Unharm is looking for a digitally capable campaigner to drive impactful campaigns in what’s set to be a crucial year for drug law reform in NSW.

This is a 12-month position which may be extended, subject to funding availability.

Starting salary: $82,500 including leave loading, plus 11% superannuation, with six weeks paid leave.

This role is based in Sydney. It is primarily a work from home position that will also involve working together face-to-face with the team from time to time, and attending meetings at various locations around Sydney.

Unharm believes our capacity to push for the kind of change we want to see is better when our team has a diversity of backgrounds and experience. We are looking for applicants from a diverse range of genders, cultures, language groups, abilities, and experiences to apply.

Formal education, qualifications and extensive experience matter less to us than excellence, initiative and drive. If you’re passionate about the issue and interested in the role but don’t feel like you have all the relevant experience, we encourage you to apply!

Who is Unharm?

Unharm is a diverse movement of thousands of people from across Australia and all walks of life. We share the belief that we’re at our best when everyone is supported to live full and happy lives. Our campaigns team works with the community to develop and run campaigns, elevate their voices and maximise our collective impact. Whether it’s delivering petitions to decision-makers, organising rallies or creating hard-hitting content to shift the conversation, the Unharm community will do whatever it takes to end the harmful, unjust treatment of people who use drugs.

Why does Unharm exist?

Australia’s drug laws cause huge harm. People are dying because they can’t access lifesaving services like drug checking. Police are arresting more people for using drugs than ever before. They are hurting our communities, and disproportionately target Aboriginal people, young people and people experiencing homelessness. And our political leaders, scared of fearmongering media, are letting it all happen.

There’s massive public support for reform. That’s backed by community groups, drug policy experts and a rising tide of reform around the world. What’s been missing is the capacity to mobilise the community repeatedly and at scale so that we can push our political leaders to act. Unharm exists to turn public support for change into political action.

The team, the moment, and why we need you

Unharm is an ambitious, growing organisation with a current core team of two full-time staff - a CEO and a Campaigns Director - plus administrative support.

Under pressure from policy experts and the community, the NSW Labor government has pledged a major Drug Summit this term. This is a huge opportunity for a breakthrough, and that’s why we’re focussed on NSW right now. New services like drug checking would help save lives. Decriminalisation of drug use would eliminate 30,000 harmful arrests each year in NSW alone, and significantly reduce the over-policing of marginalised communities. The size and national significance of NSW means progress here will have cascading effects across the country.

Our current campaign for life-saving drug checking services in NSW is building momentum and putting pressure on the government. And with the Summit likely to be in the first half of 2024, we have a big opportunity to achieve long overdue reform.

But we are taking on powerful opponents with deep pockets. To counter them, our theory of change relies on mobilising the community to push our policymakers to act. That’s where you come in - we need more capacity to engage, grow and mobilise our movement through email, social media and offline actions.

The role

As a campaigner at Unharm you will be responsible for growing, engaging and mobilising the community to be part of our campaigns. Your work will be varied and exciting - monitoring the political context, identifying opportunities for action, and developing the content and asks that will give our supporters the opportunity to have impact. This role is best suited to someone who is analytical, strategic and creative.

The role will involve:

• Developing and deploying campaign content across social channels and email;
• Contributing to the development of messaging, content, fundraising and overall campaign strategy;
• Monitoring engagement and action-taking and adapting to maximise growth;
• Building and maintaining productive relationships with campaign partners and stakeholders, including politicians;
• Monitoring relevant news and developing responses; and
• Organising campaign actions such as stunts, rallies and press conferences.

Unharm will support you by offering:

• An inflation-proof salary with a quarterly adjustment in line with inflation.
• Six weeks paid leave.
• An annual salary review and merit based increases in line with the SCHADS award.
• Time off in lieu of overtime.
• Salary packaging.
• Flexible work conditions and a supportive organisational culture.

You will be someone who:

• Is committed to justice and is respectful towards people, regardless of what drugs they might use.
• Has strong written communication skills and is adept at thinking through complex issues and communicating them simply and clearly.
• Has experience creating content across different channels.
• Can work independently, juggle competing priorities, and take the initiative to get the job done.
• Has strong relational skills and the ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people.
• Has strong digital skills and a willingness to learn new platforms and technologies.
• Is reflective and growth-oriented, and able to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Is caring towards others.

Bonus points for:

• The ability to run, evaluate and refine digital advertising campaigns.
• Having experience with political campaigns.

If this role speaks to you, you could be the perfect person for the job. Formal education, qualifications and extensive experience matter less to us than excellence, initiative and drive.