As one of Australia’s largest rural charities, Rural Aid is focussed on providing a range of assistance to farmers and their families, and their communities across Australia. We provide critical support in times of crisis, and assistance associated with the long-term sustainability and wellbeing of communities, through counselling and community programs, as we work towards stronger futures for all Australian farmers.

Our values-based organisation is driven by a clear vision is that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability before, during and after natural disasters. Our mission is to provide economic and empathetic support and assistance to rural communities impacted by natural disaster, through partnering with key stakeholders to deliver meaningful outcomes. Rural Aid promises to ensure donors’ money is used transparently to provide effective and timely assistance to those most in need.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Manager Mental Health and Wellbeing to join our team. You may be based in either Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne. Forming a key part of our operations team reporting to the Operations Manager, the primary objectives of this role are:

• Develop, implement and monitor best practices for the Rural Aid’s Mental Health and Wellbeing programs including counselling
• Lead the development, design and implementation of high quality, evidence-based mental wellbeing activities being delivered by our multidisciplinary team for rural Australia
• Lead a national team of Counsellors, focused on engaging directly with the farmers and rural communities to address and respond to mental health issues
• Ensure the smooth running of the Counselling team and guaranteeing the quality and adequacy of the services provided
• Provide comprehensive strategic advice and direction in relation to the facilitation and coordination of optimal mental health outcomes and support within Rural Australia

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

An accomplished leader with a passion for driving positive cultural change, you will demonstrate a strong alignment to the mission of Rural Aid and desire to have a significant impact across the organisation to better support farmers and rural communities. In addition to the essential criteria, you will demonstrate:

• Extensive experience leading mental health and wellbeing program design and delivery, across an organisation
• Strong communication, stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to work across an organisation to ensure the impact of programs are optimised
• Experience working with internal and external teams to develop tailored and robust mental health and wellbeing initiatives, which deliver high levels of engagement

• A strong clinical background and proven ability to lead a team of external operational workforce
• Community Development and Engagement skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and negotiate with a wide cross section of community, organisations and other Government stakeholders
• A strong financial and performance background that supports contractual obligations and achieves business goals
• Tertiary qualification in Counselling, or other relevant qualification.
• Must be currently registered with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA)