About the Resilience Alliance

The Northern Rivers Community Resilience Alliance (Resilience Alliance) is a growing movement of more than 60 grassroots community groups working together to build disaster resilience across the Northern Rivers of NSW. From Grafton to Tweed, the Resilience Alliance connects place-based groups to share knowledge, provide peer support, take collective action and advocate for the communities they serve.

The Resilience Alliance was formed in March 2024 in direct response to the lived experience of the 2022 floods — built by community, for community. Our work is grounded in the principle that resilience lives in community, and everything we do supports local groups to thrive, collaborate and be ready before, during and after disasters.

About the Roles

We are recruiting a Capacity Building Coordinator within the geographic focus area of:

• Lismore, Richmond Valley and Kyogle

The position is a hands-on community development role working directly with Resilience Alliance groups to understand their needs, co-design practical learning experiences, and provide ongoing support that builds lasting local capability in disaster preparedness and community-led response.

Working in close collaboration with the Network Lead and project team, the officer will be a key point of contact for participating groups in their area, providing both group training and workshop delivery alongside one-on-one support throughout the project. There are two roles and each role has a specific geographic focus, it is expected that the Capacity Building Coordinator will work together as a team across the whole region as required.

About the Team

You will be joining a small, dedicated team of six. The team is collaborative, community-focused and passionate about building resilience and disaster preparedness across the Northern Rivers. While team members work within defined areas of responsibility, they step up and support one another across the broader region as required.

Key Responsibilities

Community Group Capacity Building and Support

• Work directly with participating Resilience Alliance groups to assess their training needs and identify capacity-building priorities.
• Provide tailored one-on-one and small group support to groups with specific learning needs or lower organisational capacity.
• Support groups to apply new knowledge and skills within their own organisational contexts, including disaster preparedness planning, governance, volunteer management and community engagement.
• Build trusted relationships with Resilience Alliance group leaders and representatives to support sustained engagement throughout the project.
• Assist with stakeholder mapping and network development activities, supporting groups to identify and strengthen connections within and between the Resilience Alliance networks.

Training Design and Delivery

• Work with the project team to contribute to the design, development and delivery of workshops and capacity-building sessions for Resilience Alliance groups participating in the Connected and Prepared project.
• Adapt training content and delivery approaches to meet the diverse needs, contexts and experience levels of participating groups.
• Facilitate project workshops and Resilience Alliance community gatherings in collaboration with the project team as required.
• Develop accessible, plain-language training resources, toolkits and reference materials for groups to use independently after training.
• Incorporate participatory and community-led learning principles into all training design and delivery.

Advocacy Capacity Building

• Build Resilience Alliance groups' confidence and skills to advocate effectively for their community's needs within local and regional networks.
• Support groups to develop and share their stories and evidence of impact to strengthen collective Resilience Alliance advocacy.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Collect and document participant feedback and learning outcomes from capacity-building activities.
• Contribute to the Resilience Alliance's Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning framework by providing data, reflections and case studies.
• Prepare regular written updates on activities, group engagement and capacity-building outcomes for the Network Lead.
• Identify emerging needs or gaps and bring these to the attention of the Network Lead as needed.

What We Are Looking For

Essential

• Knowledge of the Northern Rivers region and its community networks.
• Experience working with community groups in a capacity-building, development or support role.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering training, workshops or community education programs.
• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to create safe, inclusive and participatory learning environments.
• Ability to develop clear, accessible training materials and resources tailored to diverse audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with cultural sensitivity and a genuine commitment to inclusion and community-led approaches.
• Ability to work independently within a defined scope, manage own workload and prioritise tasks effectively, as well as contribute as part of a team.

Desirable

• Experience in disaster resilience, emergency management or community preparedness contexts.
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE) or equivalent experience.
• Familiarity with stakeholder mapping, network development and community organising approaches.
• Qualifications or experience in community development, adult education, social work or a related field.

Working Conditions

• 21 hours per week, with flexibility in how hours are structured.
• Hybrid work arrangements: some workdays in Lismore as required.
• Regular travel across your geographic focus area and the broader Northern Rivers region to work with Resilience Alliance groups.
• Some after-hours work may be required for community events and gatherings, with time in lieu for any overtime.
• Access to a personal vehicle is required; a vehicle allowance is payable in accordance with the SCHADS Award.
• A mobile phone allowance is payable in accordance with the SCHADS Award.

The Resilience Alliance is committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with lived experience of disaster, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

For questions about the role, please contact Kathie Heyman, Network Lead, on 0417 683 546 or [email protected] using the subject line: Capacity Building Coordinator - Lismore / Richmond Valley / Kyogle enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.