Inner Sydney Voice is looking for a suitably qualified/experienced person to join the Inner Sydney Voice team as the part time Community Resilience Project Officer to assist social housing tenants living in the Nepean-Hawkesbury area to develop disaster preparedness/emergency plans and to build flood awareness and preparedness.

This project is funded through the Infrastructure NSW Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management Directorate.

The role will involve collaborating with social housing communities and other stakeholders to develop emergency planning processes for the tenants and service providers in the event of an emergency, including floods. The Project Officer will also work with a research team from Sydney University and a project manager from Infrastructure NSW.

The role will require Project Officer to work in Nepean-Hawkesbury region as well as at least one day a week/fortnight in ISV’s Waterloo office.

Inner Sydney Voice has a number of roles currently being advertised, including part-time roles which could be combined for the right candidate. Details of all positions currently being advertised are available on the ISV website at www.innersydneyvoice.org.au/news/jobs-at-isv. If you are interested in applying for more than one position please contact A/ Executive Officer Geoff Turnbull to discuss prior to submitting your application, on (02) 9698 7461.

SALARY and CONDITIONS

The role is a twelve months fixed term position at 21 hours a week to deliver this project. Remuneration at Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS Award) Level 6 to level 7 depending on skills and experience.

Employment conditions and policies are set out in the ISV Enterprise Agreement, the relevant award (the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHCADS) Award (or its equivalent) and ISV policies and procedures.

Organisational Context

The successful applicant will be employed by Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development Inc. (trading as Inner Sydney Voice). Inner Sydney Voice (ISV) is a Not-for-Profit, Sector and Community Development Organisation whose principal purpose is to work with organisations and residents that work in the Sydney region to alleviate poverty, marginalisation and distress suffered by economically and socially disadvantaged communities. ISV aims to achieve this purpose by:

• Building the capacity of service providers to work together on issues affecting disadvantaged communities.
• Enhancing the level of engagement of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
• Strengthen the voices of disadvantaged communities by representing their views.
• Provide information and resources on community projects, programs and networks assisting disadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups.

Purpose and Duties:

Statement of Duties: The Project Officer will work with social housing tenants, community housing providers, service providers, local councils and local emergency services to develop, coordinate and implement a comprehensive, easy-to-understand disaster preparation and management plan for social housing tenants living in the Hawkesbury Nepean valley. The Project Officer will promote flood awareness and disaster risk reduction as a shared responsibility.

A special focus for this stage of the project is to encourage social housing tenants to understand the need for tenants to support one another during an emergency. The project aims to strengthen connections between tenants and between tenants and their housing and support services.

The project officer will work collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders, as well as encouraging community involvement in the planning process. The plan will include identified roles for the various agencies who interact with tenants on a frequent basis with a view to setting up sustainable structures to support tenants and ensure tenant input into disaster preparedness when the project finishes in 12 months.

The target groups for the project are:

• Social Housing tenants
• Local Community Housing Providers/NGOs and service providers

Duties will include:

• Communicate objective and projected outcomes to local community and other stakeholders
• Develop, in collaboration with a steering group, a disaster preparedness and emergency plan for tenants living in the Nepean-Hawkesbury Valley
• Develop materials/collateral for project
• Utilise existing community structures and networks to promote and enhance disaster preparedness and to play an ongoing role in building resilience in social housing.
• Undertake activities that will help build community within social housing tenants and links to services that will build a better prepared and resilient social housing community.
• Provide education and training around flood awareness and other disasters to relevant social housing communities.
• Form partnerships with human services providers and identify opportunities for collaboration for community engagement on flood resilience.

The Role will require:

• A good understanding of emergency planning
• A good understanding of the social housing sector and communities
• Community development skills

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Essential

• NSW Drivers License and Vehicle with Comprehensive Insurance cover
• Demonstrated coordination, facilitation, and negotiation skills
• Demonstrated high-level relationship building and relationship management skills
• Demonstrated capacity to engage a diverse range of stakeholders
• Demonstrated high-level organisational, time-management, administrative skills
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, exercise independent judgment and make decisions
• Excellent spoken, written and cross-cultural communication skills
• Experience in hazard analysis/Incident management strategies
• Ability to develop and/or deliver emergency planning activities in formal and informal contexts
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice
• Understanding of community development principles and practice and practical community development experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of WH&S legislation and an employee’s responsibilities under the Act
• Proficiency in MS Office applications, social media platforms and online programs

Desirable

• Demonstrated understanding disaster preparedness and emergency planning processes.
• Understanding and empathy for the social housing tenant body and the social issues faced by the community
• Demonstrated experience in developing adult education programs for vulnerable communities
• Understanding of public participation practices, with experience facilitating stakeholder engagement processes
• Understanding of the NGO sector
• Experience in advocacy
• Knowledge of the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain

Note: This position description and associated information should not be considered as comprehensive in its description of responsibilities, criteria or outcomes. It is indicative of the position. The Project Officer can and will be asked to undertake duties within their competencies, skills and abilities that may not be mentioned in this document.

Inner Sydney Voice is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.

Key Relationships

This position will work closely with social housing tenants and other agencies. The position is required to communicate progress and issues to the Executive Officer and Board and the funding body.

Other stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

• Community Housing Providers
• Sydney University consultants
• Emergency Services – SES/RFS/NSW Police/NSW Ambulance
• Other NGOs, organisations and community groups etc.
• Other meetings/forums as required

Probity Checks

• Reference Checks
• 100 points of Identification
• Qualifications / Certifications required for position

A Position Description is attached.