Advocacy Lead

Passionate about child rights, participation and policy reform?

Are you a skilled leader adept at shaping system transformation?

Join CREATE Foundation – and be part of our national advocacy team.

Darwin NT - Part-time 0.6 FTE | SCHADS Award Level 5 | Maximum 12-month fixed term, up to 31 December 2026

About the role

The Advocacy Lead positions in all states and territories are part of a newly formed National Advocacy team. Working closely with program and delivery teams in state and territory offices – these important leadership roles play a key role in ensuring the voices of children and young people with a care experience are heard and acted upon.

In this role, you will be at the forefront of advocacy, policy development and system reform. Working in a dynamic and fast paced environment, you will lead strategic stakeholder engagement, and strengthen relationships with government, sector and community leaders within the state or territory you lead, collaborating to drive meaningful improvements in the care system. You will bring curiosity alongside deep understanding of the child protection and out of home care system, and familiarity with the levers for change, across Australia

Working closely with the National Advocacy Director as part of the national team, you will collect and amplify the insights of young people in care, lead engagement initiatives, contribute to policy and law reform submissions. You will apply sound analytics and the ability to synthesise complex and diverse materials into compelling briefs and presentations to make the case for change.

In this role, you'll:

• Engage with children and young people with a care experience to gather insights in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way.
• Facilitate design workshops, policy roundtables, and advisory groups to ensure young people's voices shape policy and service improvements.
• Undertake sophisticated analysis and integration of insights from engagement with children and young people in care, author monthly and quarterly and annual products that succinctly articulate the insights and priorities identified by young people in care for a broad audience.
• Develop high-quality policy submissions, briefing papers, and advocacy materials.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government representatives, sector leaders, and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations.
• Monitor sector developments and contribute to CREATE's national advocacy initiatives.
• Collaborate with CREATE's Marketing and Communications team to share advocacy updates and young people's perspectives.

Why you'll love working at CREATE

We don't just talk about making a difference—we live it. Our team is passionate, purpose-driven, and we know that great work happens when people feel supported and valued. Here's what you can look forward to:

• Extra Time Off: Enjoy three bonus leave days over the festive season and a day off for your birthday
• Salary Packaging Perks: Pay less tax and take home more pay with our NFP benefits.
• Grow With Us: From induction to career development, we'll back your success.
• A Supportive Team: Work with people who genuinely care and uplift each other.
• Flexibility Matters: We know life happens, so we offer work arrangements that suit you.
• Celebrate Milestones: Earn rewards up to $3,000 as you grow with CREATE.
• Wellbeing First: Free, confidential Employee Assistance Program for you and your family.

About you

You are passionate about advocating for systemic change and empowering young people to have a voice. You thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, balancing system review and analysis, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. You have:

• Proven policy, system design, lived-experience design and participation expertise, with a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline.
• A strong understanding of child protection, the out-of-home care system and a commitment to child-safe principles and child participation models, and experience working with these systems and frameworks.
• Experience engaging with children and young people in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing policy submissions, briefing documents and advocacy materials.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build relationships and navigate complexity with government and community partners.
• Great time management and professional discipline, and the ability to work autonomously, while contributing to a collaborative team to deliver shared priorities and outcomes.

About us

At CREATE, we stand with children and young people in care. As the national voice for those with lived experience of out-of-home care, we amplify their voices to drive real change. Our advocacy is grounded in the lived experiences of children and young people, ensuring their insights shape policies, services, and community awareness, leading to better systems. We're bold, adaptive, and committed to empowering young people—because every child and young person deserves to be heard.

How to apply

View the full job description and selection criteria at

Ready to join our team? Apply now via Seek. Please ensure you upload your CV, and a detailed cover letter including responses to the Selection Criteria (maximum four pages) by midnight, Sunday 19 October 2025. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at

CREATE is an equal-opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity, and social inclusion. We value each individual's unique contribution and we strongly encourage applications from First Nations peoples, individuals with a care experience, those with different abilities and those from diverse backgrounds.

We can't wait to hear from you