Do you want to shift power to young people? Come join our team! The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) Fixed-term 14-month parental leave cover (08 - 0.9 FTE) position, starting in December 2025 1.0 FTE = $135,300 excluding superannuation Located in Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney (remote/hybrid role) Application closing date 6pm AEST Sunday 12 October 2025 About the role FYA is looking for a Director (parental leave cover) to oversee the Young Mayors pilot program at a pivotal moment, as we evolve our approach in response to the findings of a Listening and Truth-Telling review. Young Mayors embeds young people in local decision-making through the democratic election of Youth Councils (aged 11 to 17 years) within local government areas (LGAs) in VIC, QLD and NSW. Overseeing a team based across three states, the Director will work closely with the Executive Director and Program Lead to steward the team through a period of change, overseeing an annual plan of activities, including managing team planning, operations and finance, guiding key strategic projects, supporting strategic partnerships and contributing to stakeholder and government relations. What you’ll do Strategy implementation Oversee delivery of the Young Mayors strengthening strategy focussing on continually testing, reflecting and iterating the approach to find the best model for sustainable growth Work closely with the Executive Director and Program Lead to support the implementation of recommendations from a Listening and Truth-Telling review along with development of a Theory of Change, accompanying multi-year strategy and re-brand project Support the Executive Director in delivery of a government relations strategy, including participating in meetings with MPs and government departments Oversee the delivery of a storytelling strategy to share program outcomes publicly, working closely with the Communications Manager and Executive Director to guide communication plans and support partner media releases as needed Provide frank and fearless advice to management, taking a flexible and nuanced approach to enable continual improvement of the program and participant experience Manage and inspire a developing team Build strong relationships with and manage a delivery team equipped to support the change process, nurturing a culture of experimentation, curiosity, safe risk-taking and fun Directly manage remotely-based Program Managers, including regular check ins and management of tasks, providing feedback on performance, supporting professional development and completing development reviews Directly manage the Program Lead to ensure the program is operationally smooth and aligned with a best practice curriculum Provide indirect support to remotely-based LGA Program Assistants and Program Officer, including oversight of their engagement and professional development Manage the team’s operations by preparing for and chairing team meetings alongside the Executive Director, coordinating team problem solving, team communications and calendars. Program & Operational Management Play a pivotal role in translating strategy and vision into operations, providing a sense of stability balanced with flexibility by developing and maintaining high-level operational plans and providing key sources of guidance to the team Support the Program Lead to develop and implement project plans, and monitor the day-to-day running of the Young Mayors program across multiple project sites to ensure smooth progress Collaborate with the Evaluation Lead and Program Lead to set the strategy for the monitoring and evaluation of the program to tell a story of impact and feed into the development of the Theory of Change Identify and manage risks associated with the program, maintaining an up to date risk register that accounts for key safeguarding, privacy and security risks among others Regularly assess the efficiency of procedures according to organisational and program objectives and apply improvements Support the development of tools and rhythms of working that continually improve program design as we learn from the implementation, ensuring all key elements are in place for scale-up Oversee the Young Mayors budget, including supporting Program Managers in their budgeting, reviewing monthly transactions, approving spending and coordinating annual budget setting and annual budget reforecasting Stakeholder management At a strategic partnership level, oversee relationships with key local council stakeholders including councillors, executive teams and program staff, current and prospective Develop and manage relationships with key program stakeholders including state electoral commissions, evaluation partners, media and other strategic alignments Support the team to manage multiple relationships with key stakeholders in each local government area including schools and community organisations Support the Development Manager and Young Mayors Executive Director to build relationships with prospective funders including government, providing operational insights, case studies, and reporting, meeting with and pitching the program as required Collaboration Participate in the FYA Leadership Team and organisation-wide working groups as required Engage other program areas across FYA to support the design and delivery of various components of the program About you As a learning opportunity, the ideal candidate for this role will have many, if not all of these experiences and skills: Experience designing and delivering programs focused on young people. You’re passionate about social justice and youth empowerment and know how to run programs for young people. You know how to build relationships with multiple stakeholders and have the experience to back it up . You have experience building relationships across government and you can facilitate meetings with larger groups where more complex dynamics exist. Entrepreneurial spirit and passion for experimentation. You’re curious, comfortable with continuous change and willing to disrupt the status-quo to build better systems. Strong experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and communities, including a demonstrated commitment to self-determination, decolonisation and First Nations justice. Experience delivering multiple projects and events at the same time. You can develop budgets, manage priorities, risks, know how to anticipate roadblocks and problem solve. This includes operational and event management. You’re skilled at recruiting, onboarding, managing and coaching teams. You have experience managing individuals and teams, and creating a culture that supports people and fosters strong working relationships. You’re a great communicator. You have experience tailoring messaging to different audiences in different ways. You have experience producing high quality communications products. Experience designing and implementing evaluation plans and monitoring tools that have informed program development. Sophisticated analytical, problem solving and decision-making abilities , with conflict resolution and negotiation skills. About us We’re the largest independent nonprofit in Australia dedicated to backing the capacity, voice, and power of young changemakers. With a team of 30 staff, our headquarters are in Melbourne (Naarm) but our teams work remotely around the country. Our values We respect and back First Nations young people and their communities We back young people We shift power to young people with lived experience We dream big We care about each other We are always learning We celebrate i mpact Our work is guided by a commitment to beating injustice and we strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, young people, people of colour, women, people with disability, people from LGBTIQA communities, and more. We acknowledge our sector has systematically excluded these communities. At FYA, we are committed to safeguarding young people. As such we ensure that all of our candidates are appropriately screened. We require all staff to commit to following our safeguarding procedures and ensure all work is performed through a lens of safeguarding. Click apply now or head to the ‘work with us’ section of our website and follow the application process. Please include a detailed resume (no more than 3 pages) You will be asked two questions in your application in which you’re required to provide brief answers (no more than 500 words each). Please give a description of yourself and what excites you about this role and working for FYA How does your experience fit with who we're looking for? Successful candidates will be called for a zoom interview. Interviews will be held on Thursday 16 October and Thursday 23 October. Deadline for applications: 6pm AEST, Sunday 12 October 2025 For more information or a confidential discussion about the role contact: Tahlia Azaria Executive Director, Young Mayors tahlia.azaria@fya.org.au For more information about the recruitment process: Shulah Orloff People Culture Coordinator people@fya.org.au
