Director of Operations

- An exciting opportunity to join Equality Institute (EQI); a purpose-driven organisation working to end violence against women and girls and advance gender equality globally.

- Join at a pivotal time of growth and transformation, as EQI strengthens its operational foundations to support sustainable growth and develop strong foundations to strengthen internal capabilities.

- The opportunity to play a critical role in driving organisational impact and effectiveness, ensuring the right systems, structures and people are in place to deliver EQI’s goals.

- This is a hands‑on leadership role, where the successful applicant is comfortable leading with vision and setting strategy, while also stepping into the detail and day‑to‑day delivery of responsibilities and tasks.

- Permanent (1.0) position, with flexible working arrangements available (eg. 0.9 part time).

- A hybrid remote role, available in Naarm (Melbourne); bi‑weekly presence in the Collingwood office will be required.

- $130,000 - $140,000 (FTE) + superannuation.

Role summary

The Director of Operations is a senior member of Equality Institute’s (EQI) Leadership Team, responsible for leading the organisation’s critical functions with accountability and oversight of HR, operations, finance and business services to ensure EQI’s internal foundations are strong, inclusive, and effective.

This role ensures the right systems, structures, and practices are in place so teams can work efficiently, collaborate effectively, and deliver on EQI’s strategic goals. It provides leadership and strategic guidance across people, operations, finance and risk management, embedding EQI’s values and intersectional feminist principles in everything the organisation does to ensure organisational sustainability through exceptional management, developing and strengthening the organisational capability.

The Director of Operations will partner closely with the Co-CEO and Leadership Team to translate strategic intent into operational reality, ensuring EQI’s people, processes, and priorities work seamlessly to advance gender equality and prevent violence against women and girls.

Who you are (selection criteria)

- You hold tertiary qualifications in Business Management, or a related field (or possess equivalent experience).

- You have extensive experience in people, operations, and organisational leadership, ideally within purpose-driven or social impact organisations.

- You bring a deep understanding of how HR, finance, operations, and systems intersect to create efficient, values-aligned organisations.

- You have demonstrated experience leading organisational operations, including strategic planning, budgeting, risk management, and compliance.

- You are skilled in developing and implementing systems, processes, and Standard Operating Procedures that create clarity, consistency, and accountability.

- You have financial literacy; you’re comfortable working with budgets, reports, approvals, and cost allocations and can translate financial insights into operational decisions.

- You are confident managing contracts, compliance frameworks, and organisational risk registers, and can lead continuous improvement initiatives in these areas.

- You are an experienced leader who thrives on developing others; you coach, guide, and empower your team while fostering collaboration, accountability, and shared purpose.

- You have strong systems capability, with proven experience in leveraging technology to drive efficiency and alignment across teams.

- You are a clear and strategic communicator, capable of translating organisational goals into actionable work plans and measurable outcomes.

- You are passionate about gender equality, social justice, and intersectional feminism, and bring this lens to how you lead, manage, and make decisions.

- You value transparency, collaboration, and inclusion, and you model these principles in how you build relationships across all levels of an organisation.

Research indicates that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised individuals often wait until they fulfil every requirement. If you believe you have the attributes to do the job but don't match every point on the job ad, we welcome and encourage your application.

Key responsibilities

- Lead the execution of EQI’s operational, HR, and support strategies, ensuring alignment with organisational mission, values, and strategic priorities.

- Own organisational systems and operational workflows, ensuring they are efficient, scalable, integrated, and user-friendly.

- Act as the executive lead partnership with the Co-CEOs, overseeing budget planning, resource allocation, and financial reporting for stakeholders.

- Lead and operationalise strategies, including workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, and organisational culture initiatives.

- Own organisational compliance, risk management, and governance frameworks across operations, HR, and supporting finance.

- Lead, mentor, and coach direct reports to build organisational capability and resilience.

Please see the Director of Operations position description for more.

