POSITION DESCRIPTION

Sydney Alliance is seeking a dynamic, politically aware and qualified social worker with extensive lived experience with migrant communities to join the team and pilot an exciting new leadership program with social work placements.

Background:

From June-Dec 2022 the Sydney Alliance is expanding its vision for Sydney with listening and campaigning on a broad range of issues; housing, climate, energy, Uluru Statement & justice for migrant workers.

A key part of the Alliance is an intake of 35 dynamic social work placements (Assistant organisers) who work with the organising team in groups of 5-7. They will be trained in the art of community organising. We are looking for someone to join the team as an organiser and support the social work supervision of the assistant organisers.

The ‘Assistant Organisers program’ at Sydney Alliance has run for over ten years, albeit at smaller numbers with over 270 students have learnt about the public selves, community organising and Australian politics through this program.

Working hand-in-glove with Lead Organiser David Barrow and a team of professional organisers (including a fellow social work supervisor), this position is ideal for a qualified social worker supervisor looking to make an impact for the future and make systemic change.

With an extremely diverse placement group, with many students from across the Subcontinent, China, Middle East, Africa and South America, we are ideally seeking someone with lived experience of migration and experience in cross-cultural communication.

If you do not have existing training in community organising, the Sydney Alliance will support you to hone your skills in art of community organising – relational meetings, listening, agitation, coaching, training, power analysis, leadership development, running actions and evaluation.

THE ROLE INVOLVES:

Working as part of a dynamic team of community organisers to train, develop and build the power of the Sydney Alliance through the art of community organising. This will involve:

• Training
• Supporting listening processes
• Participating in power analysis
• Organising large community actions
• “Going deep”, focused organising in a few specific communities in Sydney.
• Coordinating projects with diverse range of Alliance partners
  

Working with the team and other social work supervisors to provide social work supervision and field education for 35 social work placements. Including:

• Administrative function – planning and assignment of organising work
• Educative function – development of professional social work skills within an organising context
• Support function – assisting the management of job-related stress, sustaining of morale and developing a feeling of worth, competence and sense of belonging. Particularly for students from diverse cultural backgrounds, particularly international students
  

Working with a team of Alliance staff and leaders to refine, stress-test, evaluate and adapt a successful program to the needs of a large, culturally diverse cohort of students – including helping the Alliance develop a best-practice framework for cultural safety.

KEY ATTRIBUTES/QUALITIES/COMPETENCIES? - ABOUT YOU

Relationship building

You are a ‘people person’ with experience building and managing multiple relationships with a lot of people. This includes over the phone and email, because face-to-face is not always possible when our work spans across the greater metropolitan. You are able to coach and support volunteers and assistant organisers to do hard things, because they know you genuinely care about them and will help them succeed. You like listening to people’s stories and can share your own in a powerful and persuasive way.

Resilience

Organising to create systemic change for the common good is often times challenging. Working with assistant organisers and communities who are unfamiliar with this community organising approach and who have been systematically disempowered by the Australian political and energy system means there will be barriers and setbacks. You find proactive ways to work around obstacles, challenges, hurdles and setbacks. You can take critique in the spirit that it is given.

Persuasiveness

You have the confidence to ‘make the ask’ of community leaders for their support and time and encouraging them to reach beyond their comfort zone.

Outstanding team player

You have had experience working in small teams where your work is closely connected to others' work. Organisers receive a high level of trust that they can deliver in their patch without handholding while still working collaboratively with leaders and staff colleagues. You need to love working with others, in fact you thrive on it, including using online collaboration tools to communicate throughout the day. We are all about partnering with each other to get the work done. Shared mindsets and common objectives are critical to our success.

Organised and efficient

You are a no-stuffing-around, get-things-done kind of person. When you say you will do something by a certain date, you get it done - even if it means overcoming obstacles. You have had experience in a role where there are lots of moving parts to keep track of, like organising stalls or events with volunteers and you successfully balance multiple tasks at a time. You have the ability to break down objectives into smaller tasks, initiatives, and actions in order to get things done.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

What you bring to the role:

Essential

• Applicants must be qualified social workers, with a minimum of two years’ full-time practice experience. As outlined in ASWEAS 2020 section 4.5
• You are person with extensive experience working with migrant communities and/or people of colour
• Passion for action on social justice issues
• Familiarity or have experience with the Relational community organising approach
• Ability to work remotely and pick up the online systems we use
• Experience recruiting and managing teams of volunteers

Desirable

• Experience working with international students, and/or diverse communities in Sydney
• Fluency in language(s) other than English spoken by communities in Sydney
• Experience in participatory meetings, teaching and training
• Experience in field work education of social workers

MORE ABOUT US:

Reports to: Governance, David Barrow, Lead Organiser, Sydney Alliance

Duration: 6 months starting ASAP, with likelihood of continued employment

Location: Sydney

The Sydney Alliance brings together diverse community organisations, unions and religious organisations to advance the common good and achieve a fair, just and sustainable city. We do this by providing opportunities for people to have a say in decisions that affect them, their families and everyone working and living in Sydney. The Sydney Alliance is a non-party political organisation.

The Alliance office is in the Sydney CBD, but much of the work is across the greater metropolitan (though much based in Western Sydney) with a number of meetings in a week that can be done remotely.

Salary & Leave: The role is a permanent full time contract for 6 months with pro rata accrual of annual leave, starting asap; 35 hours per week. 4 days a week available for the right candidate and earlier start date by negotiation. (SCHADS Award 4.1)

Salary Package annual $80,000.00 + superannuation. Phone usage allowance. On top of usual leave entitlements includes 3 days paid cultural leave per year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Contact David Barrow for any questions about this position at [email protected] using the subject line: Community Organiser - Social Worker inquiry via EthicalJobs or call 0416028001

The Alliance is seeking to hire immediately.

A position description is attached.