About us

Free to Feed is a non-profit social enterprise empowering refugees and people seeking asylum, and encouraging inclusive community attitudes through shared food experiences. Our program facilitates economic participation through paid training, employment and work experience. It breaks down barriers to achieving a sense of belonging, while offering general communities’ exposure to new cultures, and puts a human face on refugees.

Free to Feed supports and empowers Melbourne’s refugee community by offering employment opportunities and paid training in hospitality, food-service and the events industry. Participants are offered the opportunity to undertake a 6 and 12 month paid employment program and transition across a number of hospitality based roles from across the organisation. The fundamental driver for this social impact is our own food events, underpinned by our three core programs:Cooking Instructor Program; Front of House & Events Program & Catering Program.

About the role

The Program Manager is a newly created senior position reporting directly to the CEO in a role that is both strategic and involved in the direct support of participants. The role will work with the CEO to design and implement systems that advance the engagement, participation, transition and wellbeing of Free to Feed participants. You will also engage with and monitor participants’ progress including conducting psychosocial assessments and using your knowledge of trauma informed practice models for people seeking asylum and refuge.

You will be working with people of all ages and various ethnic, religious, and life backgrounds. This will include working with refugees having permanent residence or citizenship in Australia, Temporary Protection Visa holders (TPV), Special Humanitarian, Enterprise Visa holders (SHEV) and asylum seekers living in the community on Bridging Visas.

This position will lead the People and Impact Team, who are responsible for volunteers and participants and oversee an employment program that engages 30-45 people seeking asylum per year.

Please note: Tertiary qualifications in psychology or social work, leadership experience in the humanitarian or community / NFP sector, demonstrated understanding of trauma informed practice model, highly developed skills in relation to working with people seeking asylum and of refugee background and excellent intercultural communication and rapport building skills for working with people from CALD backgrounds are essential.

A comprehensive list of duties, responsibilities and prerequisites for the role are outlined in the attached Position Description.