• First Nations People and people from Culturally Diverse Communities, LGBTIQ+ people, people with disability and people who have lived experience are encouraged to apply
• Drummond Street Services is committed to prioritising child safety and 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.

About 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 Senior Research Officer to contribute to our projects and the general operations of CFRE to strengthen our centre further. 

This position will primarily support the work we do internally within Drummond Street Services and contribute to external projects where needed. The candidate will need to have quantitative data analysis skills to support Drummond Street’s in-house evaluation, strong evaluation skills and be able work well under pressure to better support client needs. 

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 where needed, including capacity building, evaluation and applied research in line with CFRE’s social justice values. 

Tasks that you would be involved in include: 

• Supporting the running and delivery of the in-house evaluation
• Improving existing systems and processes relating to the in-house evaluation
• Supporting the evaluation of some of Drummond Street’s innovative programs and services
• Conducting interviews, focus groups and facilitating co-design activities
• Contributing to consultancy projects, including document review, report writing and other tasks as required
• 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:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in the social sciences or related field;
• Relevant work experience in applied research and evaluation with experience in research management;
• Experience  in  the  use  of  appropriate  research  skills  and  techniques  in  the  analysis  of program evaluation data and applied research including familiarity with SPSS and highly competent at using Excel;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and ability to clearly communicate complex information and ideas in a succinct and concise way for a broad audience of stakeholders;
• Excellent prioritising, time-management skills with the ability to work effectively across a variety of projects with competing deadlines;
• High-level conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Knowledge of the community service sector; 
• 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.
• Capacity and willingness to work as part of a team;
• A current Working with Children Check.

Desirable:

• Data visualisation abilities and/or strong digital competencies.
• Staff supervisory experience.

How to apply

To apply for this position, click "Apply Now" and follow the instructions.

If you have any questions about the application, the role, or the work we do, please contact Madeline Gibson on (03) 9070 6877 or at [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Research Officer - Centre for Family Research and Evaluation enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide a writing sample.  Successful applicants will be required to have a current National Police Check and a Working with Children Check and will be required to show evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination status. All candidates must have the right to work in Australia. Duration of contact is 12-months and it is a full-time role but part time will be considered.

We will be receiving applications up until the close date. Please note that due to the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates may be contacted.

A position description is attached.