Youth Participation and Development Coordinator

**Maternity leave backfill position (up to 12 months)**:

- **Full time position working 38 hours per week**:

- **Monthly RDO**:

- **Salary: $105k - $117k + Super**:

- **Ability to transfer or take LSL (Long Service Leave) within Local Government**

**About Merri-bek City Council**:
Merri-bek is a progressive council with 180,000 residents: one community, proudly diverse. Our city is vibrant and energetic, known for its active community, array of fabulous festivals, cool pools, eclectic shops and our community of artists and creative industries. As a Council, we’ve been supporting our community through difficult times, and our long term vision has ambitious goals for environmental sustainability, community wellbeing, and creating great places.

Merri-bek Council strives to be a contemporary, innovative and collaborative organisation with a deep commitment to engagement with, the Merri-bek community. With the Civic Centre located in Coburg, 8 kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD, there are excellent public transport options and great food and cafés right at the doorstep. Merri-bek City Council is a great place to live, work and play.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and welcoming workplace. We offer flexible and hybrid work options and genuinely care about providing our staff work/life balance.

**Our organisation vision is: One team brave and diverse making a difference.**

**About the role**:
The focus of this position is to lead the Youth Participation and Development Team within the Youth Services Unit and the development of a comprehensive youth participation and engagement model and action plan that supports youth led approaches.

Key responsibilities include:

- Oversee the development and implementation of a range of youth participation initiatives and special projects that enpower young people to have a voice and actively participate in Council and community life and decision making, using youth participation and community development approaches.
- Recruit, Support and Supervise staff in the Youth Participation and Development Team.
- Support staff to program Oxygen drop in service.
- Coordinate and oversee the planning and implementation of school engagement initiatives.
- Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of a range of innovative programs, activities and events that meet the identified needs of young people within the City of Merri-bek, using program logic framework and contributing to the social inclusion shared indicators approach.
- Develop, review and approve Program Logics and outcomes evaluation reporting, to support evidenced based program planning and delivery.
- Support the training and development of staff and young people to improve young people’s empowerment, leadership and participation in Council and community decision making.
- Support staff in the provision of information, referral, support and advocacy to young people and their families.
- Oversee the planning and organisation of events for young people that are safe, appropriate and on budget, using a youth participation model.
- Develop partnerships with schools, local service providers and community groups to benefit young people.
- Develop policies and procedures to enhance services to young people in Moreland.
- Engage young people, schools, and service providers to strengthen community supports and resources for young people and increase youth participation in the community.

**Skills and experience require to perform the role**:

- Experience in youth participation models
- Skills in Community Development
- Skills in the leadership and support of community initiatives
- Sound program planning, development, implementation and evaluation skills.
- A sound understanding of youth work practice and trends in the youth services field.
- Skills in individual support
- Skills in group work and group dynamics.
- Experience in working with young people and families.
- An understanding of emerging issues within the Youth Services field and Merri-bek area
- An understanding of local government.
- Events management skills or experience
- Sound written and communication skills
- Experience in supervising, training and upskilling staff
- An understanding of the long-term goals of the wider organisation, of its values and aspirations, and of the legal, socio-economic and political context within which it operates.
- Knowledge and familiarity of principles and practices of budgeting and accounting/financial procedures and other governance requirements and reporting.

**What the role can offer**:

- Monthly RDO
- Extensive opportunities for training & career development
- Salary sacrifice options
- A real sense of work-life balance & flexible work options
- Employer-supported study assistance schemes
- Wellness programs

**Further support offered for our staff**:

- Up to 20 weeks primary & up to 5 weeks secondary parental leave
- Purchase leave
- Ceremonial leave
- Gender affirmation leave
- Family vi