Purpose of Role 

The Startup Village is an economic mobility program for women and gender diverse people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the City of Melbourne. The program is aimed to provide opportunity for social connection and build participants’ capability to secure meaningful employment, pursue education or start their own businesses.

Using trauma-informed and intersectional feminist principles, the Startup Village will support women and gender-diverse people engaging in the program to strengthen their financial wellbeing, employment readiness and enterprise planning skills. 

The Start Up Village Project Lead will coordinate delivery of this project including the engagement of participants and mentors and establishing the workshop program. Ensuring activities are safe, inclusive, accessible, evidence-informed and aligned with WIRE’s commitment to gender and economic equity.

About You  

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• A commitment to WIRE’s vision, values and mission, including gender equity, economic security and intersectional practice.
• Understanding of the barriers women and gender diverse people (particularly from culturally and linguistically diverse communities) may face when building financial wellbeing, securing meaningful employment, pursuing education or starting an enterprise.
• Experience supporting community-based programs, seminars, workshops, coaching or group learning activities.
• Strong project coordination skills, including the ability to manage timelines, organise activities, communicate with stakeholders and follow through on tasks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including confidence communicating with participants, volunteers, partners and internal teams.
• Ability to create safe, respectful, trauma-informed and inclusive learning environments that recognise diverse experiences, cultures and learning needs.
• Openness to learning, reflective practice and adapting program delivery based on participant feedback and emerging needs.

Project Lead will be responsible for:

Leading the successful implementation of the Startup Village program, including:

• Coordinating the initial co-design phase using WIRE’s framework for intersectional co-design to refine and validate the workshop program and mentor coaching framework.

• Coordinating the lead recruitment, intake and engagement of Start Up Village participants, including responding to enquiries and providing referrals where appropriate.
• Coordinating the lead recruitment of volunteer mentors who will provide coaching and guidance to participants.
• Coordinate seminar, workshops including logistics across financial capability, employment readiness, education pathways and enterprise planning, including venue, online delivery, materials, attendance and accessibility requirements.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with WIRE staff and program partners to support smooth delivery of workshops and participant pathways.
• Support monitoring, evaluation and learning activities, including participant feedback, mentor and coaching check-ins, progress tracking, social inclusion outcomes and input to reporting.

Key Selection Criteria 

• Knowledge of and personal commitment to gender equity & economic security.
• Sound understanding of trauma-informed and intersectional feminist principles, including the ways culture, migration, language, caring responsibilities, financial insecurity and systemic barriers may affect participation.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in co-design, consultation, community engagement or participatory program development processes.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating community programs, seminars, workshops, training activities or coaching initiatives. 
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills, including confidence preparing materials, updates and brief reports.

Highly Desirable

Experience or knowledge in one or more of the following areas will be well regarded: financial capability, employment pathways, education pathways, enterprise development, mentoring, migrant and refugee community engagement, or adult learning.

Fluency in a language other than English and/or lived experience of migration, refugee settlement, financial insecurity, employment barriers or enterprise development will also be highly regarded.

All employees at WIRE are required to undergo a Police Check and a Working with Children Check to confirm they are fit to work with WIRE service users and program participants. Convictions relating to assault, harassment or violence may indicate an applicant is not suitable to work at WIRE. However, we know that many people are unfairly criminalized, particularly those who have experienced family violence and who are part of marginalized communities.

About WIRE 

We are a proud intersectional feminist organisation, and we are committed to creating a fair society for all women, gender diverse, and non-binary people. We see ourselves as initiators of change. We have been actively involved in addressing systemic barriers to gender equity for over 40 years.  

We take a proactive stance on issues related to gender inequity which often leads us to areas less explored and often overlooked. For us, gender equity is about meeting individuals where they are and allocating resources and opportunities as needed to create equal outcomes for all members of our society. 

We recognised many years ago that economic equity plays a key role in achieving gender equity. Therefore, over the decades, we have focused our efforts on developing practical solutions for improving economic outcomes for all women and gender diverse people. We seek to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the economic system.  

WIRE’s Role in Addressing Gender and Economic Equity 

We focus our efforts on creating possibilities for change. We break down the process of change into manageable steps and empower individuals, communities, and organisations to take action. 

We achieve this by: 

• Providing one-on-one support services for individuals 
• Building capacity in community leaders to facilitate change 
• Providing consulting services for organisations and professionals 
• Sharing WIRE’s knowledge through its knowledge centre 
• Helping individuals develop the skills and confidence to advocate for themselves and their communities 
• By creating possibilities, we ensure that change, though slow and sometimes daunting, remains achievable and doable.  

WIRE values and principles

See WIRE's webpage with more information about WIRE our strategic plan and principles of practice  

WIRE staff will operate within WIRE’s policies and procedures and in accordance with the WIRE Code of Conduct at all times. 

Next Steps

To submit your application please click 'Apply Now' by the closing date.

A position description is attached.