Community Engagement Organiser

Community Engagement Organiser - (working with Australian South-East Asian and other multicultural communities)

This position is based in the Centre for Population Genomics (CPG), an initiative of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne.

At CPG, we are working to create a world in which genomic information enables comprehensive disease prediction, accurate diagnosis and effective therapeutics for all people. Genomic medicine uses the information in a person's genes to guide disease diagnosis and decisions about suitable treatments. In the future, health will be based on an individualised model of care, informed by the data contained in a person's genes.

The Inclusive Genomics Team at the CPG is working to address this inequity in Australia by building a multi culturally-aligned, participant centric approach to increasing the diversity of genomic data.

The Opportunity

The Community Engagement Organiser is a member of the Inclusive Genomics team at the Centre for Population Genomics. The Community Engagement Organiser will be responsible for working closely with members of the public from specific minority ancestry groups to support and coordinate outreach, education, qualitative research, co-design and recruitment into genomics research. Reporting to and working closely with the Lead, Inclusive Genomics, the Community Engagement Organiser will collaborate with the Senior Communities Specialist and the Community Health Education and Communications Officer in CPG. Under the guidance of the Lead, Inclusive Genomics and the Senior Communities Specialist, the Community Engagement Organiser may also collaborate closely with external collaborators, such as staff at the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, supporting qualitative research and co-design.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include:
1) Build and maintain relationships with individuals and organisations in specific communities
- Collaborate with the rest of the team in building a strategy for engagement with specific ethnic ancestry communities
- Determine residential locations (towns, suburbs) of communities / sub-groups of communities
- Identify organisations (eg, churches, mosques, community groups) and social media membership groups that a community is represented by or can be reached through
- Identify key organisations and individuals in specific communities who will be critical to engaging broadly with the community
- Identify relevant medical providers (when required by specific projects) serving identified communities

2) Organise and facilitate community events and research
- Plan, organise and facilitate community events, campaigns, qualitative research and co-design workshops, in collaboration with the rest of the IG team
- Engage with community leaders, key contacts and other stakeholders to identify appropriate times and places for community education, information sharing and recruitment events

3) Coordinate the work of community volunteers / field workers
- Assist team in identifying appropriate community leaders and potential volunteers
- Facilitate the in-community work of volunteers or short-term contractors assisting with community engagement

4) Maintain records of contacts
- Maintain accurate records of individuals and organisations in each community
- Log contacts and exchanges, and share this information with the rest of the IG team

5) Collaborate on and support team with community research and other activities
- Collaborate with the Senior Communities Specialist and other research leads to conduct interviews, focus groups and co-design events in specific communities
- Collaborate with the Community Health Education and Communications Officer to develop and disseminate messaging and assist communications staff by sharing story ideas that community members would be willing to have broadcast
- Travel if required (across Australia) and be on the ground, with the Centre team, at the time of surveys and blood collections, supporting the Project Management team to ensure smooth logistics and clear communications with the community members

Snap shot of benefits
- This is a 3 year full time fixed term contract with a salary of up to $97,000 + super + salary packaging (dependent on experience)
- Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)
- Flexible work arrangements e.g. location, start / finish times etc
- 18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation
- A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave
- Discounted Health Insurance
- Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

About You

The key skills and experience include:

- Experience working in or with one or more of the following cultural communiti