Shelter Manager - Interim Outreach / Core & Cluster

Impact Advising; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging (not-for-profit)

1 day per week from home

Superannuation

Job summary

Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter (HKWS) seeks an experienced Shelter Manager to lead the interim Core & Cluster Outreach Service and guide the transition to a new crisis accommodation facility. You will supervise frontline staff, maintain client practice and strengthen community partnerships across Hornsby.

The role evolves toward managing day‑to‑day operations of the new facility, ensuring trauma‑informed, safe and accessible support for women and children.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in social work, health or a related discipline, with significant community services experience.
• Strong knowledge of domestic and family violence and homelessness issues impacting women and children.
• Leadership or management experience within DFV, homelessness or residential services.
• Experience leading, supervising and developing frontline staff, with focus on quality practice and staff wellbeing.
• Confidence providing trauma‑informed, client‑centred support and managing complex client matters.
• Strong written communication, reporting and ability to work within funded service frameworks.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, safeguarding and high‑quality service delivery.
• Ideally experience in residential or supported accommodation settings and understanding of women/children needs.
• Applicants must have full working rights in Australia.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the interim Core & Cluster Outreach Service with trauma‑informed, person‑centred support.
• Lead and develop a small casework team, provide reflective supervision and ensure practice quality.
• Maintain an active caseload and assist with complex cases and escalations as needed.
• Build partnerships with housing, homelessness, health, legal, DFV and community services for coordinated responses.
• Oversee client allocation, service delivery, operations systems and reporting to funding bodies.
• Drive continuous improvement and ensure alignment with legislation and funding requirements.
• Manage service data, reporting and performance; mitigate client and workplace risks.
• Represent HKWS in local networks and stakeholder forums to grow service reach.
• Contribute to strategic planning, service development and future workforce planning.

Skills

Leadership

Trauma-informed

Stakeholder engagement

Team supervision

Case management

Strategic planning

Governance

Risk management

Reporting

Communication

Education

Social work degree

Related discipline degree

Job description

Shelter Manager - Interim Outreach / Core & Cluster

• Lead a trauma-informed service supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness across the Hornsby community.
• Guide an established outreach team, strengthen local partnerships and play a key role in preparing for the transition into a new purpose-built Core & Cluster crisis accommodation service.
• Full-time opportunity initially based at the HKWS Hub in Westfield Hornsby, with 1 day a week flexibility to work from home.

• Lead a trauma-informed service supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness across the Hornsby community.
• Guide an established outreach team, strengthen local partnerships and play a key role in preparing for the transition into a new purpose-built Core & Cluster crisis accommodation service.
• Full-time opportunity initially based at the HKWS Hub in Westfield Hornsby, with 1 day a week flexibility to work from home.

The Impact of the Organisation

Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter (HKWS) is a community-based organisation providing safe accommodation and support to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness.

HKWS has continued to grow its services across the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai community, providing practical, compassionate and trauma-informed support that helps women and children move towards greater safety, stability and independence.

The organisation currently delivers services through its established women’s shelter and outreach Hub and is continuing to expand its service offering, including the development of a new Core & Cluster crisis accommodation service.

The Core & Cluster model will provide self-contained accommodation for women and their children alongside communal facilities and access to integrated support, creating a safe environment where families can receive the support they need while maintaining their privacy, independence and daily routines.

The Impact of the Role

As the Manager, you will lead the next stage of an important service supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness across the Hornsby community.

This is a unique opportunity where the role will evolve over time. Initially, you will lead the Core & Cluster Outreach Service from the established HKWS Hub at Westfield Hornsby while construction of the new crisis accommodation service is completed. You will lead a small casework team, maintain some direct client practice, strengthen referral pathways and community partnerships, and ensure women and children receive safe, responsive and trauma-informed support.

Once the new Core & Cluster facility is completed, anticipated in 2027, the role will transition into managing the new crisis accommodation service. You will help lead the transition into the facility and take responsibility for its day-to-day operations, including establishing operational systems, service procedures, referral and intake pathways and safe, effective crisis accommodation practices.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will have the autonomy to lead the service while working collaboratively across HKWS, local service partners and the broader community.

