First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer

PHN Hunter New England and Central Coast; Newcastle; Hybrid; AUD 84,000 - 92,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging up to $15,900 plus $2

Entertainment allowance (up to $2,650)

Hybrid work up to 60% from home

Generous leave (including extra days)

Health and wellbeing benefits

Professional development

Job summary

PHN Hunter New England and Central Coast – Newcastle West NSW is seeking a First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer (Identified). The role supports culturally safe, community-informed practices across health services commissioned by the PHN, collaborating with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and other providers.

The position involves coordinating a Cultural Safety Reflection Tool, engaging stakeholders, and guiding improvements in culturally safe service delivery.

Qualifications

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identity with understanding of cultural safety principles and health/community experience.
• Relevant qualifications and/or demonstrated experience in project management, including risk mitigation and reporting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with attention to detail.
• Ability to facilitate consultation, negotiation and consensus-building with stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Progress reflection and evaluation activities for the Cultural Safety Reflection Tool pilot.
• Collate stakeholder feedback and prepare recommendations for broader implementation.
• Coordinate implementation across providers and monitor timelines and deliverables.
• Identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Develop training resources and tools to support cultural safety practices.
• Build and maintain relationships with Aboriginal organisations and training providers.
• Provide cultural safety advice across procurement and service design activities.
• Prepare updates, presentations and reports for stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Cultural safety

Independent & team work

Change management

Job description

First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer

PHN Hunter New England and Central Coast – Newcastle West NSW

First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer (Identified)

Location | Flexible: Armidale, Erina, Newcastle or Tamworth

Hours | Part-time, 0.6 FTE (22.8 hours per week)

Contract | Maximum-term until 30 June 2027

Application Close Date | 9am Tuesday 20th October

Annual Full-Time Equivalent Salary | $83,512.03 - $91,947.73 + 12% super + salary packaging

Are you passionate about improving health outcomes for First Nations communities and strengthening cultural safety across health services?

We are seeking a First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer to support the implementation of culturally safe, community-informed practices across the health services commissioned by the PHN.

Working collaboratively with internal teams, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, mainstream commissioned service providers and other stakeholders, you will provide project coordination, stakeholder engagement, cultural safety guidance for PHN commissioned services and processes.

A key focus of the role will be coordinating the implementation of a Cultural Safety Reflection Tool across commissioned service provider organisations, using stakeholder feedback and evaluation findings to support practical and sustainable improvements in culturally safe service delivery.

This is an identified position. Applicants must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Why work for us?

We are a values-driven organisation, proud of our culture and the benefits we offer. Our team is passionate about delivering innovative, locally relevant solutions that improve health outcomes in our communities. We offer a great range of benefits, including:

• Salary packaging up to $15,900, plus $2,650 for entertainment
• Hybrid work, with up to 60% of working time from home
• Generous leave, including five additional days for family or community, three days over Christmas and the option to purchase extra leave
• Health and wellbeing benefits, including EAP, Fitness Passport and Pride in Diversity membership
• Professional development and collaboration with passionate professionals.

About the Role

As the First Nations Cultural Safety Project Officer, you will:

• Progress reflection and evaluation activities for the Cultural Safety Reflection Tool pilot.
• Collate stakeholder feedback and prepare recommendations for broader implementation of the tool.
• Coordinate implementation across commissioned service providers and monitor progress against agreed timelines and deliverables.
• Identify project risks, develop mitigation strategies and monitor project outcomes.
• Develop a library of training resources, practical tools, activities and local organisations that support enhanced cultural safety practices.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, Aboriginal Medical Services and cultural safety training providers.
• Use stakeholder feedback to ensure project tools and processes are culturally responsive, practical and fit for purpose.
• Provide cultural safety advice and support across commissioning and procurement activities, including service design, procurement documentation, evaluation and contract management.
• Prepare project updates, presentations and reports for internal and external stakeholders.

What you will bring to the role

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identity, with a demonstrated understanding of cultural safety principles and experience applying these in health, community or commissioning settings.
• Relevant qualifications and/or demonstrated experience in project management, including time management, risk mitigation, evaluation, maintaining project documentation, reporting and continuous improvement.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate consultation, negotiation and consensus-building with stakeholders.
• The ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining internal and external stakeholder relationships to deliver outcomes.
• The ability to apply change management principles.
• Experience working with First Nations people and communities, along with an understanding of and commitment to health equity, is desirable.
• Experience working in the primary health care sector is desirable.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We believe that our differences are what make us great. Whatever our race, gender identity, intersex status, ability, religion, beliefs or sexual orientation, we are committed to calling out bias and supporting workplace inclusion, guided by our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy.

If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will do all we can to accommodate you.

Additional Information

• Some roles at the PHN are maximum-term and linked to funding contracts with the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. This is a maximum-term contract until 30 June 2027, and any extension is dependent on ongoing funding and operational needs of the organisation.
• This role is classified as F–J under our Enterprise Agreement. The appointment level will depend on the successful candidate’s skills, experience and qualifications. New appointments are generally offered between grades F–H.
• Portable leave and portable long service leave schemes do not apply to the PHN, including NSW Health portable leave and the Community Services Industry scheme.