Manager Access and Family Safety - Geelong or Warrnambool
Posted: 17/03/2026
Closing Date: 31/03/2026
Job Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Geelong - Orange Door
Job Category: Community Services and Development, Voluntary, Charity & Social Work
We are a leading organisation offering a comprehensive suite of services to clients and the community across the Barwon, West Melbourne and Wimmera Regions. Providing specialist sexual assault and family violence programs and services, including 24 hour crisis care support, case management, therapeutic counselling, early intervention and professional education and training, we continue to grow and develop our offerings.
Job Description
About the Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre
We are a client-centred organisation, supporting the community throughout Barwon, Wimmera, and the South West regions, offering a range of specialist support services to people impacted by sexual and family violence, encompassing 24 hour crisis care, specialist response services, early intervention programs, Victims Assistance Program, Community Legal Services, trauma recovery programs, professional training and primary prevention initiatives.
About The Role
This is an exciting portfolio for a dynamic leader who is actively engaged in leading and supporting teams to deliver high-quality, frontline services to adults, children, and young people who are at risk of, or have experienced, family violence, as well as families requiring support with children's safety, development, and wellbeing. The role calls for a leader who not only sets direction but also works alongside teams to strengthen practice, respond to emerging needs, and ensure responsive and timely service delivery.
The Manager, Access and Family Safety provides direct leadership to service teams within the Orange Door in Barwon and Southwest, including the Screening, Identification, and Triage Teams, Specialist Family Violence Teams, and Family Violence Practice Leaders. The role takes an active role in ensuring risk assessment, safety planning, and multi‐agency collaboration are consistently delivered and embedded in practice. Through a partnership‐based, multi‐disciplinary approach, the Manager drives effective intake pathways and works closely with teams to deliver coordinated service responses across family violence services, perpetrator programs, Aboriginal services, and children and family services.
This position is hands‐on in ensuring the delivery of high‐quality, client‐centred, trauma‐informed services that prioritise safety, empowerment, and recovery. It requires demonstrated expertise in practice leadership, staff supervision, service innovation, and programme development, with a proactive focus on achieving measurable outcomes for clients and the organisation. The Manager is directly responsible for building team capability through supervision, workforce planning, timely recruitment, and fostering a culture of reflective practice and accountability. They also actively oversee budgets, ensure compliance with contractual, organisational, and regulatory obligations, and drive sound financial management. The Manager plays a central role in embedding harmonised and integrated practice frameworks across sites, leading change and guiding staff through transformation in a practical, supportive, and proactive way.
Reporting to the Director of Comprehensive Care, the portfolio includes:
* SAFV Centre staff The Orange Door Barwon
* SAFV Centre staff The Orange Door Southwest
* Family Violence Victim Survivor Practice Leaders
The role requires the proactive development and maintenance of strong, functional relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This includes representing SAFV Centre in sector committees, cross‐portfolio initiatives, and implementation groups, and actively collaborating with Managers across other portfolios to strengthen service outcomes. The Manager Access and Family Safety, works closely with teams within their base region, providing hands‐on guidance, support, and leadership to ensure responsive and effective client services.
Why work for The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre?
The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre takes pride in being an employer of choice; we are passionate about the wellbeing of our team members and we celebrate diversity and inclusion in all we do. We have a high level of employee engagement and satisfaction and provide a number of complementary benefits to our staff, some of our benefits include:
* Flexible working arrangements
* 5 weeks annual leave and access to purchased leave for full and part time employees
* Paid parental leave
* Salary packaging
* Health and Wellbeing initiatives
* Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
* Social initiatives
* Positive workplace culture
The SAFV Centre acknowledges and respects the First Nations ownership of the land where we work.
Desired Skills and Experience
About You
You will be a values driven person, motivated to make a difference and hold the client at the centre of everything you do. You thrive working autonomously and also collaboratively within a dynamic, team environment.
If you share our vision for a community free from family violence and sexual assault and are motivated to make a difference, we would like to hear from you. We pride ourselves on being a great place to work. You care for our clients and we care for you, including by investing in your development and wellbeing. You will have access to leading specialists and training and development that supports you in your role and in your longer term career journey. We offer a variety of career pathway options, leading salary packaging benefits and flexible working arrangements that help you manage your work and your life.
The successful candidate will be required to maintain a current Working with Children's Check and National Police Check at their own expense.
Key Selection Criteria
Essential Qualifications and Experience
Your application must address the following:
* Degree or above qualification in social work, psychology, family therapy or similar discipline.
Essential Skills and Knowledge
* Strategic Leadership and Team Accountability: Senior leadership experience with demonstrated accountability for team performance, including recruitment and selection, induction, performance management, discipline, coaching, and professional development of staff.
* Family Violence Sector Expertise: Extensive experience in the family violence field, with a strong understanding of feminist theory, the causes and impacts of violence against adults, young people and children, and trauma‐informed practice.
* Operational and Practice Oversight: Proven ability to provide expert practice advice and direction on complex matters, including crisis intervention, comprehensive risk assessment, and safety planning in line with the MARAM framework.
* Change Leadership and Innovation: Experience leading organisational change, introducing innovation, and implementing initiatives aligned with strategic goals and service improvement priorities.
* Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to navigate complex systems, build strong functional relationships, and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve outcomes.
* Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Presence: Highly developed communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, including emotional regulation, self‐awareness, flexible thinking, optimism, and the capacity to model and reinforce positive workplace culture.
* Operational and Organisational Capability: Ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and collaboratively, and contribute to a high‐performing, team‐oriented environment.
* Digital Literacy and Adaptability: Competency in Microsoft Office and other organisational technology platforms, with the ability to adapt to new systems and leverage technology for operational efficiency.
Other
* Commitment to the vision, values and purposes of The SAFV Centre.
* Commitment to continuous quality improvement and cultural equity in service delivery.
* Current Victorian Driver's Licence.
Referees
Applicants must provide the name and current contact details of 2‐3 professional referees including the most recent or current supervisor.
Period of Appointment
This position is ongoing depending on funding.
Hours of work
* The position is 1.0 FTE full time.
* Location of the position can be based at The Orange Door Barwon or The Orange Door Southwest, with regular travel across the regions.
* Hours will usually be worked during business hours of 9.00am to 5.06pm between Monday to Friday and based on the needs of the service.
* Flexibility in working hours will be required from time to time as the need arises.
Salary and Conditions
Annual salary range is as a Specialist Family Violence Practitioner classification, Level 8 Pay Point 1‐3 plus superannuation (pro rata for part time). Salary will be commensurate with experience and skills.
Industrial Instrument: The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre Enterprise Agreement 2023.
Salary Packaging: Provided via Maxxia. PBI status with other expenses available to package above this cap. The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre is a Public Benevolent Institution.
Superannuation: The employer will also make superannuation payments on your behalf in accordance with the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992.
Probationary Period – 6 months with a review conducted during this time.
How To Apply
All applications must address the key selection criteria outlined in the PD. For a confidential discussion, please contact our People and Culture team on 035222 4318.
We are currently accepting applications from direct applicants only, no recruitment agency applications accepted.
Please note if you are applying via Seek go to The SAFV Centre career portal to access the position description at https://www.safvcentre.org.au/working-with-us/careers/
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