Lived Experience Consumer Lead

**_Wellways is committed to reconciliation, lived experience and inclusivity. We strongly encourage and warmly welcome people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with a lived experience of mental health and disability and people_** **_who identify as LGBTIQA+ to apply. Even if you only meet some of the criteria, we'd love to hear from you._**

**About the opportunity**

The Lived experience consumer lead will provide operational lived experience leadership across Wellways. The consumer lead will work collaboratively to operationalise the Lived experience strategy.

The individual in this role will be responsible for developing, leading, and managing Consumer Peer Practice leads, while serving as a change-capable leader in transforming the lived and living experience workforce. They will ensure that workforce capability, governance arrangements, and leadership activities align with principles of lived experience participation, diversity, and inclusion, fostering a culture of self-advocacy, resilience, and collaboration. They will stay updated on relevant contemporary knowledge, engage and empower participants, clinicians, and the community to understand the consumer perspective, and challenge ineffective service delivery approaches. Collaborating effectively with project/program leaders and peer workforce, they will inspire a lived experience culture connected to the consumer movement and lead diversity and inclusion strategies, fostering a workplace valuing lived experience.

Additionally, They will work on community engagement activities, contribute to sector leadership on co-design principles, provide internal advice on peer programs, maintain the integrity of co-production and peer practice, and liaise with stakeholders for tender and grant writing, policy advice, and partnership building towards achieving recovery-oriented, trauma-informed mental health systems, while seeking contributions from diverse backgrounds and experiences and implementing the workforce aspect of the lived experience strategy.

**To be successful in this role, you will need**:

- Lived experience of mental health challenges/psychological distress.
- Minimum Certificate IV in peer support or lived experience of mental health challenges and demonstrated experience of recovery and has worked in a designated lived experience role
- Ability to drive change through the design and delivery of policies and programs that embed lived experience
- Intentional Peer support core and advanced training completed (or willing to complete)
- Current valid Driver's License and the ability to undertake regular travel
- Current Police Records Check
- Current Working with Children Check
- Right to Work within Australia
- NDIS Worker Orientation Module
- NDIS Worker Screening Check

**What we offer**
- ** Purpose-Driven Culture**: Immerse yourself in a culture where passion meets purpose. Here, you can thrive while making a genuine difference. We hold respect for every individual close to our hearts, and we cherish the unique contributions that each person brings to the table.
- ** Equitable and Inclusive Work Environment**: We take pride in fostering a workplace that's not just diverse, but also equitable and socially inclusive. We value the rich tapestry of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that our team members bring, and we actively promote an atmosphere of inclusion and belonging.
- ** Salary Packaging**: Enhance your financial well-being with our salary packaging option, which lets you allocate up to $15,899 of your salary for specific expenses before taxes kick in. This means more financial flexibility for you to allocate funds toward things like rent, mortgage payments, or car leasing.
- **Meal and Entertainment Allowance**: Indulge in the joys of life with our meal and entertainment allowance, available through salary packaging. You can enjoy up to $2,650 per annum to savor delightful meals and experiences with your loved ones, all while saving on taxes.
- **Employee Assistance Program**: We understand that life comes with its challenges, and your well-being is important to us. As part of our commitment to your holistic health, you and your family have access to our Employee Assistance Program. It's a supportive resource designed to help you navigate life's ups and downs with confidence and resilience.

Join us, and not only will you find a fulfilling career, but you'll also discover a host of benefits that enrich your personal and professional life. We're not just offering a job; we're inviting you to be a part of an inclusive, supportive, and purpose-driven community where your well-being and success matter most. Your journey towards a better future starts here.

**Why us?**

Wellways are a team of approximately 2000 staff and 150 volunteers across 93 sites providing a range of programs, services and supports to people right across Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tas