• 2 year fixed term, full-time contract (with view to extend)
• Great Bondi Beach location, swim in your lunch break
• Become part of a well-loved and respected Not For Profit
• 5 weeks annual leave, plus 17.5% leave loading, PBI salary packaging and benefits

About Wayside Chapel

Wayside Chapel has provided unconditional love, care and support for people on and around the streets of Kings Cross since 1964.
Under the banner of Love Over Hate, Wayside's programs and services are designed to ensure that the most marginalised members of our community have access to essential health, welfare, social and recreational services.

Each year, thousands of people visit Wayside's two centres in Kings Cross and Bondi for assistance in gaining equitable access to essential health, welfare and related services.

Our mission is creating community with no ‘us and them,’ breaking down the barriers of judgement and providing a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcome.

Website: www.waysidechapel.org.au.

About the Program

The Wingspan Project supports marginalised young people into sustainable mainstream employment. Wingspan operates a three-step model which provides wraparound support to the young people, trains and employs them in Wayside’s own social enterprises, and then transitions them into mainstream employment.

About the Position

Key responsibilities

The Employment Support Manager is responsible for:

Care coordination

• Building a genuine, caring, supportive, respectful and trusting relationship with each young person in the program
• Delivering holistic support and care coordination to the group of young people employed in Wayside’s social enterprises

Employment mentoring

• Working individually with each young people to develop their understanding of themselves as a worker, and to build their own career plans and to start working towards them
• Collaborating with managers in the social enterprises to support and advise them on strategies for effectively managing, training, and developing the young people
• Work with each young person and their managers to identify and resolve barriers that are impacting upon the young person’s performance at work
• Facilitating group workshops and meetings between the young people, aimed at supporting them to learn about and understand their workplace and to sustain and succeed in their employment

Program development

• Tracking and reporting on the progress and development of the young people against individualised employment goals
• Collaborating with Wayside Chapel staff in the ongoing development of this role, and of the Wingspan Project overall
• Work closely with other staff to identify program needs, and to build systems, processes, and tools to fill those needs

About the candidate

We are looking for someone who can naturally build rapport, trust, and genuine connection with at-risk youth and who truly understands and empathises with the challenges they face. We want a person who sees the inherent value of work, who understands the transformative power that work can have on the lives of disadvantaged groups, and who can facilitate and inspire the professional development of the young people in our program.

Essential criteria

• Experience with marginalised and at-risk youth, including CALD and aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and understanding of related issues, both practical and systemic, including juvenile justice, trauma, homelessness and mental health
• Ability to build rapport with very diverse people, with sometimes challenging behaviours
• Ability to collaborate, negotiate, compromise, and work well within a small team
• Adaptability and openness to working in a dynamic environment – the program is a work-in-progress, and so all staff play active roles in evaluating, building, and improving it each week
• Socially perceptive and able to work with individuals who have difficulty expressing their needs
• Results driven, with experience working towards targets
• Strong communication skills and ability to keep communication professional, open and constructive
• Knowledge, study, or work experience related to mental health in the workplace
• Ability to network and build and manage partnerships in a professional manner

Desirable skills

• Experience in case management
• Experience in training and development of staff
• Experience and understanding of the function of social enterprises
• Experience in training, education, or facilitation
• Experience or understanding of employment pathways
• Knowledge of Centrelink and Job Active providers

Note: Offer of employment to the successful applicant is dependent upon completing Working With Children Check and Police Check prior to commencing employment.

To learn more about the role, view the full Position Description and job information pack here.

Application and Recruitment Process

Applicants should click Apply Now to provide a copy of their resume and a covering letter that outlines how your skills and experience meet the job requirements.

Please note that applications will be assessed as they are received and the role will be filled as soon as the right candidate is found.