• Position: Systems Advocacy & Policy Lead.
• Classification: SCHADS Award Level 6, plus charity salary packaging options.
• Employment Type: Full-time contract until June 30th, 2030 (tied to DHW 4-year grant).
• Reports To: Chief Executive.
• Location: LELAN Office (167 Flinders St, Adelaide).
• Direct Reports: Nil.

The Systems Advocacy & Policy Lead Role

The Systems Advocacy & Policy Lead position at LELAN is a strategic leadership role in the lived experience space in South Australia. It requires the incumbent to bring their personal, professional and socio-political worlds together in unique ways to represent and communicate LELAN’s advocacy priorities, influence policy, legislative and broader reform processes, and translate consumer experience and contributions into systemic change.

The role sits primarily within LELAN’s systems shaper and thought leader roles, contributing most directly to the strategic goal’s that lived experience-led systems reforms that directly benefit people with lived experience and the community are common practice, and that LELAN’s thought leadership and innovation are recognised as industry leading and influence best practice standards.

The Systems Advocacy & Policy Lead will work closely with LELAN’s community, membership, Chief Executive and broader team to ensure all advocacy and policy work reflects LELAN’s value-base, strategic priorities and advocacy positions whilst remaining grounded in, and accountable to, consumers and the lived experience community.

About LELAN

LELAN is the independent peak body in South Australia by, for and with people with lived experience of mental distress, social issues or injustice.

Our systemic advocacy targets the mental health and social sectors in South Australia, whilst our thought leadership and expertise on lived experience, leadership and governance is borderless.

We have extensive experience and a proven methodology for leading lived experience-led and/or co-creation initiatives, frequently with a focus on sensitive issues and including groups that bring divergent perspectives to the conversation.

LELAN’s vision of a world where people experiencing distress retain their dignity, autonomy and human rights – no matter what, will be achieved when:

• The capability, influence and expertise of people with lived experience and lived experience communities have grown.
• People with lived experience and lived experience communities have authentic partnerships within the mental health and social sectors.
• Lived experience-led systems reforms that directly benefit people with lived experience, and the community are common practice.
• LELAN’s thought leadership and innovation are recognised as industry leading and are recognised as industry leading and influence best practice standards.
• LELAN is a strong, sustainable and impactful organisation.

Our values are courage, compassion, dignity, intersectionality, leadership and social justice. 

Key Responsibilities

Systems Advocacy and Policy Leadership

• Develop and implement systems advocacy and policy strategies to advance LELAN’s strategic priorities in collaboration with the Chief Executive, including the development of organisational positions, submissions and briefing or discussion papers.
• Coordinate organisational responses to policy and legislative developments, inquiries, consultations and reform processes.
• Support collective advocacy campaigns and sector-wide reform initiatives, particularly those that are lived experience-led, when they emerge.
• Ensure LELAN’s systems advocacy and policy work centres dignity, autonomy and human rights principles and reflects contemporary lived experience and peer frameworks.
• Monitor policy, sector, funding and legislative developments, and proactively identify risks, opportunities and priorities for LELAN’s advocacy in South Australia.
• Monitor progress and impact of systems advocacy and policy efforts, and adapt strategies as required to remain visible, influential and driving change that benefits consumers.

Amplifying the Voice, Influence and Leadership of People with Lived Experience

• Facilitate mechanisms for gathering member and consumer perspectives and lived expertise to inform systems advocacy and policy priorities, with consideration for diverse and intersectional perspectives to be captured and amplified also.
• Translate the experiences, insights, preferences, solution ideas and contributions of members, consumers and people with lived experience into clear policy recommendations, systems advocacy action and evidence-building outputs.
• Co-convene the LELAN Policy Panel with the Chief Executive to ensure a developmental pathway is available for more people with lived experience to influence LELAN’s policy and systems advocacy priorities, as well provide access for them to inform and shape broader system reform processes.
• Develop, embed and advocate for processes that strengthen accountability between systems advocacy and policy activities and member and consumer priorities, both within LELAN and across the sector.
• Advocate for the recognition of lived experience knowledge as a legitimate form of evidence that must inform systems advocacy and policy everywhere.

