ABOUT US

The Northern Rivers Community Resilience Alliance was formed to back Community Resilience groups: connecting place-based, community-led resilience groups across the Northern Rivers so they can share knowledge, support each other's wellbeing, take collective action, and advocate for what their communities need.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role exists because good intentions aren't enough — the Alliance needs to know what's actually working, for whom, and why, so it can keep improving and stay accountable to the communities and funders it serves.

As Research Assistant, you'll be the engine room of that learning. You'll help design and run data collection at workshops and events, keep the Alliance's "outcomes bank" up to date, support health checks that track how the partnership itself is going, and turn all of that into clear, accessible reports and visual summaries for community groups, the Steering Committee and funders.

You'll work closely with an embedded researcher from the University of Sydney's University Centre for Rural Health, contribute to a broader research project on community alliance-building, and help capacity-build local groups so they can apply evaluation thinking in their own work too.

In short: your work will help the Alliance understand its own impact, learn faster, and make the case — backed by real evidence — for why this kind of grassroots resilience-building matters.

ABOUT YOU

You'll likely have a Masters-level qualification (or above) in a related field along with genuine research experience. You know the Northern Rivers region and its community networks, or you're ready to immerse yourself in them.

You're organised and detail-oriented when it comes to data, but you also know that behind every number is a person or a community, and you communicate findings in ways that make sense to a wide range of audiences. You're comfortable in flexible, relationship-based, community-led environments, where the plan can shift and that's okay.

Experience with participatory evaluation approaches, disaster resilience contexts, or working alongside a university research team is a bonus, not a must.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

• Flexible, hybrid working arrangements
• Time in lieu for any after-hours attendance at community events
• Vehicle allowance for work-related travel across the region
• The chance to work within a small, close-knit, values-driven team
• Close collaboration with a University of Sydney research partner
• Meaningful, community-facing work with visible real-world impact

For questions about the role, please contact Kathie Heyman - [email protected] using the subject line: Research Assistant - Lismore enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.