Disaster Resilience Project Manager

Allied Justice is a for-purpose organisation providing free legal assistance, integrated services and community legal education.

When people experience deep and persistent disadvantages, they often feel trapped in dysfunctional relationships, lost in complex inefficient legal systems, unnecessary processes, and often suffering in silence. We are at the front line of these issues. We have invested significantly in the development of our new Strategy to ensure our organisation is providing contemporary integrated services to respond the shared and unique needs of the people we support across 11 local government areas in Western Victoria.

Our commitment is to change life stories through better access to justice, and we achieve this by applying our values – respect, courage, empowerment & kindness – to the people of the communities we serve, our stakeholders and our colleagues.

By providing legal services, community legal education, law reform and integrated services through client centered, trauma informed and culturally safe practice, we will improve the safety and wellbeing of families and individuals.

About the Role

The Disaster Resilience Project Manager is responsible for developing and delivering projects and initiatives on matters relating to climate & disaster justice in line with our strategic priorities with a particular focus on disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

The Disaster Resilience Project Manager's main areas of focus include the following:

• Leading the organisation to embed an understanding of climate & disaster justice and its intersections with all areas of our work.
• Working with clients and community members and other stakeholders to ensure their climate & disaster justice experiences and priorities lead our advocacy and engagement.
• Together with other leaders in the organisation, pursuing climate & disaster justice law reform and policy advocacy priorities and engaging with communities.
• Building partnerships and strategic relationships to increase Allied Justice's impact.
• Project managing new initiatives from inception to delivery.
• Contributing to the legal assistance sector's knowledge and influence in relation to climate & disaster justice.
• Communicating the impact of our work internally, to our communities and funders

Job Responsibilities Overview

Leadership

• Support and contribute to the development of strategy as a member of the Operations Group.
• Provide quality and informed leadership to the organisation regarding project development and implementation.
• Approach problems and challenges from a solution focused mindset.

Project development and capacity building

• Develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to engage community organisations and communities across regional Victoria to understand and respond to climate & disaster justice challenges.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and alignment of service responses and develop integrated ways of working to enhance service coordination, especially in relation to project development and delivery.
• Work with the project team, internal teams, partner organisations and community groups to identify project goals/objectives and priorities, deliver project activities, evaluate effectiveness and communicate our impact.
• Prepare and contribute to regular updates, reports and acquittals for relevant project activities.

Stakeholder and community engagement

• Proactively cultivate networks of other organisations and coordinate and support participation in project activities.
• Develop local partnerships to implement project goals and work collaboratively to achieve desired outcomes
• Identify opportunities to engage communities, including those with lived experience, through traditional and innovative means, raising their legal literacy and understanding of how to engage with community legal services in relation to project activities.
• Participate in existing relevant local networks, working groups, events and forums to build trust and connection progress community engagement.

A full position Description can be found on our website, or by emailing

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

1. Significant professional experience in community development or community engagement, including ability to prepare & present CLE, co-ordinate and facilitate community events/conversations.
2. Exceptional interpersonal skills including a demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and engagingly to a range of people and in different settings.
3. Extensive experience building relationships and working collaboratively as part of a team as well as with services and community groups to align and progress common priorities and an evidenced understanding of the principles of partnership.
4. A proven ability to support credible monitoring and evaluation activities through data collection and analysis.
5. Experience within the community or for-purpose sector progressing access to housing justice.
6. Capacity to work with community members, in a trauma informed way with empathy and respect for their expertise, to effectively tell their stories and support their role as advocates.
7. Established networks in government, the community sector and/or central and northern Victorian communities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant field, such as community development, social work, public policy or law, or significant experience in a similar role.
• Current Victorian Driver's Licence
• Cleared National Police Record Check (it is the responsibility of all staff to notify the organization immediately if there are any changes to their criminal records status)
• Current right to work in Australia
• Valid, employer Working with Children Check
• Physical ability to safely undertake all aspect of the position

For a confidential discussion, please contact Narelle Laing, CEO on

Please apply via Seek. Applications, applications close Sunday 5th October 2025.

This position is located in Ballarat with hybrid arrangements negotiable.

We welcome applications from people of all genders, ages, First Nation peoples, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse and intersex people.