Strategic Lead, Child Protection Programs (Hybrid/Remote)

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Dubbo; Hybrid; AUD 154,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing

Employee Assistance Programs

Training and development opportunities

Flexible autonomous work environment

Competitive pay and conditions

Job summary

NSW Department of Communities and Justice is recruiting for a leadership role to deliver centralised programs in Child Protection and Permanency and System Reform. You will guide staff, manage budgets, build partnerships and drive service improvements in NSW communities.

You will lead cross-functional teams, engage with internal and external partners, and ensure accountable, evidence-based practice. Flexible, hybrid arrangements may apply with regional travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Social Work or a related discipline and/or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience in child protection and OOHC practice.
• Willingness to travel to Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast and Northern NSW regions for meetings when required.
• Someone highly organised, strategic and has considerable child protection practice experience.
• Possess strong leadership and communication skills.
• Has the capacity to engage collaboratively with key stakeholders.
• Provide leadership to support organisational reform.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight and professional development to staff who are responsible for influencing, mentoring and coaching caseworkers to deliver accountable and collaborative casework that respects the culture and context of each child, young person, family, and community.
• Lead and manage cross-functional and specialised teams that demonstrate a high level of engagement, commitment to professional development and responsiveness to critique.
• Seek out and actively manage key internal and external stakeholder relationships based on open, regular discussions and feedback to ensure effective interface between program development, planning, service design and policy implementation.
• Effectively manage resources and budgets, work planning, and professional development initiatives to maximise achievement of goals and ensure effective operations and cost-effective use of organisation’s resources.
• Provide operational direction and leadership to establish and maintain an outcome-oriented culture of teamwork, achievement and accountability and continuous learning and professional development to ensure practice and policy knowledge and skills are contemporary, evidence-based and are aligned with the Secretary Focus Areas and DCJ deliverables.
• Collaborate with professional practice leaders and clinical experts across the Sector to continually build responsive and high-quality practice standards and capabilities.
• Deliver innovative, flexible and localised professional practices which are informed by evidenced based programs, responsive to and inclusive of local community knowledge and input and directly contribute to improved services.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Education

Social Work degree or related discipline

Job description

NSW Department of Communities and Justice is recruiting for a leadership role to deliver centralised programs in Child Protection and Permanency and System Reform. You will guide staff, manage budgets, build partnerships and drive service improvements in NSW communities.

You will lead cross-functional teams, engage with internal and external partners, and ensure accountable, evidence-based practice. Flexible, hybrid arrangements may apply with regional travel as needed.