Position Description

Manager, Lived Experience Projects & Partnerships

Role Specifics

Position | Manager, Lived Experience Projects & Partnerships

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 Projects & Partnerships leads the design and delivery of strategic projects and partnerships that reposition Lived and Living Experience as a unique and privileged source of knowledge, research, and evidence within the National Centre and across the sector.

This role drives inclusive, trauma-responsive initiatives that elevate survivor-led knowledge generation and support new ways of understanding impact and change.

By leading co-designed projects, cultivating meaningful partnerships, and embedding Lived Experience into research and projects, 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 Projects Management

  • Develop and lead innovative partnership approaches that enable people with Lived Experience to lead, design and deliver projects that enhance evidence and understanding of best practice responses to child sexual abuse across the lifespan.

  • Oversee the development of project plans, methodologies and outputs that centre Lived Experience as a privileged form of expertise.

  • Ensure all projects are delivered through a trauma-responsive and culturally-safe approach, with clear measures for impact and accountability.

  • Identify opportunities for survivor and victim-led innovation and research that influence systems and projects that create tangible outcomes.

2. Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Proactively 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. 

  • Foster and maintain relevant strategic relationships to inform the National Centre’s engagement approaches and ensure they follow best practice and current trends.

  • 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.

  • Develop ethical, transparent and values-aligned approaches to partnership engagement; including governance and shared decision-making frameworks.

  • Work with internal and external stakeholders to build a shared understanding of the value of Lived Experience in knowledge generation and systems change.

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. 

  • Drive the capacity building of the National Centre staff and sector partners to engage people with Lived and Living Experience through co-production and co-design approaches.

  • 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.   

  • 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. 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.