Representation and Strategic Stakeholder Influence

• Build and sustain effective and influential relationships with LELAN’s individual and organisational members, government agencies, statutory authorities, policymakers, peak bodies, service providers, commissioning bodies, researchers and community groups.   
• Represent LELAN and advocate on system improvement and reform processes across South Australia’s mental health and social sectors, including at strategic forums, advisory groups, consultations and working groups as delegated by the Chief Executive.
• Identify and develop strategies to increase lived experience influence and leadership within systems advocacy, policy and governance processes.
• Negotiate and collaborate with key stakeholders and allies whilst maintaining LELAN’s independence and strategic priorities.

Knowledge Translation, Thought Leadership and Sector Development

• Contribute to LELAN’s role as a recognised leader in lived experience-led systems reform through advocacy and outputs developed.
• Support the translation of LELAN’s strategic priorities, advocacy and policy positions, thought leadership, and other innovative lived experience (peer) models and approaches into resources, position statements, briefings, presentations and publications to be broadly disseminated.
• Contribute to sector capability building through learning and development opportunities inclusive of presentations and workshops, as well as knowledge-sharing and facilitated reflective activities.
• Support advocacy for the adoption of the Lived Experience Governance Framework and aligned Toolkit within relevant systems advocacy and policy contexts.
• Coordinate or contribute to research, evaluation and impact measurement activities where required.

Organisational Contribution

• Contribute to organisational planning, strategic development, priority setting and team culture in a positive manner.
• Work collaboratively across projects and role and organisational functions to deliver the greatest impact possible within the limitations of a small team environment.
• Contribute regularly to member, community and sector communications (including social media), media releases, Chief Executive briefings, funding proposals, and reporting and contract deliverables related to systems advocacy and policy work.
• Uphold and model LELAN’s values, purpose and commitment to How We Connect with People.

Skill and Experience Requirements

• Personal lived experience of mental distress, social issues or injustice with ability to apply this skilfully in a professional systems advocacy context.
• Demonstrated experience of and commitment to centring and enhancing the involvement and leadership of people with lived experience, particularly consumers, towards collective action.
• Demonstrated experience in systemic advocacy, policy development or government/ sector relations, ideally within mental health and intersecting social sectors.
• Demonstrated experience working in a policy or lead project role requiring writing and editing of policy, advocacy or research reports and briefings for presentation or publication, including representing policy and advocacy positions to external audiences.
• Demonstrated understanding of South Australian and national policy environment for the mental health and social sectors, with particular understanding of the systemic issues affecting people with lived experience of mental distress, social issues or injustice and opportunities for influencing and leading change.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops, co-design and other participatory processes, particularly where this is by, for and with people with lived experience.
• Strong planning, project management and organisational skills, including establishing priorities, managing time well and delivering quality work within tight deadlines.
• Ability to develop supportive, encouraging and engaging relationships with diverse groups, including people with lived experience, service providers, policy makers, government representatives, researchers and commissioning or fee-for-service partners.
• Ability to work independently whilst being a member of a team that is highly collaborative.
• Qualifications and high-level experience in peer work, mental health, social science, community development or related field.
• Commitment to the purpose and values of LELAN.
• Computer literacy, including ability to use Microsoft Office 365 programs and Asana.

We are committed to inclusion and accessibility for people with personal lived experience and welcome applications from people with broad distress or mental health experiences (including psychosocial disability), diverse cultural backgrounds (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), gender or sexually diverse identities (including trans and non-binary), and/or people living with other disabilities.

To submit your application, please click ‘Apply Now’ by the closing date.

Further enquiries can be made by contacting Ellie Hodges, LELAN Chief Executive, via 0422 888 157. Additional information about LELAN can be accessed at www.lelan.org.au.