Description:
About the role
Job description
- Reporting to: CEO
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Duration: Ongoing
- Employment Type: Full-time
- Salary: $140,000 to $150,000 (dependent on experience) plus Superannuation
- Application Close: 5.00 PM (AEST) on Friday, 16 May 2025
About the Role:
As Executive Director for Social Policy & Research, you will lead strategic initiatives to champion equity, recognition, and civic participation for Australia’s culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. This position involves shaping policy, building strategic partnerships, and driving transformative societal change at the national level.
This role offers an exceptional opportunity to influence national discourse and create innovative advocacy frameworks that positively impact multicultural communities throughout Australia. You will forge collaborations with government agencies, community organizations, and diverse stakeholders while leading a team of professionals and coordinating various specialized advisory committees.
The ideal candidate is a strategist with exceptional interpersonal abilities, outstanding communication skills, and a hands-on leadership approach. You are an initiative-taking problem solver who excels under pressure, consistently delivers results, and proactively identifies opportunities for meaningful impact.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership:
- Spearhead the development and expansion of initiatives addressing equity barriers, cultural recognition, civic engagement, and systemic racism affecting multicultural communities.
- Craft and execute compelling advocacy strategies to influence federal social policies, services, and systems.
- Cultivate trust, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership to amplify FECCA’s influence and community representation.
- Secure and leverage grants and diverse funding opportunities while mobilizing collaborative networks to strengthen advocacy efforts.
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Establish and nurture relationships with Australia’s diverse cultural communities, FECCA members, partner organizations, academic researchers, and government representatives.
- Manage working groups, advisory committees, and community consultations on critical social issues affecting multicultural communities.
- Orchestrate productive engagement with expert committees and harmonize activities across diverse interest groups.
Policy Development and Advocacy:
- Deliver expert social policy guidance and produce compelling submissions, comprehensive reports, and persuasive advocacy materials.
- Analyse and interpret social policy trends to inform FECCA initiatives and government relations strategies.
- Integrate evidence-based research into social policy recommendations and program design.
- Foster collaboration within and across FECCA initiatives to embed intersectionality as a core principle in all policy development and advocacy efforts.
Operational:
- Lead the Social Policy & Research team, managing workflow prioritization, resource allocation, and strategic implementation, while ensuring adherence to organisational policies and objectives.
- Oversee grant management ensuring compliance with governance frameworks and reporting obligations.
- Facilitate communication initiatives for the portfolio and contribute to FECCA’s multi-platform outreach, including websites, newsletters, and social media.
Selection Criteria:
Essential Criteria:
- Comprehensive understanding of issues affecting Australia’s culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.
- Advanced tertiary qualifications in social policy, public policy, or related disciplines.
- Minimum five years’ leadership experience in advocacy, policy development, or community engagement at the national level.
- Demonstrated ability to produce high-impact and strategic policy advocacy.
- Advanced research, analytical, and project management capabilities.
- Demonstrated success in grant acquisition and management.
- Minimum three years’ experience leading a highly diverse team of at least five people.
- Advanced skills in stakeholder engagement and public speaking.
Desired Criteria:
- Proven track record leading advocacy teams in multicultural contexts.
- In-depth knowledge of government systems and processes.
- Passionate commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with relevant lived experience highly valued.