• Lead the delivery of the interim Core & Cluster Outreach Service, ensuring women and children receive high-quality, trauma-informed and person-centred support.
• Lead, support and develop a small team of caseworkers, providing clear direction, reflective supervision and a strong focus on practice quality and staff wellbeing.
• Maintain an active caseload alongside the team and provide support with complex cases and escalations when required.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with housing, homelessness, health, legal, DFV and other community services, creating effective referral pathways and coordinated responses.
• Oversee client allocation, service delivery, operational systems and processes, ensuring timely and responsive support.
• Drive continuous improvement and ensure service delivery aligns with relevant legislation, funding requirements, quality standards and evidence-based practice.
• Manage service data, reporting and operational performance, including reporting against funding requirements and service outcomes.
• Proactively identify and manage client, service, quality and workplace risks, maintaining a safe environment for clients and staff.
• Represent HKWS across local networks, forums, sector meetings and stakeholder groups, strengthening the profile and reach of the service.
• Contribute to strategic and business planning, service development and future workforce requirements as HKWS continues to grow.
• Prepare for and lead the transition from the outreach model into the new Core & Cluster crisis accommodation service, helping establish the systems, procedures and practices required for its successful operation.

About You

You’re an experienced and adaptable community services leader who combines strong frontline practice knowledge with the confidence to lead people, build relationships and take ownership of a service.

You’ll be comfortable working in a smaller, community-based organisation where initiative, flexibility and the ability to roll up your sleeves are important. You understand that this role will evolve, and you’ll be equally motivated by strengthening an outreach service today and preparing to lead a residential crisis accommodation service in the future.

You will have:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in social work, health or a related discipline, alongside significant community services experience.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of domestic and family violence and the complex issues affecting women and children experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• Leadership or management experience within DFV, homelessness, housing, residential services or another relevant community services environment.
• Experience leading, supervising and developing frontline staff, with the ability to support quality practice and staff wellbeing.
• Confidence providing trauma-informed, client-centred support and managing complex client matters and escalations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to develop trusted relationships with community organisations, government agencies and other service providers.
• The initiative, maturity and adaptability to work autonomously, respond to change and contribute within a growing organisation.
• Strong written communication, reporting and organisational skills, including the ability to work within funded service frameworks and monitor service outcomes.
• A commitment to continuous improvement, evidence-based practice, safeguarding and high-quality service delivery.
• Ideally, experience working within a residential or supported accommodation environment and an understanding of the particular needs of women and children impacted by domestic and family violence.
• Applicants must have full working rights in Australia.

As this role provides specialist support to women and their children, being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification for this position under section 31 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) and section 30 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).

The successful candidate will also be required to hold or obtain a National Police Check and Working With Children Check and hold a current unrestricted Australian driver’s licence.

Benefits of Working with Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter

• Take on a leadership role where you can directly influence the quality and development of services supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence.
• Join HKWS at an exciting stage of growth, with the opportunity to help shape the transition from an established outreach model into a new Core & Cluster crisis accommodation service.
• Lead an existing casework team and build on established relationships and referral pathways across the Hornsby community.
• Salary: Crisis Accommodation Employee Level 4, Pay Point 3, plus superannuation and access to not-for-profit salary packaging.
• Full-time role initially based at the HKWS Hub in Westfield Hornsby, with flexibility to work from home 1 day a week.

Impact Advising is committed to creating diverse and inclusive work environments that reflect the rich tapestry of our communities. We believe that diversity enriches organisations and fosters innovation. We are dedicated to building workforces that are representative of the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of our society.We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds, including people with lived or living experience of refugee backgrounds. We value a range of experiences, perspectives and career pathways. We actively seek to foster inclusive workplaces where all employees can bring their whole selves to work, feel respected and valued, and have equal opportunities for growth and advancement. We are committed to providing a fair and unbiased recruitment process, and we strive to eliminate any barriers that may impede the inclusion and participation of underrepresented groups in the workforce.