Advocacy and Policy Officer

• 12-month parental leave contract
• 32 hours per week
• Adelaide or remote

Working Women’s Centres Australia (WWCA) is seeking an Advocacy and Policy Officer to join our small, growing national team.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on national advocacy and policy initiatives aimed at creating a fairer, safer and more equal working life for women.

About the role

The Advocacy and Policy Officer will play a key role in delivering WWCA’s national advocacy and policy agenda. A particular focus of the role will be leading the Our Silence is Not For Sale campaign, our national campaign to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in workplace sexual harassment and discrimination matters.

The role will have a particular focus on the legal profession advocacy arm of the campaign, working to strengthen professional standards, ethical practice and accountability in the legal sector.

The position will work closely with another Advocacy and Policy Officer to ensure alignment between campaign strategy and law reform. There will be crossover between the two roles, providing opportunities for collaboration and shared work across WWCA’s broader advocacy agenda.

You will also work across the national Working Women’s Centre network, engaging with government, unions, legal services, community organisations and other stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

Advocacy and representation

• Support the development and implementation of national advocacy strategies
• Represent WWCA at meetings, forums, roundtables and events
• Engage with government, unions and key stakeholders
• Prepare briefings, speaking notes and materials for the CEO and Board
• Contribute to public advocacy outputs and engagement

Research and analysis

• Undertake research and analysis on workplace issues affecting women and vulnerable workers
• Identify systemic issues using data and insights from Working Women’s Centres
• Develop evidence-based policy positions aligned with WWCA priorities
• Monitor legislative, policy and sector developments
• Contribute policy content to reports, campaigns, factsheets and external materials
• Maintain accurate records of submissions and policy outputs

National coordination

• Coordinate policy input from Working Women’s Centres nationally
• Support collaboration and information sharing across the network
• Ensure consistency in national advocacy messaging
• Align policy work with campaign priorities, including the national NDA campaign

Governance and organisational development

• Support the CEO to develop governance systems, structures and processes
• Assist with Board and committee coordination and documentation
• Contribute to organisational policy, constitutional and compliance development
• Support accountability and reporting requirements

Stakeholder and affiliate engagement

• Support coordination between WWCA and Working Women’s Centres nationally
• Contribute to stakeholder mapping and engagement strategies
• Build and maintain effective working relationships across the sector
• Represent WWCA in internal and external meetings as required

Trade union liaison

• Support and strengthen relationships with the trade union movement
• Assist to develop referral pathways between Centres and unions
• Promote collaboration and strategic alignment across the movement

General administration

• Undertake administrative tasks to support role responsibilities
• Maintain accurate records and document management systems
• Manage scheduling, follow-up actions and correspondence
• Contribute to shared administrative responsibilities across WWCA
• Use organisational systems and templates consistently
• Support a culture of accountability, organisation and responsiveness

About Working Women’s Centres Australia

In May 2024, Working Women’s Centre South Australia was funded to establish Working Women’s Centre Australia as a national body. The national body is funded by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

WWCA’s core functions include facilitating coordination and collaboration between Working Women’s Centres across Australia, supporting consistent national branding and imagery, leading national advocacy and industry initiatives to prevent workplace sexual harassment, conducting research and analysis on systemic issues affecting working women, and contributing to national policy debates on women’s workplace rights and entitlements.

Working Women’s Centres operate in every state and territory and provide legal support, advocacy and education to working women and vulnerable workers.

The WWC model is distinctive because it brings together frontline legal work, systemic advocacy and education, with a strong gender lens, trauma-informed and empowerment-based approaches, connections to grassroots movements and affected communities, and a commitment to collective action and resistance to exploitation.

Our vision is a fairer, safer and equal working life for all women.

Our values are:

• Respect – Upholding and defending the rights and dignity of all women
• Courage – Challenging power and speaking out against injustice
• Integrity – Acting honestly, transparently and accountably
• Solidarity – Supporting collective action and working alongside trade unions
• Creativity – Embracing new ideas to drive change

Selection criteria

Applicants should address the following selection criteria in their application:

1. Demonstrated understanding of legal professional obligations, solicitor conduct rules, ethical duties and professional standards relevant to legal advice, client confidentiality, conflicts, independence, integrity and the proper administration of justice.
2. Demonstrated experience in advocacy, policy development, law reform, campaigning or a related field, preferably in workplace rights, gender equality, employment law, social justice or community services.
3. Strong research and analytical skills, including the ability to identify systemic issues, interpret policy and legislative developments, and translate evidence into persuasive policy positions, submissions, briefings and campaign materials.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear, compelling materials for diverse audiences such as government, boards, unions, community organisations, media and sector partners.
5. Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders across jurisdictions, including the legal profession, government, unions, community organisations, legal services and other Working Women’s Centres.
6. Experience coordinating input across networks or member-based organisations, including facilitating collaboration, synthesising diverse perspectives and supporting consistent national messaging.
7. Highly developed organisational skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, exercise initiative and work with a high level of autonomy in a developing organisation.
8. A demonstrated commitment to gender equality, workplace rights, social justice, trade unionism and the values and purpose of Working Women’s Centre Australia.
9. Desirable: Tertiary qualifications or equivalent experience in law, public policy, industrial relations, social sciences, gender studies, human rights, communications or another relevant discipline.

A legal background is desirable but not essential. We are interested in applicants who bring relevant experience, skills and a strong commitment to the purpose of this role.

Employment conditions

This is a 12-month contract to cover parental leave.

WWCA is based in Adelaide, but for the right candidate we would consider remote work.

Full-time hours are currently 32 hours per week as part of a four-day working week pilot.

Employment conditions are governed by the Working Women’s Centre SA Inc Enterprise Agreement, which provides generous leave entitlements and supports a positive work-life balance. Employees have access to salary packaging, professional development and training opportunities, and 13.5% superannuation.

Employees can access up to $15,900 of salary packaging each year for everyday living expenses, as well as an additional $2,650 meal entertainment card.

WWCA currently provides six weeks of leave.

Inclusion and accessibility

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We encourage applications from people of colour.

We encourage applications from all cis and trans women, as well as people of any gender who are comfortable working on advocacy that focuses on the experiences of women.

We encourage applications from disabled applicants. Please contact us about the accessibility of the workplace.

We encourage LGBTIQ+ applicants.

We encourage applications from survivors of gender violence.

We know that sometimes the best people for the role may not fit the exact selection criteria, and we encourage people who are passionate about this work to apply.

A position description is attached.