Job Description

ORGANISATION

Join Lifeline Australia and you will be helping to support the delivery of critical services ensuring that “no person in Australia has to face their darkest moments alone.”

Lifeline Australia is a national suicide prevention charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. They are committed to empowering Australians to be suicide-safe through connection, compassion and hope. This is achieved through a partnership of over 10,000 committed volunteers and their member centres in communities across the nation.

Lifeline Australia Ltd (LLA) is located in Sydney, with small teams of dedicated staff employed to lead funding and corporate relations activities, and to provide the design, technical infrastructure and governance of services across Lifeline’s member network. LLA recently embarked on an exciting transformation journey, guided by an ambitious strategic plan.

The 2024-2027 Strategic Plan will see enhancements across services, technology and workforce to bring about better outcomes and a more accessible and flexible support system for help-seekers.

ROLE

The NSW Research, Impact & Stakeholder Engagement Lead is the dedicated lead for NSW outcomes, evaluation and stakeholder engagement activities, providing strategic oversight of performance measurement, impact evaluation and reporting across NSW-funded initiatives. The role works across a complex stakeholder environment, bringing together government partners, Member Centres, service delivery teams and internal specialists to ensure NSW priorities are supported by robust evidence, effective governance and meaningful performance insights.

Operating as a senior specialist within the Research Office, the role provides expert advice and leadership on outcomes, performance and continuous improvement. The position is responsible for strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, influencing decision-making through evidence-informed recommendations, and ensuring NSW funding commitments are effectively monitored, evaluated and reported to demonstrate impact and improve outcomes for help seekers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and maintain NSW-specific outcomes, performance and reporting frameworks that support grant and organisational objectives.
• Monitor and analyse service performance, identifying trends, risks, opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Deliver high-quality reporting to internal stakeholders and NSW Health against agreed measures and funding requirements.
• Translate complex data and evidence into clear insights and recommendations for decision-making.
• Ensure reporting practices align with quality, privacy and governance requirements.
• Develop and implement evaluation approaches that demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of NSW-funded initiatives.
• Establish meaningful outcome measures that support evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate the collection, analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative evidence.
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality, measurement methodologies and evaluation practices.
• Provide recommendations that strengthen service effectiveness and help seeker outcomes.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with NSW Health, Member Centres and key internal stakeholders.
• Act as a central point of coordination for NSW reporting, outcomes and performance-related matters.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement activities that support shared understanding of priorities, outcomes and performance expectations.
• Prepare briefings, presentations and advice that support stakeholder decision-making and governance processes.
• Identify and manage stakeholder risks, sensitivities and emerging issues.
• Use data, evaluation findings and stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities to improve services and system outcomes.
• Support the development of evidence-informed recommendations that strengthen quality, safety and accessibility for NSW help seekers.
• Monitor progress of agreed improvement initiatives and evaluate their effectiveness against intended outcomes.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to embed continuous improvement practices including the development of referral pathways.
• Contribute to the development of innovative approaches that improve service and program effectiveness.
• Lead the coordination of NSW-specific priorities, ensuring alignment between funding expectations, organisational objectives and reporting requirements.
• Provide expert advice on performance, outcomes, evaluation and emerging trends relevant to NSW services.
• Support the planning and implementation of strategic initiatives relating to NSW-funded activities.
• Maintain awareness of policy, sector and government developments that may impact service outcomes or funding priorities.
• Champion evidence-based, trauma-informed and help seeker-centred approaches across all areas of responsibility.

ABOUT YOU

• Tertiary qualifications or equivalent professional experience in research, evaluation, psychology, public health, data analytics, social sciences, health services or a related discipline; postgraduate qualifications desirable.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex projects, initiatives or grant-funded activities, including managing competing priorities, navigating complex stakeholder environments, monitoring risks and achieving outcomes within agreed timeframes.
• Demonstrated experience developing outcomes frameworks, performance measures, reporting dashboards or evaluation approaches for health, mental health, social service or community service programs.
• Demonstrated experience working with government agencies, funding bodies or complex external stakeholders, including the ability to manage relationships, influence outcomes and navigate competing priorities.
• Strong capability in quantitative and qualitative data interpretation, with the ability to translate service data into practical insights, recommendations and reporting products.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining effective relationships across government, community services, research, operational and executive stakeholder groups, including the ability to influence outcomes in complex and evolving environments.
• Experience working with grant-funded programs, including monitoring deliverables, reporting against objectives and documenting evidence of activity and impact.
• Understanding of suicide prevention, crisis support, mental health services and/or help seeker support models, with a commitment to safe, respectful and trauma-informed practice.
• Demonstrated ability to work across multidisciplinary teams and organisational boundaries to align stakeholders, manage competing priorities and support achievement of shared outcomes.
• High-level written communication skills, including preparing clear reports, briefs, summaries and presentations for executive, operational and funder audiences.
• Sound judgement in handling sensitive information, including awareness of privacy, confidentiality, data governance and ethical considerations relevant to help seeker data.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to use evidence, feedback and service data to strengthen quality, safety, accessibility and outcomes for help seekers.

CULTURE

The team are passionate, supportive and hardworking. They are very driven to reach their goals, so that they can continue to grow and deliver critical support to all Australians at a time when the importance of mental health has never been so prevalent.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PACKAGE

• Salary Packaging – being a not-for-profit organisation allows us to offer our employees access to some amazing tax savings through salary packaging
• Paid Primary Carer Parental Leave – (14 weeks at full pay or 28 weeks at half pay)
• Flexible working – we provide flexibility and support to all employees and encourage work-life balance
• Employee Assistance Program – access to free counselling sessions for you and your family
• Beautiful office facilities in central location – including shower facilities (Head Office roles only, delete if not required)

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please select “Apply Now” and follow the prompts to submit your expression of interest.