Are you interested in an opportunity to…

• Work for an employer that supports women, children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Be part of an inclusive and diverse workforce that places a high value on cultural capability.
• Be rewarded for your efforts with great working conditions that offer salary packaging, flexible working arrangements, learning opportunities and professional development all within a safe and healthy work environment.
• Work for an employer that works in creating safer communities for women, children and young people impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence

About IWSS

Immigrant Women’s Support Service (IWSS) is a specialist organisation that provides support to women, children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who have experienced domestic, family and sexual violence. We work from an intersectional feminist, social justice and human rights framework that centres inclusion, safety, respect and dignity.

IWSS is committed to an inclusive culture that respects and promotes human rights and diversity.

About the role

As Team Leader, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring safe, high-quality, trauma-informed, gender-responsive, culturally safe case management and holistic support services that prioritise safety, autonomy, dignity, and healing for victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual and family violence. This role leads in a way that reflects our values – inclusion, respect, safety and dignity using a trauma-informed, intersectional feminist framework.

The Team Leader is responsible for maintaining practice standards, managing team performance, ensuring legislative compliance, including Child Safe Standards, and contributing to continuous quality improvement across the service.

This is a hands-on leadership role that combines people leadership with direct client work and shared responsibility for supporting safe, high-quality clinical practice, all grounded in purposeful impact and lived experience.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of DFSV practitioners in daily service delivery
• Provide visible leadership, supervision, mentoring and professional development to ensure gender-informed, trauma-aware, culturally safe and strengths-based practice
• Manage and monitor staff caseloads to maintain safe and appropriate client ratios and ensure effective service coverage during high demand or staff leave
• Conduct regular supervision, coaching, and mentoring to support professional development and ensure gender-responsive, trauma-informed, culturally safe, strengths-based practice.
• Deliver and oversee high-quality, client-led case management and holistic support services for victim-survivors that prioritise safety, autonomy, dignity, healing, and recovery. Ensure practice centres the voices and choices of women, children, and young people affected by domestic, family and sexual violence
• Recognise and work to address systemic barriers that victim-survivors face in accessing safety, housing, justice, and support services, advocating for system change and policy improvements where needed
• Guide the team to work collaboratively with victim-survivors to conduct thorough, culturally informed risk assessments, safety planning, case planning, and transition planning that respect autonomy and centre the voices and choices of women, children, and young people affected by domestic, family and sexual violence
• Support the team to deliver victim-survivor-led, evidence-informed, intersectional practice that is culturally safe and responsive to the unique needs and experiences of diverse communities, particularly women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
• Facilitate team meetings, case consultations, and reflective practice sessions that strengthen practice quality and peer support
• Consult with the management team on complex client matters, high-risk cases, and service delivery challenges
• Ensure adherence to Child Safe Standards and promote child-safe practices throughout the team, including mandatory reporting obligations under the Child Protection Act 1999
• Maintain compliance with data reporting requirements, contractual obligations, legal requirements, policy standards, and organisational practice frameworks
• Drive continuous quality improvement initiatives to ensure services lead to measurable positive outcomes for all clients
• Monitor and report on service performance, outcomes data, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to management
• Translate performance expectations into clear goals and support staff to deliver high-quality funded outcomes
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation, case notes, data entry, and reporting in line with organisational and funding body requirements
• Model collaborative practice with internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders, including government agencies, community organisations, and service systems
• Represent the organisation professionally with clients, community partners, stakeholders, service systems, and funding bodies
• Facilitate team meetings, case consultations and reflective practice that strengthen practice quality and peer support
• Engage in ongoing professional learning to maintain current knowledge of best practice in domestic, family and sexual violence responses, victim-survivor centered, trauma-informed care, intersectional and culturally safe practice, and pathways to healing and recovery
• Maintain commitment to professional boundaries, ethical practice, and client confidentiality in accordance with professional codes of conduct

Contribute to organisational leadership, strategic planning, and policy development

Essential requirements

Qualifications and experience:

