Senior Community Engagement Officer

About The Role

In this role, you will take the lead in designing, delivering, and evaluating best-practice engagement initiatives that align with the City's strategic goals and empower community voices. You will provide expert advice, training, and facilitation to ensure all engagement is inclusive, transparent, and effective. With a strong focus on building relationships and supporting evidence-based decision-making, you will also play a key role in policy implementation and using data to improve community outcomes. This is your opportunity to help shape a more connected, responsive, and inclusive City.

Work type: Permanent Part Time (0.8FTE)

Classification: Band 7 Commencing at $106,158 pa plus super

Key responsibilities

• Design and facilitate best practice community engagement solutions in line with department strategy and plans, Council Plan 2025-29 and the Clever Creative long-term vision.
• Provide subject matter expertise to lead and influence community engagement practices across the City.
• Support, oversee and implement organisational engagement projects with a strategic and risk lens.
• Lead the promotion and integration of the City's Community Engagement Policy across the organisation and within the community.
• Partner with teams across the organisation to identify and plan upcoming community engagements, ensuring they are scheduled and delivered at the right time for the best outcomes.
• Manage the City's online Have Your Say platform.

About You

The ideal candidate for this role will bring substantial experience in Community Engagement—ideally within Local Government or the Not-for-Profit sector—and demonstrate a deep understanding of inclusive engagement techniques. You willl be confident working with people from all walks of life, skilled in facilitation and analysis and thrive on building meaningful relationships with stakeholders and community members. If you're solutions-focused, people-oriented, and ready to champion community voices, we'd love to hear from you.

Essential Experience:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in a business, strategy, project management, engagement or related discipline and / or significant professional experience in community engagement in a comparable organisation.
• Substantial experience in assisting with the development of engagement plans and strategic documents.
• Knowledge of and, demonstrated ability to use, the IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum and community engagement techniques and practices
• Experience in data analytics and visualisation of qualitative and quantitative information, including the ability to translate qualitative data into insights.
• Ability to facilitate and administer meetings, workshops, research focused sessions and learning and development activities.
• Demonstrated people skills to support, influence, and collaborate with relevant stakeholders.
• Good problem solving and stakeholder management skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders to achieve task outcomes.
• Preferred candidates will be required to undergo a National Police Check as part of the recruitment process (funded by the City).

If this sounds like the role for you, then click apply now

Child Safety Responsibilities

We are committed to being a child-safe organisation and have zero-tolerance for child abuse. We have specific policies, procedures, and mandatory training in place to support employees, volunteers, and contractors to achieve and adhere to these commitments. Please read our Child Safe Standards Management Policy.

Diversity and Inclusion

At the City we want a workforce that reflects the community we live in. We welcome and embrace everyone, all people with their own unique experiences, and support and encourage all our employees to do their best work, have equal access to opportunities and a just working environment. For this reason, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from First Nations people, people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, from the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disability and people of all genders, ages and diverse experience.

We are the City

From parks to offices, childcare centres to works depots, leisure facilities to the Wool Museum and waterfront, our team plays a vital role in shaping our vibrant and growing community. Our community counts on us to get the essentials right while looking for ways to go beyond. By listening, collaborating, and focusing on sustainability, we strive to do the basics brilliantly and create a lasting impact. If you're ready to be part of something bigger, join us in shaping the future of Geelong.

We support accessibility and encourage discussions about any adjustments or support you may need during the recruitment process.

Applications and Enquiries

Click the Position Description link to view more information about this position.

Enquiries: Erin McHugh – Coordinator Community Engagement | EMcHugh@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

Click the Apply button to submit your application or find out more about this opportunity. If we can assist you with any reasonable adjustments in order to submit your application for this role, please contact the Talent Acquisition team via email at careers@geelongcity.vic.gov.au noting your preferred method of communication and contact details and a member of the team will be in touch.

We collect demographic data to help us learn who our advertisements are reaching and how we can reach an even more diverse audience. We are committed to building a more diverse team. Your responses to our demographic questions are strictly confidential and will not be individually shared.

To obtain a copy of the position description, please visit https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/employment/default.aspx

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