• Position reports to: Research Director
• Employment status: Permanent
• Hours: Part time (0.8 FTE)

LOCATION

HJA has office hubs in both Sydney and Melbourne that enable collaborative working and are available for staff use. Our staff outside of these two metropolitan locations work remotely. All HJA staff may be required to undertake travel, particularly as it relates to team time as part of their role.

The HJA team come together in person (usually in Sydney or Melbourne) from time to time for events, and to facilitate team learning and collaboration opportunities (3-4 times per year).

ABOUT HEALTH JUSTICE PARTNERSHIPS (HJPS)

Health justice partnerships (HJPs) are collaborations to embed legal help into healthcare services and teams. They have formed in response to a growing body of evidence that shows there are groups of people who are vulnerable to intersecting legal and health problems, commonly compounded by broader disadvantage, but who are unlikely to turn to legal services for solutions. And yet legal solutions can address social issues or determinants – such as housing, money issues, employment, and family safety and stability - that in turn impact upon health and wellbeing.

ABOUT HEALTH JUSTICE AUSTRALIA

Health Justice Australia is a national charity established in 2016 as a knowledge hub for health justice partnership. Health justice partnerships (HJPs) are collaborations to embed legal help into services that support people’s health and wellbeing. Commonly involving community-based lawyers, health and other community support workers, they have formed in response to evidence that shows there are groups of people who are vulnerable to intersecting legal and health problems, commonly compounded by broader disadvantage, but who are unlikely to turn directly to legal services for solutions. And yet legal solutions can help address social issues or determinants – such as housing, money issues, employment, and family safety and stability - that can in turn impact upon
health and wellbeing.

Health Justice Australia supports the expansion and effectiveness of HJPs through:

• Knowledge and its translation: developing evidence and translating that evidence into knowledge that is valued by practitioners, researchers, policy-makers and funders.  
• Building capability: supporting practitioners to work collaboratively, including through brokering, mentoring and facilitating partnerships.  
• Driving systems change: connecting the experience of people coming through health justice partnerships, and their practitioners, with opportunities for lasting systems change through reforms to policy settings, service design and funding.  

We are committed to an inclusive work environment. Advancing HJA’s work to achieve our intended impact, we seek to work with people whose skills and behaviours are aligned to our values, culture and strategy. Core competencies that reflect our values include:

• Curiosity - We value and welcome opportunities to learn. We actively listen and reflect, including where there is uncertainty and ambiguity. We seek out expertise and experience that is different to our own.  
• Courage - We are ambitious in our purpose and scope. We adapt and change through what we learn. We acknowledge what is hard and where we can do better.   
• Integrity - We are authentic and genuine in how we engage. We are transparent in our decision making. We are accountable for the resources we use and the purpose we put them to.  
• Respect - We work with, alongside and for others by building trusted, respectful relationships. We are intentional about where we lead, where we collaborate and where we follow.  We value the wellbeing of our people and the people we work with and for.  

ABOUT THIS POSITION

This exciting role at Health Justice Australia is part of a research team exploring the value, implementation and impact of partnerships that bring legal help into services that support people’s health and wellbeing. The position works particularly closely with Health Justice Australia’s practice team and HJP services and practitioners to support the capability of HJPs to evaluate and learn from their work.

This position is ideal for someone with research and evaluation expertise in sectors such as legal assistance/access to justice, public health or community services. You may have expertise in service innovation and social impact. You will have a genuine interest in learning how integrated legal, health and other services may improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities and build service and practitioner capability. You will be excited by the opportunity to work across sectors and disciplines to explore these issues. You will be skilled at working with busy practitioners to learn from their practice and identify the value and impact of their work.

roles and responsibilities

Research and evaluation tasks will include:

• Supporting the development, testing and implementation of outcome measures for HJP.
• Collaborating with services and other researchers to explore the value and impact of integrating service delivery across health and legal sectors to improve outcomes for people experiencing complex need.
• Working in collaboration with the Health Justice Australia practice team to support, coach and mentor practitioners and organisations working in partnership to monitor, evaluate and learn from their work.
• Assessing the need and opportunity for HJP in health settings.
• Contributing to HJA work to gather, hold and report information on the profile of HJPs across Australia.
• Undertaking research/evaluation tasks including design, implementation, analysis and communication.
• Clearly communicating findings, to support their translation into policy and practice.
• Other duties as required.

essential criteria

• A bachelor’s degree with honours or higher in public health, social science, law or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in all aspects of evaluation and research, including design, implementation, analysis and communication of results, using qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting services to evaluate their services and outcomes.
• Solid understanding of different research and evaluation methodologies and their appropriate application.
• Experience using research software such as SPSS, Nvivo, Survey Monkey and Endnote.
• Ability to plan, lead and project manage research projects.
• Excellent communication skills, including the capability to write up research findings for staff working in a variety of sectors.
• Demonstrated capability and commitment to working collaboratively as part of a team.
• Good organisational skills, including capability to manage changing priorities, deliver work to agreed deadlines and work effectively as part of a team.
• Commitment to Health Justice Australia’s values and a genuine interest in the challenges of improving outcomes for people experiencing multiple and complex intersecting needs.

desirable criteria

• Skills and experience in survey design or research using administrative data/data systems.
• Masters or PhD in public health, social science, law or a related discipline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Contact Scott Holz on (02) 8526 0870 [email protected] using the subject line: Research and Evaluation Lead - Flexible Location enquiry via EthicalJobs or visit our website https://www.healthjustice.org.au.

A position description is attached.