Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation is an emerging not-for-profit founded in 2013 by a group of former residents of the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls. Coota Girls aims to meet the social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing support needs of former residents, their families, and their descendants. Coota Girls is about to embark on a period of change to move towards self-governance and self-determination, with oversight from the Healing Foundation.

The Opportunity

Lead the organisation through change and help it through a period of growth and transition. Take an innovative approach to support the Coota Girls become an independent not-for-profit, with a focus on governance and change management, building on current business systems. Report directly to an inspiring Board of Stolen Generations survivors and descendants, and make a key contribution to healing for the Stolen Generation while expanding on your leadership experience.

The Role

Coota Girls is seeking to re-establish and implement the human rights framework advocated by the Bringing Them Home report. As such, the Business & Operations Manager will play an integral role in developing, implementing, and managing projects within a human rights and community development framework. This role has two main focuses:

Self-governance

• Ensure internal leadership, practices, policies and systems are in place for Coota Girls to be self-governing and help build its capacity towards self-determination
• Ensure robust financial management, risk management, HR management, business and strategic planning, marketing and communications, evaluation and continuous improvement to contribute to ongoing organisational success
• Support the strategic vision and lead the transitional stage of supporting Coota Girls to become a self-governing organisation

Business operations

• Plan, manage and monitor the delivery of contracted programs and projects to ensure the achievement of agreed objectives, milestones, timeframes, budgets and proactive risk management
• Manage, support, and develop the team by working collaboratively and to ensure open communication on trauma aware healing informed issues to achieve program outcomes
• Work collaboratively with other Stolen Generation organisations, government, business, partners, academic and other stakeholders to ensure a strong voice for Coota Girls within policy at state and national levels and build culturally appropriate relationships
• Support the Coota Girls to diversify its funding sources by contributing to the development of funding submissions to government, business and philanthropic organisations seeking development opportunities

Your Background and Experience

You will have demonstrated experience:

• Building and managing relationships with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community
• Effective leadership within a human rights and community development framework
• In business operations, governance or program context
• Leading a team through change

Experience with trauma aware healing via another not-for-profit will be highly desirable, but not essential.

Please note this is an Identified position, so only applications from candidates who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander will be accepted.

Salary / Rate

• $90K - 110K + Super

How to Apply

To apply online, please click on the appropriate link.

Please include a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience make you the ideal person for this role.

Please note this is an Identified position, so only applications from candidates who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander will be accepted.

Alternatively, for a confidential discussion, please contact Sarah Fowler on 02 6108 4878 quoting ref no. 14232.