Come and work with us!

We are looking for a passionate and motivated advocate to join our small but mighty team who wants to be part of creating positive systemic change in mental health, suicide prevention, and alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors for families and friends in Tasmania.

MHFFTas is the leading organisation in Tasmania representing, supporting, and advocating for family members and friends who provide unpaid physical, practical, emotional, social, mental, and or financial support to a family member and or friend living with mental ill health or co-occurring mental health and AOD issues.

The successful candidate will bring experience in building successful relationships with lived experience, government and community stakeholders, and will have experience (or the capacity to learn and grow) in the following areas:

· Lived experience peer support, including group facilitation

· Policy and research including writing submissions and policy papers.

· Stakeholder development and community engagement

We offer an inclusive, supportive and positive workplace where self-care, work/life balance and wellness are of the utmost importance to us. We offer a range of employee benefits including flexible work environment with the capacity to blend working from home and office time, a family friendly work environment, flexible working hours, three additional days of leave over the Christmas period and mentorship and career development support.

The MHFFTas Reform Policy Officer may travel both intra and inter-state as part of their role as required. This travel may include overnight stays.

The successful applicant will be determined by being the right fit for the team and experience and or/qualifications best suited to the role. We also encourage new social work graduates to apply as we can also offer mentorship in social work. However, we encourage anyone who is passionate for positive social change who wants to work with an amazing team to apply as we support all our people to learn and grow!

MHFFTas is a Child Safe organisation.

Position Title: Reform Project Officer Responsible to: CEO

Salary and Conditions:

Salary and conditions are in accordance with the Social, Community, Home Care & Disability Services Industry (SCHCADS) Award 2010, Level 5.1-5.3.

The Occupant will have access to salary packaging.

Length of Position: 30th of June 2026 with the possibility of extension subject to funding status. Hours of Work: Part time- 60.8 hours per fortnight. Intrastate and possible interstate travel required.

Location: Ground Floor, 2 Terry Street, Glenorchy.

About us:

Mental Health Families and Friends Tas (MHFFTas) is a not-for-profit organisation established over 40 years ago to provide support, advocacy, and education for and with families, friends and unpaid carers of people living with mental ill health and/or drug use.

MHFFTas is funded by the State Government to advocate for the needs of families and friends and to ensure that those families and friends who are interested, have the opportunity to take part in our Family and Friend Representative Program (FFRP). The FFRP offers mental health and alcohol and drug (AOD) families and friends the opportunity to participate in government and non-government mental health service planning and to assist in the selection and interviewing of mental health services staff.

MHFFTas engages with families, friends, and unpaid mental health and AOD families and friends throughout Tasmania to understand and advocate for their support needs.

We provide referral support, education, peer support, and information for families and friends to build both their community and their capacity as a mental health and/or AOD support person.

About the role:

The Reform Project Officer position is the organisations’ primary role in coordinating opportunities for families and friends to access support, advocacy, education and training, relevant referrals and participate in our family and friend representative program. The Reform Project Officer also drives the organisation’s advocacy work through surveying families and friends, identifying key issues and producing key position papers and policy submissions.

Outcomes sought include:

The Reform Project Officer position ensures that families and friends are connected, supported and heard.

This will be evidenced though:

High levels of family and friend representation at all levels of decision making in mental health and AOD.

The engagement levels of families and friends with MHFFTas through ongoing support, referrals, education and training and information sharing.

Organisational position papers that are developed through the experiences of families and friends.

Key Task and Duties

Research and Advocacy

With guidance and support from the CEO, develop position papers, review mental health and AOD policies, and conduct research on emerging trends to inform the organisation’s policy, systemic change approach, and program development.

Oversee the family and friend lived experience representative program, ensuring requests from government and non-government organisation’s are completed in a timely manner, ensuring high-level representation of the lived experience voice of mental health and AOD families and friends in Tasmania.

Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with the lived experience community, government stakeholders and community service providers to strengthen the organisation’s advocacy and impact, and represent the organisation in consultations, forums, and sector meetings to foster partnerships and enhance service delivery networks.

Manage social media posts that align with MHFFTas advocacy and strategic approach for systemic change.

Community Engagement and Capacity Building

Undertake initiatives to engage communities impacted by mental health and AOD issues, building capacity and understanding to ensure their voices are reflected in policy and service development.

Design and deliver workshops, training, and informational resources to empower families, friends, and community partners in their advocacy efforts, including facilitating our conversations with families and friends program.

Provide peer support to families and friends and MHFFTas lived experience representatives

Deliver peer-led support within MHFFTas programs, including Call2Connect, Safe Spaces, and the Family and Friend Representative Program, fostering connection and understanding through shared lived experience.

Selection Criteria

Strong verbal and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with government and non-government mental health and AOD service providers, and the ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with key stakeholders.

Demonstrated written communication skills, including the ability to prepare position papers, submissions, and other key documents with support and guidance.

Demonstrated critical thinking skills and the ability to analyse, review, and research mental health, AOD, and suicide prevention policies and trends, and apply it to organisational strategies for social change.

Demonstrated experience at community engagement and community capacity building.

Demonstrated ability to provide low-intensity peer support and provide referrals and information to clients.

Demonstrated understanding and some experience (or the ability to acquire) systemic and self-advocacy theory and practice.

Essential Requirements

A current National Police Certificate and a Working with Vulnerable People Registration. (Or the ability to provide them within a reasonable timeframe.)

A valid Tasmanian Drivers Licence.

A high-level understanding (or the ability to acquire), and/or lived experience of the role of families, friends, and unpaid carers in supporting a person who has experienced mental ill-health, suicidality, and/or drug use.

Reasonable IT expertise and skills and ability to maintain organisational data collection and maintenance.

Desirable Requirements

An understanding (or the ability to acquire) of the Triangle of Care and Recovery Model of practice in mental health.

Relevant experience or related qualification. MHFFTas recognise that there are multiple barriers to people accessing formal education and that life and work experience can often offer as much value.

What we offer you:

A friendly and supportive, family friendly work environment.

Capacity to negotiate a mix of working from home and office-based employment.

Opportunities to build networks within state-wide government and non-government mental health and AOD services.

A contemporary and accessible physical working environment with easy access to parking around the Glenorchy area.

Three days additional paid leave days over the Christmas period.

Find out more:

Visit us at: https://mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au/staff/

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit a current resume and cover letter (up to three pages) addressing the criteria listed in the roles’ position description.

Please note: expressions of interest will only be received and responded to if:

the selection criteria are clearly addressed;

a cover letter is submitted

a resume is submitted, and

applications are received before the closing time.

For enquiries, please contact Louise Cornish on 0418 200 839 or at [email protected]

Applications to be sent to Louise Cornish before Wednesday 9th July at 5pm.