Position Description

Project Manager, Research

Role Specifics

Position | Project Manager, Research

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

FTE | Full time (1.0) fixed-term position until October 2026 - with flexible working arrangements available (eg. part-time).

Direct Reports| Research Lead

Reporting to | Director, Policy and Systems Reform

Salary Range | $110,000 - $130,000 + superannuation + salary packaging options

Role Summary

The Project Manager, Research is responsible for the delivery of high quality, trauma-responsive research projects that are inclusive, culturally informed and aligned with the National Centre’s strategic priorities.

This role manages all stages of research commissioning and delivery, overseeing project planning, contracts, budgets, ethics, governance, and reporting. This role manages ethical practice, victim and survivor engagement, and continuous improvement.

Working collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, the role ensures research findings are translated into accessible, impactful outputs that inform systems reform, policy, and practice, directly contributing to the National Centre’s mission to prevent child sexual abuse and improve support systems and recovery pathways for victims and survivors.

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. Project Leadership & Delivery

  • Lead the end-to-end management of commissioned research projects, including planning, contracting, oversight and delivery.

  • Coordinate project timelines, budgets, key dates and reporting requirements to ensure delivery is on time on scope and aligned with strategic priorities.

  • Manage governance, ethics, approval, and quality assurance processes for all research deliverables.

  • Provide oversight and guidance to funded research teams to ensure alignment with organisational goals and principles.

  • Track, monitor, and report on research project progress, risks, and outcomes, providing clear, timely updates to leadership.

2. Stakeholder & Partnership Management

  • Act as the primary liaison between research partners and internal teams, facilitating clear communication and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

  • Represent the National Centre in key stakeholder forums and manage strategic partnerships with research institutions and community collaborators.

  • Foster collaborations that extend the National Centre’s research reach and ensure its relevance to diverse communities and sectors.

3. Research Strategy

  • Develop and implement research strategies that address existing gaps, prioritise trauma-responsive approaches and align with the National Centre’s mission.

  • Monitor and support ethical research practices, ensuring all commissioned projects are victim and survivor-centred, trauma-responsive and culturally safe.

  • Track and analyse emerging research trends and opportunities, whilst identifying new partnerships that align with organisational strategy.

  • Collaborate across the Policy and Systems Reform Team to co-design tools and research-informed outputs that drive systemic change and influence policy and practice.

  • Ensure the effective delivery of research projects by monitoring progress against scope, timelines, and budgets, identifying and managing risks, and reporting on outcomes and learnings to internal stakeholders and leadership.

  • Contribute to a learning culture by embedding continuous improvement and reflective practices into project monitoring and reporting frameworks.

4. Victim and Survivor Centered Practice

  • Champion victim and survivor-informed, inclusive and culturally responsive research practices across all projects and partnerships.

  • Uphold the organisation’s ethical framework and Lived Experience engagement principles in the design and delivery of research activities.

  • Embed participatory approaches that prioritise the voices and experiences of victims and survivors in all stages of the research process.

  • Continuously review and integrate emerging best practices in victim and survivor engagement to ensure approaches remain current, ethical, and trauma-responsive and reflect the National Centre’s commitment to leading best practice in this area.

5. Research & Translation

  • Lead the translation and communication of research findings, including the development of plain language summaries, presentations, and briefings for diverse internal and external audiences.

  • Ensure research outputs are inclusive, culturally safe, and accessible to victims and survivors, policymakers, advocates, and practitioners.

  • Collaborate with internal teams to maximise the impact of research through tailored knowledge-sharing strategies.

  • Analyse data, prepare reports and presentations, and disseminate findings through accessible formats that contribute to a robust and inclusive evidence base.

6. Team Leadership

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