Who we are

Equality Institute (EQI) is a global feminist agency working to end violence against women and girls.

We are values-driven and underpinned by feminist principles in the ways we work and how we conduct ourselves. We actively apply an understanding of intersectionality in our work and are committed to having diversity reflected in our workplace.

Our values are active:

- Strive for Equality

- Stay Curious

- Be Courageous

- Find the Joy

They are not merely slogans but are imbedded into the structure of our organisation, and manifest in the approach we take, work we do, and systems we build.

We approach everything with an intersectional feminist lens. While violence affects women and girls across the world, different layers of people’s identities—such as their socio-economic status, indigeneity, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, minority status, age, and so on—impact the ways in which they are discriminated against the types of violence perpetrated against them. Thus, our work aims to address not just gender inequality but all forms of inequality and systems of oppression in an interconnected way.

We ask questions instead of making assumptions and take an evidence-based approach to create effective change. We recognise vulnerability as a strength and dare to be different. We actively find the joy and share it, and we create systems that enable and support self and collective care.

These are just some of the ways in which our values manifest in the work we do.

Additional adjustments

We are committed to providing an inclusive experience to all candidates. If you have a disability, condition, illness or access requirements, please let us know how we can best support you throughout your recruitment experience.

We recognise that everyone's needs are different. Some examples of adjustments we can provide include (but are not limited to):

- Alternative formats or ways to submit your application (verbal or video)

- Flexible communication methods

- Additional time to complete tasks, assessments or pre-interview work

- Support from a support person or advocate during interviews

- Modifications to the interview structure, environment or timing

If you require additional adjustments, or would like to discuss any access needs as a part of the application and recruitment process, please contact us via email hr@equalityinstitute.org

What we offer

- True flexibility and a strong focus on agility in the workplace; we prioritise making flexible work arrangements possible for all employees.

- A diverse team, dedicated to fostering a positive workplace culture and making meaningful impact in the world.

- We offer a staff profit‑sharing scheme which aims to distribute a percentage of any remaining surplus funds on an annual basis to eligible employees.

- Gifted 5 additional days of annual leave.

- Gifted 3 additional days of personal leave.

- As an organisation striving for equality, we offer 20 days (pro‑rata for part‑timers) paid family and domestic violence leave per year to support those affected by family violence.

- Policies and procedures which promote diversity and intersectionality; building upon our strong feminist foundation.

- Continuous learning and development opportunities with an organisational‑wide Learning and Development Calendar as well as a personal professional development budget per employee, per calendar year.

- In‑person staff retreats where we connect as one team.

- Employee Assistance Program, giving employees free access to capped confidential counselling from qualified psychologists or counsellors.

- A psychologically and physically safe working environment where your wellbeing is prioritised.

How to apply

To express your interest, submit an online application through our application portal and include a professional resume. All applicants must also provide brief responses to the application questions that are included as part of the online application.

Note: we do not accept cover letters as part of our application process.

We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in, with the role closing at 11:59pm on Monday December 1. As we are a small but agile team, this can mean that our processes take a little longer so we appreciate your patience with us whilst we navigate our process. We will reach out to you if your application progresses, and we strongly encourage getting this in early

Equality Institute is an equal opportunity employer and strives to maintain a workplace environment that is fair and free of discrimination, is safe and accessible for all employees, and provides working arrangements that accommodate the diverse needs of our staff. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people from culturally‑and‑linguistically‑diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ people and people of every ethnicity, faith, ability, culture, language, gender identity, age, and sex.

Equality Institute is a Child Safe organisation and is committed to ensuring the safety and well‑being of all children. We will work to promote child‑safe environments to ensure that all children associated with the activities of the organisation are protected.

Employment in this position is conditional upon reception and maintenance of reference checks as part of pre‑employment screening, and a Working With Children Check (or state equivalent). We also run police checks as part of this pre‑employment screening. But don’t worry – having a criminal record doesn’t automatically disqualify you.

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