Engagement & Advocacy Officer

• Are you passionate about the welfare of children in Australia?
• Are you driven to make a difference through your advocacy and communications skills?
• Get on the ground floor of our start-up program

  The Role: Working closely with our CEO, you will engage a number of key stakeholders, within Sydney and in regional communities, to achieve key advocacy and engagement objectives for the My Forever Family NSW program. This newly created and exciting role offers the right person a significant platform to influence systemic change within the Out of Home Care sector. The right candidate will also have the opportunity to raise awareness through strategic media engagement. You will navigate complex issues, manage relationships and advocate for systemic changes for carers of children in NSW.  This a key role in our program, accountable for building relationships and fostering collaboration with NGO’s, departments and peak bodies throughout the sector. You will enable learning, innovation and positive change and provide an avenue for both individual and systemic advocacy. Your superior communication, writing and policy skills will be put to use when: building influential and fact-based papers and submissions to support our policy position; preparing materials and engaging key stakeholders on our Advisory Committee; actively managing working groups and relationships; and when preparing advocacy papers. You’ll work closely with the Program Manager and Carer Support Leader to develop a clear understanding of themes and work proactively to resolve issues with stakeholders and influence positive systemic change.   To be considered for and ultimately be successful in this role, you will need to have: 

• A qualification in Human Services or related discipline, OR Communications and Public Relations
• Demonstrated work experience working in the Out of Home Care sector (or strong knowledge of the Out of Home Care system with work experience in a related field)
• Demonstrated experience in writing policy submissions and influencing Government, preferably in Family or Human Services,
• An established network of contacts within the Community services sector (ie Agencies, Community Services in NSW, NFP, Government Agencies) with proven track record of achievement
• Senior stakeholder engagement and management in Government relations
• A background dealing with highly complex and sensitive issues
• Experience engaging with Indigenous agencies and building constructive partnerships with those agencies.
• Risk Management: tracking, monitoring and achievement of measurable outcomes to service improvement
• An understanding of adult learning with demonstrated ability to create relevant content and resources to various audiences
• Highly articulate and strong written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking
• Ability to articulate and communicate thought leadership through written form (eg White Papers)