• First Nations People, LGBTIQ+ people, people with disability, and people of color and/or public housing residents are encouraged to apply. Applicants who have a lived experience are encouraged to apply.  
• DSS is committed to prioritising child safety and we adhere to the Reportable Conduct Scheme for organisations.

About CFRE

The Centre for Family Research and Evaluation (CFRE) is a collaborative applied research centre that is dedicated to creating solutions to the complex social problems that impact health and wellbeing of children, families and communities. Our centre is located within drummond street services, an innovative community services organisation with a strong focus on social justice. This provides us with a unique opportunity to experience the strengths and challenges of service delivery, as well as an in-depth understanding of a wide range of social issues.

We also work with different levels of government and not for profit agencies across Australia to conduct social research, evaluate programs and services, communicate research findings and build the capacity of organisations to use and generate evidence. We have a highly collaborative approach working with organisations to find practical ways to use evidence in their programs and services and find out what works for their communities. By helping service delivery agencies and policy makers to use evidence, empower their communities and improve their services and programs, we believe that the outcomes for children, families and communities across Australia will improve.

The Position

If you are interested in making an impact on the lives of others and being involved in a team committed to creating social change, then this is the position for you! We are looking to employ a Research Officer to contribute to our projects and the general operations of CFRE to strengthen our centre further.

This position will support the work we do internally within drummond street services and contribute to external projects. This position is an opportunity for the candidate to strengthen existing skills in research methods and learn and grow in evaluation, program development and consulting.

We offer mentoring and professional development, a variety of flexible working arrangements and support work-life balance. We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive workplace culture and a great place to work and are committed to creating a workforce which reflects the incredible diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from diverse cultures, faiths and languages, people with a disability and those who identify as LGBTIQ+.

The role will involve working with the research team to support the research and evaluation of drummond street services and promote the use of evidence based practice. It will also involve supporting on a range of external consultancy projects including capacity building, evaluation and applied research in line with CFRE’s social justice values.

Tasks that you would be involved in include:

• Preparing literature reviews, rapid evidence reviews and community profiling reports
• Conducting interviews, focus groups and facilitating co-design activities
• Contributing to consultancy projects, including document review, report writing and other tasks as required
• Conducting and analysing evaluation and research data with support from research team
• Synthesising and reporting on findings and contributing to research reports
• Contributing to the day to day operations of the CFRE team 

Key Selection Criteria

Essential

1. Relevant tertiary qualifications in the social sciences or related field
2. Work experience in applied research and/or evaluation
3. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills including the ability to synthesise research reports and texts
4. An ability to work under pressure to meet project requirements and deadlines
5. Capacity and willingness to work as part of a team
6. A current Working with Children Check (can be acquired upon receiving the position)

Desirable

1. Work experience, interest and/or lived experience in one or more areas of social policy, such as gender, LGBTIQ+, First Nations, multiculturalism and social inclusion, disability, family violence, mental health and well-being, would be an advantage.
2. Data visualisation abilities and/or strong digital competencies.

If you have any questions about the application, the role, or the work we do, please contact Beth McCann on (03) 9663 6733 or at [email protected], using the subject line: Research Officer enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Successful applicants will be required to have a current National Police Check and a Working with Children Check and full Drivers Licence. All candidates must have the right to work in Australia.