• Tertiary qualifications in Psychology, Social Work, Counselling, or a related discipline
• Minimum 4 years post-qualification experience, ideally within the domestic, family and sexual violence sector or related social services field
• Demonstrated staff management experience, including recruitment support, performance management, professional development strategies, and workforce retention

Knowledge and understanding:

• Deep understanding of the complex issues faced by victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence, with particular awareness of the experiences of women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and understanding of pathways to safety, healing, and recovery
• Comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and Child Safe Standards
• Deep understanding of trauma-informed, victim-survivor centered practice, gender-responsive and intersectional frameworks, strengths-based approaches, and culturally safe service delivery that centers autonomy, choice, and pathways to healing
• Understanding of the systemic, structural, and institutional barriers that impact victim-survivors' access to safety, justice, and support services, including barriers related to poverty, housing insecurity, immigration status, disability, and intersecting forms of discrimination
• Knowledge of risk assessment frameworks, safety planning, and crisis intervention in domestic, family and sexual violence contexts

Skills and capabilities:

• Demonstrated strong leadership capability, including supervision, coaching, and mentoring of practitioners
• Demonstrated resilience and aptitude in working with complex matters, exercising sound judgement, and prioritising competing demands
• Excellent written and verbal communication, reporting, and documentation skills
• High-level organisational, time management, and caseload management skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders to achieve integrated service outcomes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on continuous quality improvement

Personal attributes:

• Commitment to professional boundaries, ethical practice, and client confidentiality
• Demonstrated commitment to child safety and upholding Child Safe Standards
• Values-driven approach aligned with organisational principles of Feminist Ethos, Client Centred, respect, safety and dignity
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity when working with diverse communities
• Ability to model professional conduct and maintain composure in high-pressure situations

Desirable Criteria

• Eligibility for registration with a professional association (e.g. AHPRA, AASW or ACA) as a counsellor, psychologist, or social worker.
• Lived experience or language proficiency relevant to the communities supported by the service.
• Previous experience facilitating group work, psychoeducation programs, or prevention initiatives in multicultural settings
• Experience in a trauma-informed or culturally responsive service setting with demonstrated outcomes
• Experience with data management systems, outcome measurement frameworks, and quality improvement methodologies

Pre - Pre-Employment Requirements

• Current National Police Check (or willingness to obtain)
• Working with Children Check (Blue Card) – Queensland or equivalent
• NDIS Worker Screening Check (if applicable to service delivery)
• Current Driver's Licence and willingness to use own vehicle for work purposes (with appropriate insurance)
• Proof of qualifications and professional registration (where applicable)

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Ability to work in an office environment and conduct community visits as required
• Capacity to manage the emotional demands and vicarious trauma inherent in working with victim-survivors and complex cases in the DFSV sector, with recognition that this is hard work and requires ongoing support
• Flexibility to work outside standard business hours occasionally, including evenings or weekends as needed
• Ability to travel locally for client visits, meetings, and community engagement activities
• Commitment to self-care practices, accepting help when needed, and actively accessing regular supervision, debriefing, and peer support to maintain personal wellbeing and professional capacity. Understanding that we take care of our team

What IWSS Offers

The work we do is rewarding yet demanding. We acknowledge the toll this work can have on staff, and as an organisation, we take this ownership and responsibility seriously. For this reason, staff have access to:

• Salary packaging - up to $15,900 per year tax-free, plus additional meal and entertainment option
• Employee benefits from BrightHR
• Regular supported supervision
• Ongoing professional development and growth opportunities
• A genuinely supportive, intersectional feminist and trauma-informed workplace culture
• A strong focus on reflection, wellbeing and sustainable practice
• An inclusive organisation that values diversity, equity, and lived experience

For further information, contact [email protected] using the subject line: Team Leader - Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence enquiry via EthicalJobs. We intend to respond to questions about the position within 24 hours.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing of advertising.

IWSS is an inclusive and disability-friendly employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. All applicants may undergo a criminal history verification, along with other required checks, including but not limited to the Working with Children Check, during or immediately after the recruitment process is concluded.

A position description is attached.