• Exciting opportunity to join the Service Learning & Indigenous Communities program
• Located on the Camperdown Campus
• Full-time, 5 years fixed term with a base salary starting from $130K p.a., plus leave loading and a generous employer’s contribution to superannuation

About the opportunity

Under the leadership of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Services (DVC-ISS) and in collaboration with Aboriginal community partner organisations, the Academic Coordinator will oversee and facilitate the academic development, implementation and evaluation of the Service Learning in Indigenous Communities (SLIC) program and unit of study.

Primarily, this position involves academic design of the next phase of the SLIC program and units of study. This includes unit of study development, facilitating cross-Faculty networks, and working collaboratively with Aboriginal community partner organisations to develop and build on existing interdisciplinary projects for student engagement. As the Academic Coordinator, you will contribute to the vision and objectives of the DVC-ISS and the Wingara Mura Bunga Barrubugu Strategy, as well as the University’s 2016-2020 Strategic Plan through research excellence and curriculum innovation.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for an Academic Coordinator who:

• identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• demonstrates an understanding and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and society, including working and communicating with Aboriginal people, government and industry
• holds a PhD or Masters level qualification or currently working towards one
• has the capacity to liaise and manage diverse internal and external stakeholder interests, coordinate and enable workable Aboriginal community solutions from across a multiple of agencies
• has a wide network of established relationships with key academic, industry and professional institutions, partners and stakeholders that can be leveraged to enhance the standing of the SLIC program and the University more widely
• demonstrates extensive experience in developing and implementing projects/programs in the Aboriginal community, higher education sector or wider society
• demonstrates an understanding of and ability to lead, develop and support academic endeavours from curriculum design to producing leading research and providing a student enabling environment
• demonstrates the ability to research, formulate and evaluate complex strategies and programs, and to promulgate and implement the strategies, programs and major events through effective project management
• possesses highly developed interpersonal, communication (written and oral) and relationship building skills and the ability to undertake tasks with limited supervision

About us

The University of Sydney recognises that it has a responsibility to play a leading national role in the process of contributing to the efforts to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can enjoy their identity as confident, proud, safe, and respectful participants in university life and beyond. The University’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020 and Wingara Mura Bunga Barrabugu strategy commits the University to pursuing an integrated strategy to advance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation, engagement, education and research. The University is committed to pursuing progress through:

• Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation as an essential and prominent part of its overall mission and strategy
• Ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership is engaged with across all levels of governance and decision-making
• Foster strong relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• Being the University of choice for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders students and staff

The University of Sydney’s SLIC program has enabled undergraduate and postgraduate students to apply their academic knowledge and develop their cultural competence and interdisciplinary group-work skills through meaningful service-based projects in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

As such, this role will require a highly developed ability to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations across diverse locations, maintaining and expanding crucial relationships with sensitivity, understanding, and cultural competence.

Since our inception 160 years ago, the University of Sydney has led to improve the world around us. We believe in education for all and that effective leadership makes lives better. These same values are reflected in our approach to diversity and inclusion and underpin our long-term strategy for growth. We’re Australia's first university and have an outstanding global reputation for academic and research excellence. Across our campuses, we employ over 8,100 academic and non-academic staff who support over 73,000 students.

We are undergoing significant transformative change which brings opportunity for innovation, progressive thinking, breaking with convention, challenging the status quo, and improving the world around us.