The Role

The Program Manager, SEWB Policy Partnership leads the secretariat and delivery functions for Gayaa Dhuwi’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing Policy Partnership. The role is responsible for the effective operation of the Partnership, including secretariat support, meeting coordination, policy paper development, working group facilitation and member sitting fee administration and for ensuring the Partnership produces high-quality outputs that advance the social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention policy agenda.

The role works under the leadership of the Director, Reform and operates at the intersection of policy, stakeholder engagement and program administration. The successful candidate will need to be equally strong in their understanding of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap policy context and their capacity to manage a complex, multi-stakeholder governance process to a high standard.

This is a substantive role that requires clear writing, strong organisational skills, careful relationship management, and the ability to support a senior partnership body to function effectively. The Program Manager will work closely with Partnership members, government representatives and Gayaa Dhuwi policy staff, and will need to hold the administrative detail of the Partnership without losing sight of its policy purpose.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all secretariat functions for the SEWB Policy Partnership, including scheduling, agenda preparation, logistics, and distribution of papers.
• Facilitate or support the facilitation of Partnership meetings, working groups, and related forums.
• Prepare accurate and timely minutes, action registers and follow-up correspondence for all Partnership meetings and working groups.
• Maintain Partnership records, membership registers, and documentation in an organised and current state.
• Coordinate member sitting fees in accordance with organisational processes.
• Lead the development of policy papers, discussion papers and briefings for the SEWB Policy Partnership, ensuring materials are evidence-informed, well structured and appropriate to the audience.
• Work with Partnership members and Gayaa Dhuwi policy staff to develop and refine policy positions and recommendations.
• Ensure Partnership policy outputs are connected to and consistent with Gayaa Dhuwi’s broader policy positions and priorities.
• Support the Director, Policy’s engagement with the Partnership on policy content as required.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with Partnership members, government representatives and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate working group activity, ensuring groups have clear terms of reference, meet regularly, and produce agreed outputs.
• Ensure Partnership activity is informed by lived experience, community priorities and member perspectives.
• Represent Gayaa Dhuwi in Partnership and related forums with professionalism and cultural respect.
• Undertake other duties as required.

Selection Criteria

1. Demonstrated ability to work respectfully within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership organisation, including understanding of culture, self-determination, community control and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership.
2. Demonstrated understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention, including the policy, service system and reform context relevant to this work.
3. Demonstrated experience in secretariat or program management, including the ability to organise and support complex multi-stakeholder meetings, prepare minutes and papers, and track actions through to completion.
4. Demonstrated experience developing policy papers or briefings for a senior audience, including the ability to synthesise evidence and member perspectives into clear, well-structured documents.
5. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing demands, coordinate across diverse stakeholders, and deliver work to a high standard within agreed timeframes.

This Position is open to Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra based applicants.

About Gayaa Dhuwi

Gayaa Dhuwi is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. As a members based, community-controlled organisation, we are governed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and peak bodies.

Our vision is the highest attainable standard of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Our role is to lead and advocate for systemic change that places the voices, strengths, and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples at the centre of national policies and reforms.

We work in a fast-paced national policy and reform environment where priorities can shift quickly in response to government processes, parliamentary inquiries, sector developments, member priorities, emerging evidence, and national reform opportunities. As a result, our team needs to be made up of individuals who can understand complex policy and service systems, work respectfully within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and organisations, and produce high-quality work across social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention.

Gayaa Dhuwi’s work is long-term with progress often requiring sustained advocacy, careful relationships, strong evidence and the ability to keep work moving over time. People who thrive at Gayaa Dhuwi are steady, thoughtful, organised, respectful, clear in their communication and able to maintain perspective while working on issues that matter deeply to our peoples and communities.

Eligibility

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply for this opportunity under section 51 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984.
• Applicants must be an Australian citizen or have permanent residency status pending the granting of Australian citizenship. All successful applicants for the position will be asked to complete pre-engagement checks including national police check and a working with vulnerable people check

A position description is attached.