Program Coordinator

• Location: Melbourne (South East/North/West)
• Tenure: Fixed term, 12 months
• Hours of employment: Up to 38 hours per week (includes occasional evening and weekend work)
• Conditions of employment: Level 4 SCHADS

The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights (AMWCHR) is an organisation of Muslim women working to advance the rights and status of Muslim women in Australia. We are a non-religious organisation reflecting the sectarian, cultural and linguistic diversity within the Muslim community. We work for the rights of women by:

• Empowering women’s self-determination
• Bringing a human rights approach to bear on issues of inequality and disadvantage
• Working with individuals, the community, and government to advocate for equality within the Australian context.

We aim to inspire positive action by others and aspire to continuously enhance the quality, impact and effectiveness of our work.

AMWCHR works with individuals, groups and service providers in the following areas:

• Case work, referrals, secondary consultation and outreach
• Advocacy
• Community-based programs and service delivery
• Capacity building
• Leadership development
• Policy development
• Partnership projects

AMWCHR also undertakes:

• Research
• Training development and delivery
• Publications
• Consultancy services.

The Program Coordinator (Women’s Programs) is part of the Community Programs Team and has responsibility for delivering a range of community capacity building programs developed by AMWCHR. This role is required to promote community development programs, engaging diverse communities to organise groups and facilitate or conduct workshops and program activities.

The Program Coordinator will be required to contribute to the development of, and facilitate, community and sector capacity building and education initiatives that support Muslim communities to strengthen women’s capacity and active participation in the broader Australian community. The role will also contribute to the continuous development of the Community Programs portfolio and AMWCHR’s capacity to develop and deliver direct services to Muslim communities that are of the highest professional standard.

The Program Coordinator is a confident and highly skilled groupwork facilitator, community worker, program organiser and administrator, and has the drive and commitment to grow the impact of the program, thriving in a highly independent working environment.

The role requires regular travel as program delivery occurs in a range of locations throughout Victoria.

Reports to: Women’s Program Team Leader

Manages: N/A

Key liaison: Community Programs Team Members, Operations Coordinator, Community Liaison Officers, other AMWCHR staff

External Liaison: Community members, service providers, education bodies, representatives from external agencies and funding bodies

1. Engagement of communities and networks

• Develop the capacity of Muslim women to develop communities that are connected, aspirational, driven to advocate for their own rights and of others.
• Plan, promote, develop and deliver a range of community capacity building programs for Muslim communities, targeting primarily Muslim women covering a range of topics including, settlement, family violence, leadership and parenting.
• Market and promote community capacity development programs widely.
• Form and develop community groups of women for program delivery.
• Establish linkages and collaborative working relationships with relevant external stakeholders to facilitate the success of the program. These may include:
  • Community leaders in the sector
  • Community leaders outside the sector
  • Schools and educational institutions
  • Community hubs, councils
  • Community agencies
  • Service providers

• Maintain and build professional networks and foster good working relationships with external stakeholders.
• Represent the AMWCHR on external committees, networks and forums as required.

2. Conduct and facilitate workshops and group sessions

• Deliver and facilitate highly engaging psychoeducational and therapeutic workshops and groupbased activities where relevant or assigned utilising a strengths-based approach through the framework and curriculum designed by the organisation.
• Review and evaluate emerging research with a view to continuously improve the delivery of programs.
• Document ongoing learnings that emerge through the programs and continuously review the relevance and responsiveness of the content, plans and strategies of the programs to improve their effectiveness and efficiency, and implement them in consultation with the Team Leader.

3. Program administration, evaluation and supervision

• Maintain records and carry out other administrative duties and procedures that contribute to the efficient and effective conduct of the programs and organisations’ operations as required within funding arrangements and organisational policies.
• Prepare proposals and reports for relevant programs as required, in consultation with the management and the program team.
• Ensure the successful completion of work plan requirements of allocated projects as set out by the Team Leader.
• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures of AMWCHR as they apply to the administration and delivery of community development programs.
• Attend and participate in AMWCHR staff meetings, contribute to strategic and operational planning, development and management of policies and procedures and professional sharing.
• Participate in group and individual supervision meetings adopting a readiness for reflective thinking and openness for constructive feedback.
• Participate in performance appraisal processes during the designated periods.
• Model AMWCHR’s values and associated behaviours within the organisation and across external liaisons.
• Maintain positive collegiate relationships with management and colleagues, reporting relevant issues and contributing to a professional and harmonious workplace.

1. Qualifications in social work, community development or psychology (essential).
2. Experience in assessing community groups’ needs and developing training sessions accordingly.
3. An understanding of Islamic religious diversity, cultures, migration and settlement issues. Proven experience and understanding of a participatory, supportive and empowerment-based style of facilitating small and large groups across a diverse range of clients.
4. Ability to moderate group dynamics and negotiate potentially volatile and sensitive environments.
5. An understanding of and experience in with families and children and behavioural theories of change, and familiarity with parenting models and family violence sector prevention work.
6. Experience in facilitating group sessions through different language interpreters
7. Ability to manage projects, monitor own workload, pay attention to details and ensure all work tasks are completed in accordance with assigned portfolio and funding arrangements
8. Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a highly culturally diverse team.
9. Well-developed written and verbal communication skills in English
10. Well-developed time management, record keeping and organisational skills
11. Current driver’s licence, Working with Children’s Check and Police Check

Highly desirable additional criteria: (not required to respond to in application)

• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of people, to develop and maintain professional relationships and share concepts, information and ideas successfully.

• Ability to work successfully in a changing environment, accept new challenges and continually strive for improvement
• Qualifications in community development and group facilitation.
• Ability to sensitively address complex issues that emerge when working with refugee communities, including engaging and engendering trust.
• Specialist knowledge in gender issues, development work and refugee issues.
• Excellent public speaking, negotiation and facilitation skills.
• Ability to respond to community needs in innovative ways with limited resources
• Ability to speak a language other than English relevant to Muslim communities

A position description is attached.