Position Description

Manager, Lived Experience Capability

Role Specifics

Position | Manager, Lived Experience Capability

Location | A national remote role, available in every major Australian city (with no preference for any location).

FTE | 1.0 (Full-Time) - with flexible arrangements available (eg. part-time)

Direct Reports| Lived Experience Project Lead

Reporting to | Director, Lived Experience

Salary Range | $000,000 - $000,000 + superannuation + salary packaging options

Role Summary

The Manager, Lived Experience Capability leads the development and implementation of initiatives that build, strengthen, and sustain the Lived Experience workforce within the National Centre and beyond.

Through capability building, leadership development, and the co-creation of tools and resources, this role supports survivor-led influence, ensuring Lived and Living Experience is embedded, respected, and elevated across all areas of the organisation’s work.

By leading capability development, co-designing leadership pathways, and embedding Lived Experience practice across the organisation, this role directly contributes to the National Centre’s mission to prevent child sexual abuse and strengthen systems of support, accountability, and recovery.

Who We Are

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse

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.

Our values and behaviours

We are a purpose-driven organisation committed to creating a safer future for children and communities. We are committed to integrity, collaboration, innovation, and courage. Our team culture is inclusive, supportive, and focused on driving meaningful change.

Employees of the National Centre are required to demonstrate commitment to the organisation’s:

Diversity – we value an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity and strongly encourages applications from First Nations people, people with disability, people from the LGBTIQ+ community, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Integrated Management Systems – established Quality Management and Workplace Health and Safety Management Processes.

Values – better together, trustworthy, driving action, inclusive, bold.

Privacy and Confidentiality - managing and maintaining confidential information, records and data in line with the National Centre’s Privacy Policy and relevant legislation.

1. Strategic Leadership

  • Lead and champion internal initiatives to support the development of the Lived Experience workforce within the National Centre.  

  • Support Lived Experience workforce initiatives, governance structures, advisory groups and leadership pathways within the National Centre to ensure Lived and Living Experience is centred as a privileged source of knowledge across our work.

  • Facilitate Lived Experience leadership development and mentoring programs, including overseeing the development of resources that underpin and mobilise these programs across the broader community. 

  • Provide strategic thought leadership on Lived Experience practice and influence, contributing to the sector-wide conversations, thought pieces and reform initiatives.

2. Capability Building

  • Lead the development and delivery of a Lived Experience capability strategy that builds knowledge and confidence across the National Centre’s workforce to engage meaningfully and ethically with victim-survivors.

  • Design and implement internal learning and development initiatives to strengthen trauma-responsive and culturally-safe practices across teams.

  • Contribute to building capability across the broader sector through knowledge sharing, partnerships and strategic collaborations that elevate survivor expertise.

3. Collaboration and Codesign

  • Lead the planning, facilitation and evaluation of participatory and inclusive methods, approaches and activities to ensure National Centre activities reflect the voice of people with Lived Experience. 

  • Work in partnership with National Centre staff to develop project implementation plans to ensure Lived Experience is embedded in their teams and portfolios. 

  • Cultivate a culture of co-design by embedding human-centered design, inclusive facilitation and ethical approaches to end-to-end projects and processes.

4. Lived Experience Practice Leadership

  • Advise on best practice approaches for engaging and embedding Lived Experience across the National Centre, ensuring inclusive, culturally safe, and trauma-responsive engagement practices.   

  • Lead organisational policy development and review relating to Lived Experience practice, procedures, and guideline development.  

  • Establish mechanisms that support and enable open and honest feedback and learning. 

  • Support and drive a culture that values diverse ideas and approaches and promotes understanding of issues from varied perspectives. 

5. Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

  • Build and maintain partnerships with people with Lived Experience, survivor-led organisations, and representatives of diverse communities to build understanding, mobilise action and amplify impact. 

  • Co-ordinate and support representation of Lived Experience leaders in events and forums.  

  • Represent the National Centre in forums, networks and collaborations focused on Lived Experience engagement; contributing to national discourse sector advancement.

6. Team Leadership

  • Oversee and manage the Lived Experience Project Lead, providing leadership, guidance, and support, training, skill development and performance reviews.  

  • Support reflective practice and learning across teams to support the elevation of Lived Experience leadership and practice.  

  • Ensure the team operates in line with the principles of trauma-responsive practice.