• Admitted lawyer / Practicing certificate required.
• 12-month contract - (Part Time 0.4).

About the Centre

The Working Women’s Centre SA Inc is a not-for-profit organisation and a community legal centre that provides an industrial service to vulnerable working women and people. The Centre has 3 arms of work:

• Legal Service – we provide legal advice and representation to vulnerable workers who contact the Centre with work issues through one-to-one clinic appointments. Clients may require ongoing advice and if so we also provide advice outside of these clinic appointments. We provide a representation service and have the capacity to represent a client through to the conclusion of a hearing.
• Advocacy – we conduct advocacy to resolve systemic issues that affect women and other vulnerable workers, such as sexual harassment and precarious work. Our advocacy program is informed by our legal and education service.
• Education – we provide fee-for-service and free training for workers and employers about workplace rights, sexual harassment, responding to disclosures of domestic violence and other topics.

The Centre was established in 1979 and has been advising, supporting and advocating for vulnerable women for 42 years. The Centre provides support, advice, information, and representation to women who face issues in their employment in both federal and state jurisdictions. The Centre is also concerned with the structural inequalities for women in the workplace, and conducts outreach, community education, and campaigning for the equal participation of women in the workforce and community.

The position is subject to a 12 month contract.

Employment conditions are specified in the Working Women’s Centre SA Inc Enterprise Agreement 2021 however a new enterprise agreement will be approved prior to the successful candidate commencing. The Industrial Officer role is set out in the new Enterprise Agreement and a copy of this agreement can be provided upon request.

CONDITIONS:

• Competitive salary $94,142 or commensurate to experience (Pro-rata).
• 12.5% superannuation.
• Flexible workplace.
• TOIL entitlements.

WORKING WOMEN’S CENTRE OBJECTIVES

• Enhance women and vulnerable people’s participation in and contribution to workplace arrangements that improve their economic prosperity and welfare.
• Increase women and vulnerable people’s knowledge of the legal, policy, and institutional frameworks that promote workplace reform; employment conditions; fair and efficient arrangements for remuneration and safe work.
• Provide a safety net of industrial relations related services to women and vulnerable people who are otherwise unable to access them and participate effectively in the labour force.
• Enhance work-related services provided by other organisations to women and vulnerable people.

An Industrial Officer of the Centre is responsible to the Director for the provision of support, advice and representation to clients on industrial and employment matters.

AN INDUSTRIAL OFFICER’S DUTIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Providing information and industrial and legal advice to vulnerable people who are primarily not members of unions and who do not have their own lawyer.
• Provide industrial legal advice across a wide range of federal and state legislation concerning industrial, discrimination and employment matters.
• Represent clients in conciliation, arbitration, and court hearings with respect to workplace claims and disputes.
• Working closely with the Director, and the Senior Industrial Officer the successful candidate(s) will have responsibility for carriage of disputes, pre and post conciliation/mediation.
• Maintain files and organise client data for the purpose of reporting.
• Perform ancillary tasks as directed.

Outreach and Community Education

• Represent the Working Women’s Centre on a broad range of community, union, government, legal and departmental committees as necessary.
• Prepare and present community education sessions.
• Raise Awareness through innovative and target of the need of women and vulnerable people in various forums.

Union Liaison and Assistance

• Educate and assist women in gaining representation from their unions.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE:

• A legal tertiary qualification.
• The ability to obtain a practicing certificate.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Fair Work Act 2009, state and federal discrimination legislation and a sound understanding of worker’s compensation schemes.
• Demonstrated abilities in negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated high level written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a busy case load.
• Exceptional time management skills and demonstrated ability to prioritise tasks.
• A demonstrated commitment to the principles of justice and worker's rights.
• Understanding of gender politics and the intersection with labour/employment policy.
• A demonstrated commitment to the principles of intersectional feminism, economic justice and workers’ rights.

Desirables

• Demonstrated ability to advocate for clients in tribunals, commissions.
• Demonstrated research and writing skills.
• The ability to obtain an unrestricted practicing certificate and supervise junior practitioners.
• We encourage applications from First Nations people and people of colour. We want racial and cultural diversity within our centre, and are building and maintaining an anti-racist workplace culture.
• We encourage applications from all cis and trans women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable working on advocacy that focuses on the experiences of women.
• We encourage applications from disabled applicants, please contact us about the accessibility of the workplace.
• We encourage LGBTIQ+ applicants.
• We encourage applications from survivors of gendered violence.

We know that sometimes the best people for the role may not fit the exact selection criteria.

To discuss this role, please contact Abbey Kendall, Director of the Working Women's Centre SA on (08) 8410 6499.

Interviews to be held in the week commencing 27 June 2022.

A position description is attached.