Policy & Advocacy Lead

• Opportunity to work at the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) a national purpose-driven organisation which is a symbol of hope and an essential vehicle for action for many victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
• Join at an exciting period of growth, as the National Centre expands its team.
• Key role in shaping the policy and advocacy that centres Lived Experience and drives systemic reform to prevent child sexual abuse and support victims and survivors.
• Full time (1.0) fixed-term position until October with flexible working arrangements available (eg. part-time).
• A national remote role, available in every major Australian city (with no preference for any location).
• The successful candidate will undertake domestic travel occasionally as part of this role.
• $85,000 - $105,000 + superannuation + salary packaging options

Note: this advertisement refers to child sexual abuse and may bring up strong feelings. Please take care of yourself and seek support if you need. Support services can be found on our website.

The Policy & Advocacy Lead plays a key role in advancing strategic policy development and advocacy to prevent child sexual abuse and improve outcomes for victims and survivors.

This role uses evidence based approaches that centres the Lived Experience of victims and survivors, diverse cultural perspectives and best practice across all policy and advocacy initiatives.

By facilitating ethical victim and survivor engagement, building stakeholder relationships and developing targeted advocacy strategies and policies, the Policy & Advocacy Lead will make a meaningful contribution to the National Centre's Policy and Systems Reforms team.

At the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, we are committed to elevating the wisdom and expertise of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Values of safety, inclusion and trauma-responsiveness guide our interactions, including in our recruitment process. The National Centre team commit to authentic and meaningful engagement with people with Lived Experience - ensuring their voices are heard, valued, and embedded in our work.

• You have a strong track record of developing evidence-informed policy and advocacy strategies that influence decision-makers and shape public discourse.
• You hold relevant qualifications in public policy, social sciences, law or a related field, or have equivalent professional experience.
• You have experience working with victims and survivors, or in sectors where lived experience informs policy and advocacy.
• You apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive and ethical approaches to all aspects of your work.
• You are skilled at identifying systemic gaps and translating complex information into clear, actionable policies.
• You are experienced in writing high-quality policy documents, briefings and reports tailored to diverse audiences.
• You understand how to embed lived experience, trauma-informed principles and cultural safety into every stage of policy and advocacy work.
• You build trusted relationships and adapt your communication to engage diverse stakeholders and audiences.
• You translate complex evidence and insights into clear, compelling policy and advocacy outputs.
• You are aligned with the National Centre's mission to disrupt child sexual abuse and bring about systemic change.
• You demonstrate a trauma-informed, ethical and survivor engaged approach to your work, and understand the critical importance of working in partnership with people with Lived Experience; ensuring their voices are heard, respected and meaningfully embedded in all that you do.

Research indicates that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised individuals often wait until they fulfil every requirement. If you believe you have the attributes to do the job but don't match every point on the job ad, we welcome and encourage your application.

• Develop and implement targeted policy and advocacy strategies that effectively influence decision-makers, shape public discourse, and advance systemic reform.
• Apply trauma informed, culturally safe and inclusive approaches to all policy development.
• Produce and maintain policies, reports and briefings  that reflect the National Centre's focus on victims and survivors and ensure alignment with current research, Lived Experience insights and best sector practice.
• Centre survivor and victim voices and experiences as the foundation of all advocacy priorities and policy decisions.
• Facilitate meaningful victim and survivor engagement in policy development and advocacy planning ensuring their voices and expertise influence all initiatives.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with government, sector leaders, Lived Experience advocates, and partner organisations.
  

Please see the Policy & Advocacy Lead position description for more.

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse was established in November 2021 as a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It is a symbol of hope and an essential vehicle for action for many victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Its formation recognises the decades of advocacy by victims and survivors to be listened to, believed, validated, protected and ultimately supported to heal from the trauma they carry with them. Its focus extends beyond institutional child sexual abuse to abuse that occurs in the family, community and online.

The National Centre has woven the voices and experiences of victims and survivors into its very fabric. It acknowledges the strength and expertise that derives from their Lived and Living Experience of child sexual abuse. The National Centre recognises and honours the diversity of victims and survivors' experiences, identities and cultural backgrounds and their contributions to the common purpose of addressing child sexual abuse.

At the National Centre, we believe for victims and survivors to have the best opportunity to heal, they must feel safe to disclose and receive the necessary support that is non-stigmatising, appropriate to their needs and effective. Our purpose is to disrupt the dynamics that have failed to stop child sexual abuse from occurring, and prevented victims and survivors from being validated and supported.

We are committed to providing an inclusive experience to all candidates. If you have a disability, condition, illness or access requirements, please let us know how we can best support you throughout your recruitment experience. 

We recognise that each individual's needs are different. Some examples of adjustments we can provide include (but are not limited to):

• Alternative formats or ways to submit your application (verbal or video)
• Flexible communication methods
• Additional time to complete tasks, assessments or pre-interview work
• Support from a support person or advocate during interviews
• Modifications to the interview structure, environment or timing

If you require additional adjustments, or would like to discuss any access needs as a part of the application and recruitment process, please contact us via email  

We aim to be transparent and kind to all of our candidates. We value your time, and as such want to share how we do things so you know what to expect with no nasty surprises. For more information on our end-to-end candidate experience, please visit the SHE HR Consulting website.

To express your interest, submit an online application through our application portal and include a professional resume. All applicants must also provide brief responses to the application questions that are included as part of the online application. 

Note: we do not accept cover letters as part of our application process.

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and we may close our job advertisement without notice, so don't delay your application.

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse is an equal opportunity employer and strives to maintain a workplace environment that is fair and free of discrimination, is safe and accessible for all employees, and provides working arrangements that accommodate the diverse needs of our staff. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people from culturally- and linguistically-diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ people and people of every ethnicity, faith, ability, culture, language, gender identity, age, and sex.

Employment in this position is conditional upon reception and maintenance of reference checks as part of pre-employment screening, and a Working With Children Check (or state equivalent).

As part of our employment screening process, we do run police checks. But don't worry—having a criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify you.