Campaign Director

Campaign Director - Paid Parental Leave & Dads Advocacy Location: Remote - Anywhere in Australia Hours: Part Time or Full-time (flexible arrangements 3-5 days per week) Reports to: CEO Organisation: The Parenthood About The Parenthood The Parenthood is Australia's leading parent advocacy organisation representing over 80,000 parents and supporters. We fight for the policy changes to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child: paid parental leave that actually supports families, quality affordable early childhood education and care and workplaces that value caregiving. The Challenge Australia's parental leave system was designed for families that don't exist anymore. Most families can't afford to have a parent home for 12 months. Dads want to be hands‑on caregivers but face workplace cultures that punish them for it. Mums are left carrying the care burden that locks them out of economic security. The policy goal: 12 months of paid parental leave at replacement wage, shared between parents, with “use it or lose it” provisions. The opportunity: We have political momentum, corporate champions ready to step up and a generation of dads who want to be part of the solution. We need someone to lead the campaign that makes it happen. The Role You’ll lead our national campaign on paid parental leave and dads advocacy – building the movement, shifting the culture and creating the political pressure that delivers reform. This is a new campaign for The Parenthood. You’re not inheriting a playbook – you’re writing it. You’ll have the freedom to be strategic and bold, the support of a skilled team and the backing of an organisation with proven campaign wins. Working closely with our Campaign Director for Early Childhood Education and Care, you’ll shape strategy, mobilise dads and families, engage the corporate sector, and build the political case for reform. What You’ll Actually Do Develop multi‑year campaign strategy with clear milestones and theory of change Design tactics that build political pressure and shift public narrative Identify and seize political opportunities (budgets, inquiries, elections) Set goals, track progress, adapt based on results Build rapid response capacity for policy announcements Dad Engagement & Movement Building (30%) Build the dad community within The Parenthood movement (you’re creating this from scratch) Recruit and support dad champions to share their stories publicly Test messaging and tactics to reach and activate fathers Create content, events, and organising opportunities that resonate with dads Partner with dad influencers and advocates to extend reach Corporate & Workplace Engagement (15%) Identify and engage corporate champions who’ll publicly support reform Build case studies of employers with strong parental leave policies Secure corporate partners for joint advocacy Leverage corporate voices to influence government policy Policy & Advocacy (15%) Develop evidence‑based policy positions on paid parental leave reform Draft submissions to inquiries and consultations Brief politicians, advisors, and stakeholders Work with CEO on high‑level political strategy Track legislative opportunities and government policy development Partner with Campaign Director (ECEC), Digital & Social Role and external comms agency Provide campaign direction that helps the whole team win What Success Looks Like Year 1: Campaign strategy and tactics in place with clear milestones Growing community of engaged dads taking campaign actions Corporate champions publicly supporting reform Media coverage positioning The Parenthood as the lead voice on paid parental leave Political stakeholders taking our policy positions seriously Beyond: Paid parental leave expanded with shared, “use it or lose it” provisions Cultural narrative shifted – dads as equal caregivers is the norm The Parenthood seen as the organisation that made dad engagement work in advocacy What You’ll Bring Campaign leadership: You’ve designed and led advocacy or public campaigns that achieved measurable impact (3+ years) Strategic thinking: You can build campaign theory of change, identify pressure points, connect tactics to outcomes Exceptional communication: You write compellingly, speak confidently, and translate complex policy into stories that move people Media confidence: You’re comfortable representing the organisation in media interviews, radio discussions, and public forums, and can speak with clarity and impact on key issues Political savvy: You understand power, build stakeholder relationships, know when to push and when to negotiate Entrepreneurial spirit: You’re comfortable building something new without a perfect roadmap Genuine passion: You care deeply about gender equality, modern fatherhood, and economic security for families Highly Valued Experience engaging male audiences or working on masculinity and fatherhood Corporate partnership or workplace advocacy experience Policy development and political advocacy experience Digital organising or movement building experience Understanding of how paid parental leave connects to gender equality and care economy Lived experience as a dad who’s navigated parental leave To Succeed Here Self‑starter who thrives with autonomy (small team, you’ll drive this work independently) Collaborative by instinct (small teams only work when people support each other) Comfortable with pace and pressure (political windows open fast) Mission‑aligned (this isn’t just a job) Resilient and adaptive (campaigns don’t always go to plan) Why This Role Matters When dads share care, everything changes. Children benefit from involved fathers. The health and wellbeing of mums and dads improves when parents can share the care. Mums gain economic security and career progression. Workplaces become more human. Gender equality moves from aspiration to reality. This is your opportunity to lead a campaign that challenges outdated norms, celebrates modern fatherhood, and helps rewrite the rules of care in Australia. The policy window is open. The dads are ready. We need you to lead. Our Team Culture We’re not a large corporation. We’re a movement. We work hard, think strategically, back each other up and believe small teams can create massive change. We practice the flexibility we fight for – negotiating individual arrangements that work for your life while maintaining high standards and accountability. We value initiative, evidence, bold ideas, and people who challenge assumptions (including our own). We communicate directly, own our mistakes, and celebrate wins together. Our tagline: Grow with purpose. Mobilise parents. Change what’s possible. Practicalities Reporting & Structure: Report directly to CEO Work closely with Campaign Director (ECEC), Digital and Social role, Partnerships, and EA/Operations Location & Flexibility: Based anywhere in Australia (regular team video calls) Flexible working arrangements negotiated individually Some travel required for political meetings, events, campaign moments Remuneration: Competitive salary commensurate with experience (range will be disclosed to shortlisted candidates) Superannuation and flexibility that actually works Additional paid leave above the standard 4 weeks, including during the December holiday season How to Apply We want to see who you are, not just read about you. To apply, please email your resume, a brief cover letter and a short video to ********@theparenthood.org.au We’re only accepting applications via email — please do not apply through LinkedIn. **Please submit:** Short video (2‑3 minutes max) answering: Why this campaign matters to you personally The campaign approach you’d take and why What makes you the right person to lead this work Record on your phone – we want authenticity, not production value CV highlighting relevant campaign, advocacy, or organising experience Brief cover note (1 page max) addressing: Your most impactful campaign or project and what you learned Your understanding of the dad engagement challenge Why The Parenthood and why now Interviews: 8‑12 December. Start date: Flexible, ideally Jan/Feb 2026. Questions? Email ********@theparenthood.org.au we’re happy to chat if you want to learn more before applying. Ready to lead the change? Join The Parenthood and help make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. The Parenthood is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including dads who’ve experienced parental leave challenges firsthand. Be careful – Don’t provide your bank or credit card details when applying for jobs. Don’t transfer any money or complete suspicious online surveys. If you see something suspicious, report this job ad. #J-18808-Ljbffr