• $130,673 - $174,869 + Super + VPS benefits
• Commencing in Melbourne CBD, relocating to Carlton in late 2024

About the role

The Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing is searching for an exceptional leader with lived experience of mental ill health or psychological distress (consumer and/or carer perspective) with a passion for driving best practice and system reform across Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing sector. 

The Lived Experience Lead will champion and advocate for intersectional lived experience perspectives, and act as an agent of change to help shape how lived experience is embedded within the Collaborative Centre’s functions.

How you’ll make a difference

The successful candidate will oversee and grow the Collaborative Centre’s designated lived experience workforce and work closely with the Co-CEO Lived Experience to lead the implementation of the Lived Experience Strategy. The role will foster collaboration and lived experience expertise to ensure that the voices of consumers, families, and carers are central to everything that we do. 

In addition to working primarily from the lens of your lived experience, this role will require you to challenge pre-existing norms, foster strong stakeholder relationships, and be instrumental in driving inclusive learning, growth and culture approaches across the organisation.  

If you want to play a vital part in driving exemplary best practice for the full and effective inclusion of people with lived and living experience across Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing sector, then this is the role for you. 

Our ideal applicant

Suitable applicants will be able to demonstrate:

• Personal lived experience of mental ill health or psychological distress OR of supporting someone living with mental illness or psychological distress; AND 
• Demonstrated ability to apply this lived experience to improve systems that deliver health or human services or to develop policy. 
• A tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline

What we offer

• The opportunity to perform meaningful work, making direct contributions towards enabling Victorians to be the healthiest people in the world. 
• A wide range of growth and development opportunities within the department and wider Victorian Public Service & Sector. 
• A strong commitment to work-life balance, including a diverse array of flexible working arrangements.

The Collaborative Centre prides itself on creating a culturally safe workplace where our people thrive. We are committed to the employment and professional development of our diverse staff. We actively seek to employ people with experiences of mental ill health and psychological distress, LGBTIQA+ people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally diverse people and those with a disability and/or neurodiversity.

The Collaborative Centre’s work is informed by the National Lived Experience Workforce Guidelines and support for the Lived Experience Lead will include both peer and individual supervision and a range of professional development opportunities. 

About us

The Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, an independent statutory authority, was established in September 2022 as a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing System. We exist to drive ground-breaking, transformative change to this system so that people receive mental health and wellbeing support when, where and how they may want it.

The participation of people with lived and living experience, inclusive of families and carers, is central to everything we do.  

How to apply

Applications should include a resume and a cover letter. Click the "Apply Now" button to view further information about the role including key contact details and the advertisement closing date.

We are committed to developing and supporting a workforce that is well equipped and highly motivated to provide responsive and quality services to all Victorians. We continue to build an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity of backgrounds and differences to realise the potential of our employees for innovation and delivering services aimed at enhancing the lives of all Victorians.

All roles can be worked flexibly and we encourage applications from Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ and people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Please contact us if you require any adjustments to participate in the recruitment process at [email protected] using the subject line: Lived Experience Lead enquiry via EthicalJobs. Please view our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion here.

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and other pre-employment checks including proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence, in line with our Privacy Policy.  

The Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE) Recruitment Policy allows for priority consideration for Victorian Public Service (VPS) and select employees of the Victorian Public Sector who apply through the Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) jobs board platform. As such, these employees are strongly encouraged to submit their application through JSE rather than via external advertisement.

A position description is attached.