The Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS) seeks a dedicated person to join our passionate team of human rights lawyers as a member of our Management Committee.

About RACS

The Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) is one of Australia’s oldest and most successful dedicated community legal centres with a vision of justice and dignity for and with refugees and a world where those who seek Australia’s protection are able to live their lives with dignity, security, family unity and freedom.

RACS provides free, dedicated legal services for refugees, people seeking asylum, stateless and displaced people. Through individual advice sessions, community education and public advocacy, RACS strives to ensure that individuals and families, at risk of persecution or other forms of significant harm, gain access to equal and fair representation before the law, and are granted protection by Australia, and opportunities to seek family unity, in accordance with Australia’s international obligations.

Our work is premised on a commitment to fundamental human rights, human dignity and international protection. RACS demonstrates this commitment through our independent, impartial and professional advice; the integrity of our staff and volunteers; our belief in continuous learning, including through partnerships with other organisations; and the fair and flexible conditions provided for staff and volunteers.

More information about RACS is available here and our current Management Committee is available here.

The Management Committee

The Management Committee is made up of a passionate and diverse group of people, each bringing their own unique skills, experience and perspective to RACS. They are united by a shared dedication to RACS’ vision and a commitment to making a difference to the lives of people seeking safety.

The Management Committee is responsible for:

• Guiding RACS’ long-term vision to advocate for fairer policies for people seeking safety and expand access to justice;
• Monitoring and ensuring that RACS achieves our aims and objectives as articulated in the Strategic Plan;
• Ensuring that RACS complies with legal and contractual obligations and operates to a high standard;
• Ensuring that RACS remains a viable and effective organisation and has a secure future.

Requirements of members of the Management Committee:

• Attend and actively participate in bi-monthly meetings and relevant subcommittee meetings, either in person or remotely;
• Contribute professional expertise, insight and leverage networks to strengthen the reach and impact of the organisation;
• Participate constructively in discussions and collective decision-making, in particular supporting the RACS Leadership Team;
• Actively participate in the identification, evaluation and connection with potential funding and partnership prospects;
• Represent RACS at events and engagements as required and agreed.

About You

The successful candidate/s will have a demonstrated passion for RACS’s work, and will possess relevant experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Engagement with newly arrived communities, people seeking asylum, stateless communities or refugees
• Law and justice
• Governance and organisational change management
• Strategic ICT planning and implementation and technology risk management
• Financial management, accounting and audit
• Fundraising and donor relationships

To apply:

If you are interested in joining our Management Committee, please submit your CV, together with a short expression of interest, to Sarah Dale, RACS Centre Director and Principal Solicitor, via the "Apply Now" button.

RACS is committed to working together to achieve a more inclusive community. Our workplace strives to be one that embraces and celebrates diversity and the wide range of skills, expertise and experience we can all bring to strengthen our dynamic, collaborative and responsive environment. RACS encourages people from all backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, people that identify as belonging to the LGBTIQA+ community and people with disabilities. RACS particularly welcomes applications from those with the lived expertise of seeking asylum and forced displacement, including those on temporary visas with the relevant permission to work.