Community & Economic Development Manager

Join Us at Marthakal: Where Purpose Meets Country

Step into a role where your work truly matters. At Marthakal Homelands Resource Centre, you're not just taking a job — you're becoming part of a movement. Grounded in the heart of Yolŋu Country on Elcho Island and extending across a vast network of Homelands and protected coastal areas, Marthakal is a dynamic Aboriginal organisation driven by culture, community, and connection to Country. Through our Marthakal Master Planning Strategy, we're building strong futures — from economic development and housing to health, rangers, tourism, and more — and we're looking for passionate people to walk alongside Yolŋu leaders in bringing this vision to life.

Working here means:

• Contributing to real change across housing, health, enterprise, and environmental stewardship.
• Collaborating with Yolŋu leaders in a Both-Ways approach that values culture as central to everything we do.
• Living and working in one of Australia's most unique and culturally rich locations — surrounded by community, ceremony, sea Country, and purpose.

If you're ready to bring your skills, your heart, and your curiosity to a place where your work becomes part of something much bigger — we want to hear from you.

Position Purpose

To lead the design, implementation, and coordination of both Community Development and Economic Development initiatives across the Marthakal Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). The role supports enterprise managers and community project officers in delivering programs that strengthen local capacity, economic participation, cultural leadership, and wellbeing in line with the Marthakal Master Planning Strategy. The position plays a pivotal role in building a Yolngu-led participatory economy and ensuring that development is place-based, sustainable, and community driven.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Operational Leadership

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across both Community and Economic Development portfolios, ensuring alignment with Marthakal's Master Plan and Board direction.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to social enterprise teams (e.g., Motel, Airline, Arts Centre, and other emerging businesses).
• Embed participatory planning approaches and ensure community voice and authority guide all development activity.
• Promote integration between programs and enterprises to foster whole-of-community benefit.

Community Development

• Lead and mentor Community Development Officer/s in the planning and delivery of projects focused on social wellbeing, education, youth, culture, governance, and place-based capacity building.
• Support Yolngu leaders and clan groups to identify priorities and develop community-led responses to social and cultural challenges.
• Drive initiatives that strengthen local governance, social cohesion, cultural continuity, and intergenerational leadership.

Economic Development

·       Lead and mentor Economic Development Officer/s in the planning and delivery of projects.

• Oversee the performance of Marthakal enterprises including the Motel, Arts Centre, Airline, and other developing ventures to ensure financial viability, cultural appropriateness, and community benefit.

• Support Enterprise Managers to build viable, culturally grounded business models that provide employment, training, and income for Yolngu people.

• Identify and develop new opportunities for enterprise aligned with Homeland strengths and Marthakal's strategic vision especially in remote homelands.

Funding & Partnerships

• Lead the development of grant applications, funding proposals, and project budgets in both community and enterprise spaces in collaboration with our grant writing partner Morris Piper.

• Establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with government, industry, philanthropy, research bodies, NGOs, and private enterprise in partnership with our grant writing partners Morris Piper

• Negotiate agreements that favour local benefit, build capacity, and foster long-term sustainability.

• Report to CEO, MEO, CFO and Board on project performance.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Develop and implement tools to measure social and economic impact of programs and enterprises.
• Ensure all reporting (narrative, financial, compliance) is completed to a high standard and submitted in a timely manner.
• Regularly report to the CEO and Board on progress, risks, and key opportunities for impact.

Other Duties as Directed

·       Undertake a variety of tasks of a specialised and / or detailed nature which may include backfilling for other staff in other Departments