to the board and member organisations on reforms and anticipated or emerging issues.
• ensure best-practice accountability and transparency for funding partners, the board and membership.

Selection Criteria

Essential

• Extensive and critical knowledge and understanding of the Northern Territory’s housing system, including across urban, remote communities, homelands and town camps and the Aboriginal community-controlled housing sector.

• Well-developed and strategic, conceptual and analytical skills including demonstrated experience leading reforms across Northern Territory and federal housing policy agendas.
• Exceptional collaborative and influential skills with a demonstrated ability to establish and sustain productive working relationships with staff and external stakeholders, proven ability to motivate and support people to achieve and sustain high-quality outcomes in a complex, high-pressure environment, and able to de-escalate conflict and to negotiate respectfully and constructively across a range of contexts including in remote Aboriginal communities and government officers and ministers.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and sensitivity, and proven experience supporting Aboriginal community-controlled housing organisations, Aboriginal people and communities to improve housing outcomes.
• Sound financial and organisational skills including prioritisation, risk management, budgeting, record-keeping, accounting and reporting.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills for a wide range of contexts, including meetings with senior executives; public addresses; and conversations with Aboriginal people for whom English isn’t the primary language.
• Extensive and critical knowledge of Northern Territory and federal housing policy and politics and reform agendas across urban, remote communities, town camps and homelands.

Desirable

• Previous experience as a senior executive of an Aboriginal corporation.

Special Measures

This position is subject to special measure arrangements. A special measure is an arrangement designed to promote equality of opportunity. Special measures are a form of affirmative action in favour of persons from Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) groups which have not yet achieved equality in employment, for example Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Special measures will be applied as follows:

• Priority consideration whereby applicants from the targeted EEO group will be assessed before all applicants outside of this EEO group. If an applicant from the nominated EEO group meets all the essential selection criteria and their skills are at a level suitable to the advertised vacancy, they are given preference in the selection process.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are very strongly encouraged to apply.

A position description is attached.