Mental Health
Commission
of New South Wales

Policy Officer – Lived Experience, Advocacy and Reform
Clerk Grade: 7/8
Salary range: $110,266 to $122,058 pa and employer's contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading.

The Mental Health Commission of NSW is seeking interested applicants for the position of Policy Officer – Lived Experience within the Advocacy and Reform team. This is an exciting opportunity to join a small fast paced team that is committed to providing a high standard of project management, policy development and lived expertise to ensure the Commission achieves its required statutory functions and policy obligations.

The Commission is a small agency based in the Sydney CBD and working flexibly within hybrid workplace guidelines.

This is a temporary contract through to December 2025, with possibility of extension.

Role of Mental Health Commission of NSW

The Mental Health Commission of NSW is a statutory agency, working to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the community. We are committed to ensuring people live well on their own terms, having the services and supports they need.

We undertake research, strategic planning, systemic monitoring and reviews, and advocacy, guided by the lived experience of people with mental health issues and caring, families and kinship groups.

The Commission works with government agencies, peak bodies, community-managed organisations, academics, advocacy groups and service providers. We believe this approach, with close collaboration in all aspects of our work, will achieve stronger services and better outcomes for all people in NSW.

The Mental Health Commission is committed to equal employment opportunity and embraces diversity and inclusion within its workforce. As such, people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. This includes but is not limited to people with lived experience of mental health issues and caring, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, LGBTI people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Visit us at: http://www.nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au

Primary Purpose of the Role

The Policy Officer – Lived Experience will provide lived experience perspectives and input into the mental health and wellbeing reform program of work undertaken each year by the Advocacy and Reform team. This includes providing well researched advice, efficient project and secretariat support to the Manager and high quality project outputs (e.g. summaries, briefs, submissions, correspondence, speech notes, meeting papers etc.).

This role requires an adaptable and energised individual who is capable of engaging with people with lived experience and caring, families and kinship groups and other stakeholders through their highly developed written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

This is a designated lived experience role and personal experience of mental health issues and recovery is required for this position.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide lived experience perspectives and input into the mental health and wellbeing program of work.
• Provide a range of project management and support services (including preparation of reports and briefs, implementing and monitoring project plans etc.) to ensure project outcomes are achieved to a high standard and within allocated budgets and timeframes.
• Undertake environmental scans and gap analyses to identify current and emerging priorities, with a focus on engaging with people with lived experience, caring, families and kinship groups.
• Build and maintain a detailed knowledge of mental health sector issues and the role of key stakeholders, including people with lived experience, to effectively co-design and co-lead policy and research outcomes.
  Key Challenges
• Complete tasks within agreed timeframes and to agreed standards while managing other tasks at various stages of completion; responding effectively on a diverse range of complex and sensitive issues.
• Developing advice and position papers regarding systemic issues relating to mental health and wellbeing, and analysing information from a range of sources and stakeholders in a context of competing priorities and points of view.
• Providing sound, informed and timely support and advice to the Commissioner on a range of public policy in a highly changeable policy and reform environment at the state and national level.

Essential Requirements

• Personal lived experience of mental health issues and recovery, and ability to meaningfully and purposefully use lived experience to influence system reform.
• Demonstrated experience working in designated lived experience (peer workforce) roles, and ability to draw on understanding of the peer workforce and consumer and carer movements to inform work.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to organise and present complex information in a clear, logical and systematic way.
• Ability to engage with key stakeholders, including government agencies, community-managed organisations and people with lived experience, carers and kinship groups, on a range of Commission priority areas.
• Ability to display initiative, have sound organisational and project management skills, capacity to multi-task and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently or as a member of an effective, multi-disciplinary team.
• Knowledge and understanding of the role of the NSW Mental Health Commission and experience working in the mental health sector.

How to apply

For applications to be considered, candidates must upload a current resume and a cover letter of 2 pages maximum. The cover letter is to outline your capabilities and experience relevant to this role and to provide brief answers to the two questions below:

1. What interests you about the role?
2. Describe a project you have led or supported which required you to engage with people with a lived experience. How did you approach the engagement process, what were the key challenges and how did you manage these challenges?

Supports flexible working practices for all employees and welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities. Stepping Up aims to assist Aboriginal job applicants by providing information about applying for roles in NSW Health. For more information please visit www.steppingup.health.nsw.gov.au.

For more information on how to apply for a role in the NSW Public Sector please click here.

Click here for the role description LINK HERE

For role related queries or questions contact Daya Henkel, Manager, Advocacy and Reform preferably by email [email protected] or mobile 0417 742 131.

Applications close: Midnight Thursday 13 March 2025