Who We Are

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is an innovative social impact organisation operating across Australia.

We use our broad outlook, transformational thinking, and trusted voice to lead the charge against inequality in Australia. We were created over 20 years ago to find innovative solutions to entrenched social problems and speed up the rate of positive change.

We think differently, help redesign systems by learning about what works in communities, and work hand-in-hand with passionate partners to take real action and achieve positive social change.

Our Consulting Team

Our Consulting team works exclusively on for-purpose projects that strengthen the social sector and have a positive impact on people and communities. SVA pioneered social sector consulting in Australia and in the past 15 years, the team has worked with hundreds of clients to deliver high impact projects.

Our projects generally fall into one of five service offerings:

• Strategy and Governance – helping organisations to determine their purpose and how they can best achieve it.
• Outcomes Management – supporting organisations to understand the changes they want to create and how to measure if they are achieving it.
• Collaboration and Partnerships – supporting clients to identify partnership and collaboration opportunities to increase their impact.
• Organisational Effectiveness – helping clients to operate more effectively to ensure they are set up to achieve their goals.
• Program Design – helping clients to develop effective programs that achieved the desired outcomes for participants.

Our clients include non-profits, ACCOs, land councils, governments, social enterprises, philanthropic organisations and corporates pursuing social change.

SVA’s NT and Northern Australia practice was established in 2018 and is currently supported by a Darwin-based team of three – the Director, a Manager and a Consultant, based in a co-working space in Parap.

Our projects in the NT and Northern Australia span across all issue areas in which our Consulting team works, and have a strong First Nations focus, recognising most of our clients work with or for First Nations people and communities.

The Director Role and Opportunity

As the most senior member of the Consulting team in the NT and Northern Australia, the Director’s primary purpose is to lead our client service practice and Darwin-based team. Their responsibilities span the strategic and operational and include activities such as identifying and securing impactful work, business and client development, coaching and mentoring teams, oversight of project delivery, and representing SVA in the NT and Northern Australia.

As a member of the Consulting leadership team, the Director, Darwin, is also expected to participate in whole of business decision-making and leadership.

With a number of established client relationships and demonstrated social impact in the NT and Northern Australia, we are now setting our aspirations for the next horizon of growth. This role will be a critical player in contributing to our thinking and leading this next stage.

You can learn more about the role by looking through the Position Description on our website.

Your Benefits

• Be a leader in an organisation with a track record of driving meaningful social change including being awarded Best CSR innovation 2023 by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) Boss.
• Be part of the SVA team known for living by our values including putting people at the centre and being open and ready to learn.
• We don’t believe that “one size fits all” so we offer flexibility and a hybrid work model that is specific to your team and recognises that work is only one of life’s priorities.
• Join a business which prioritises personal wellbeing and development, including an additional week’s annual leave after two continuous years of service.

Who You Are

Our Consulting Directors come from a range of different professional backgrounds, including management consulting, social sector, public policy, finance, law, and more. We recognise and value the diversity of the journeys that candidates may have taken to get to where they are today and believe this is a strength of our distinctive offering to clients.

Our ideal candidate brings experience in:

• Strategic management consulting, ideally in the social sector;
• Working in partnership with First Nations people, organisations and communities;
• Developing and nurturing trust-based relationships with diverse stakeholder groups;
• People leadership including coaching and mentoring junior team members; and
• Delivering high quality work for clients, including across geographically dispersed project teams.

Strategic and structured thinking, empathetic and inspiring people leadership, strong communication and facilitation skills, and a sense of humour and camaraderie are the skills and traits we value in our Directors.

Applicants can request a reasonable adjustment at any stage during the recruitment process by contacting [email protected] using the subject line: Director - Consulting - Darwin enquiry via EthicalJobs. There is scope to customise the job role to accommodate people with different abilities.

How to Apply

If you have the experience and skills we are looking for and are excited to join our team, click 'Apply Now' and please submit your CV (max 2 pages) and a statement (max 1 page) addressing the person requirements.

Please note we will consider and progress applications as they are received and therefore encourage you to apply at your earliest opportunity.

SVA values diversity and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people of colour. We value people of all abilities and diversity of culture, faith, gender identity and sexual orientation. We welcome unique contributions and perspectives of all people to ensure our workforce is representative of the communities we work with and live in.

While this role is not a First Nations designated role, First Nations candidates are strongly encouraged to apply given the significant share of project work the Darwin team delivers in partnership with First Nations peoples and communities. At SVA, we acknowledge and promote the importance and value of lived experience in all our work. We are committed to strengthening the cultural competency of our teams and actively take steps, including providing dedicated training and development opportunities, to ensure we are continuously learning and embedding cultural competency in all that we do.