• Full Time, Permanent position
• Location: Edmonton, CAIRNS
• Make a meaningful difference to vulnerable communities

About Us

Mission Australia is a non-denominational Christian charity that has been helping vulnerable Australians move towards independence for more than 160 years.

Every day we support people nationwide by combatting homelessness, assisting disadvantaged families and children, addressing mental health issues, fighting substance dependencies and much more. We are generously supported by our funders, partners and tens of thousands of everyday Australians, who make the work of our tireless volunteers and staff possible.

Mission Australia is committed to keeping children and young people safe with zero tolerance for harm or abuse, and expect all our employees and volunteers to reflect this commitment. 

Your Opportunity

Mission Australia is committed to supporting people in need in South Cairns and strengthening the fabric of this vibrant community. A Community of Focus is one of Mission Australia’s strategic commitments to work deeply within, and strengthen, a community over the long-term.  This new program will focus on investing additional resources and support to enable community co-designed activities that will help create positive community change.  

Responsible for leading, managing and developing a team to deliver the Community of Focus program for the Cairns South Community, the Program Manager is accountable for the overall management and implementation of the program and reporting on progress and outcomes.

Key performance areas include:

• Networking and engaging with local representatives and leaders in the Cairns South community
• Co-design and co-develop a community plan with local stakeholders to identify and address community goals
• Community mapping across Cairns South to identify opportunities for targeted community engagement and capacity building initiatives
• Implementing relevant capacity building and engagement activities and monitoring and reporting outcomes
• Demonstrates leadership of the team and is responsible for effective people management and development of direct reports

Requirements for Success

• Tertiary qualification in allied health, social work, human services or equivalent
• Local knowledge and existing network within the Cairns South Community
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with people with a range of specialist skills, different roles and perspectives
• Well-developed understanding of community development principles and implementation
• Excellent consultation skills and a proven ability to synthesise and analyse complex information from a range of sources
• Strong written communication skills and proven ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively
• Experience in leading and managing change effectively through influencing others

Before starting work with us, you will need to undertake a national police history check, qualifications and referee checks, and have a clearance to work with children/vulnerable people. 

Culture & Benefits  

A career with Mission Australia will offer you rewarding experiences to make a difference to the lives of Australians in need. We have an innovative and supportive culture guided by our values of compassion, integrity, respect, perseverance and celebration.

To ensure our employees feel valued, empowered and celebrated we provide a range of employee benefits including:

• NFP salary packaging benefits reducing taxable income (details via Advantage)
• Generous discounts with hotels, travel insurance and major retailers
• Free, confidential counselling services via our EAP
• Discounted health care with Medibank Private

Diversity & Inclusion

Mission Australia is an inclusive employer. We celebrate our diversity and strive to reflect contemporary Australian society and all the communities in which we work, in order to better serve our clients. We welcome and encourage applications from Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people, People with Disability, Sexually and Gender Diverse people, people with lived experience of adversity and from people of all ages.

As such, if you require any adjustments to submit your application, we invite you to get in touch via email [email protected] using the subject line: Program Manager - Community of Focus enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Next Steps

To be considered for this opportunity, please click ‘Apply now and send your cover letter and resume today. As a committed Circle Back Initiative employer, we will respond to your application.

For more information, feel free to view the Position Description. For further information about working with us visit Working for Mission Australia.

Applications for this role will close on the 25th of January 2021 but please send through your application as soon as possible as shortlisting may occur prior to the closing date.