At Stepping Stone House, we truly believe in inspiring youth to build their future and be the very best they can be!

About Stepping Stone House

Stepping Stone House is a not-for-profit charity that provides accommodation and personal development for children and young people aged 12-24 years old who through no fault of their own find themselves homeless, at risk of homelessness or unable to live at home. We have a foundation of building resilience through outdoor education and activities.

A few other gems for you:

Learning and Development – at SSH we extensively invest in the learning and development of our team members so they can become the very best they can be

Cultural Diversity – 48% of SSH team members were born overseas or their parents were.

Gender Leadership diversity – females make up 80% of the SSH operational leadership team and 66% of the SSH Board of directors.

Motivation – 96% of our staff team strongly believe in the Vision, Mission, and Values of Stepping Stone House.

Family – 96% of our staff team strongly agree that Stepping Stone House support and respect family responsibilities outside of work.

Career opportunities – 36% of our SSH staff team have been promoted internally.

To be successful in this role – you will need to be hard working, have a sense of humour, be flexible in your approach, be enthusiastic, resilient and show empathy and respect for the people you work with. You will need to be a self-starter, be honest in your approach and have passion for working with young adults.

About the Role

As our General Manager – Care, you will be responsible for leading SSH’s care practice strategy, ensuring trauma-informed, high-quality services across all residential and independence programs. You’ll guide operational teams to deliver exceptional care, maintain full compliance with regulatory and accreditation frameworks, and continue building SSH’s reputation as a sector leader in therapeutic youth services.

This is a full-time role based in Rockdale, where you can grow and make a difference.

What you will be doing - Key Responsibilities

Lead care practice strategy, clinical governance, and risk management across our residential and transition programs

Supervise and mentor senior operational leaders, with a focus on trauma-informed practice and staff wellbeing

Oversee compliance with the Office of the Children’s Guardian and lead accreditation readiness

Champion innovation and continuous improvement in service design, delivery, and outcomes

Collaborate with our CEO, fundraising and strategy teams to drive sustainability and growth

Represent SSH in sector partnerships and key stakeholder relationships, including DCJ and other funders

About You – Selection Criteria

You bring at least 5 years of leadership experience in residential care or similar service environments

You have a degree in social work, psychology or a related field (further qualifications are a bonus)

You’ve worked in or alongside Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) settings — but your entire career doesn’t need to be there. We value diverse experience, adaptability, and a learning mindset

You have a track record of leading high-performing teams through complexity, change, and growth

You know how to navigate compliance and accreditation while keeping young people at the centre

You’re emotionally intelligent, deeply values-aligned, and ready to lead with both compassion and rigor

Person Specifications:

Professionalism and passion for the work and the people

Emotional intelligence and maturity

Honest, and trustworthy

Evidence of collaborative working style and ability to build good working relationships in team

Ability to bring fun to the workplace

Sense of Humour

Work with us and you will enjoy:

Salary Packaging benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Time off in lieu

Flexible work arrangements

Training, development and succession planning and performance bonus

Stepping Stone House is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applicants who have an Indigenous and / or culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background.

Stepping Stone House provides regular supervision and support for all staff and opportunities for professional development. Salary, Conditions of employment are based on the Social, Community, Home Care, and Disability Services Award

Please note: Child Safety is at the forefront of all work completed at Stepping Stone House. If your application is successful, you will be required to obtain a Working with Children Check, a Criminal History Check and provide consent to be registered on the OCG’s residential youth workers registry.