First Australians Capital (FAC) exists to empower Indigenous economic prosperity through a thriving, sustainable, and impactful Indigenous economy. We support First Australians' cultural, creative, and economic strength so that they can become free agents driving their economic futures.
FAC operates under an Indigenous First approach; we ensure that our Indigenous stakeholders are the designers and drivers of our team's activities and decisions.
Position Summary
Whilst this role is advertised for Newcastle, we are open to other locations if you are the right candidate.
The Strategy and Performance Lead is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and driving the strategic direction, performance monitoring, and market engagement activities of FAC's Business Customer Division. This role ensures that FAC's investments, partnerships, and capacity-building strategies are both effective and aligned with its mission to enable the long-term success of First Nations businesses. Through a strong performance lens, the Lead works closely with internal teams and external partners to enhance data-driven decision-making, measure impact outcomes, and ensure strategic alignment across business activities.
This role leads strategic planning initiatives and provides performance oversight across FAC's business advisory and investment activities. Working with the Impact Research team, the Lead provides insights into portfolio outcomes using FAC's Indigenous Impact Framework, translating these insights into performance feedback, investment refinements, and future opportunity mapping. The Lead will work cross-functionally with Business Relationship Managers, Investment Analysts, Portfolio Manager, and the Managing Director to identify performance trends, risks, and opportunities that influence FAC's business growth and capital deployment.
The Lead will also support enterprise initiatives that contribute to broader inclusion, such as operationalising the Women's Strategy and supporting the delivery of FAC's market and capacity-building initiatives. With a strong understanding of economic development, financial services, and First Nations business needs, the Lead provides a trusted, strategic perspective to the Executive Team and contributes to FAC's long-term goals and operational success. Opportunities to contribute to the whole-of-organisation strategy and support implementation are also available.
This role will be hybrid (2 office days), and some state and interstate travel will be required.
Key Responsibilities
* Reviews investment strategies and investment oversight
* Contributes to business and strategic planning
* Work with the Impact Research team to provide data and insights on impact outcomes within the portfolio in line with the FAC Indigenous Impact Framework
* Build and maintain strategic relationships with community partners, other business intermediaries (eg incubators and accelerators), philanthropy, and other key stakeholders
* Build and maintain key relationships with third-party organisations that may support opportunities for Indigenous businesses' capital strategies.
* Develop relationships with industry partners and government partners
* Meets with business relationship management and analyst teams and the Portfolio manager to provide insights and performance feedback about portfolio performance and opportunities.
* Collaborate with the Business Customer team to provide insights and leadership that drive the successful implementation of FAC's Women's Strategy.
* Report to the Managing Director on operational, financial, and management issues that could impact the performance of the Business Customer Division and First Australians Capital
* Other responsibilities as agreed with the Managing Director
Other responsibilities exist as per the Position Description. Please email to request the full Position Description.
Selection Criteria
Indigenous Business and Community Knowledge
* Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Indigenous communities, cultures, and issues affecting Indigenous Australians in business.
* Knowledge of Indigenous economic development and/or impact on capital markets context will be highly valued.
Qualifications
* Preferred - Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Strategy, Public Policy, Economics or a related field (e.g., MBA, MPP, MCom, MPA).
* Bachelor's degree in business, finance, marketing, commerce, or a related field or equivalent experience.
Skills
* Strategic thinking and analytical capability.
* Strong creative, strategic, organisational, and influencing skills.
* Drive and implement leadership to achieve key organisational objectives.
* Implement long-term strategies that aligns FAC with its Vision and Purpose.
* Anticipate and solve problems arising from internal and external pressures.
* Ability to work independently, proactively, and as part of a team.
* Strong interpersonal and multi-stakeholder management skills.
* Skilled in leveraging partnerships to secure funding, policy influence, or program scale.
* Ability to understand and influence policy landscapes relevant to Indigenous economic empowerment, social impact investing, and enterprise development.
* Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
* Excellent level of competence in using digital technology applications.
* Resilience and agility.
* Facilitate a culture of information sharing across all areas of the organisation.
* Encourage and build strong collaborations and teamwork.
* Invest in key relationships with a view to long-term possibilities and strategic goals.
Experience
* 10+ years' experience in strategic leadership roles, ideally across strategy, performance, partnerships, or business development.
* Track record of contributing to thought leadership, sector positioning, and advocacy.
* Board-level reporting and advisory experience, including the preparation of strategy documents, investment frameworks, or impact reports.
* Board-level reporting experience is highly preferred and will be considered a significant advantage for this role.
* Experience leading enterprise transformation projects, restructures, or major organisational reviews.
* Demonstrated ability to build and sustain high-level partnerships across government, corporate, philanthropic, and Indigenous sectors.
* History of working in or with Indigenous organisations, with a deep appreciation of cultural context, community priorities, and economic participation.
* Experience working in or with Indigenous organisations is highly preferred and will be considered a significant advantage for this role.
* Demonstrated skills, knowledge, and experience in strategic planning, business management, and development, including business planning and market research.
* Demonstrated experience developing and managing budgets.
* Demonstrated strong research, strategy, and engagement skills and experience.
* Experience in developing highly productive relationships with managers, staff, and key stakeholders built on trust and respect.
* Experience engaging with diverse marketplaces to support market development and create effective value-added partnerships.
* Ability to conduct technical and high-quality market analysis processes and strategies.
Project Management
Strong project management skills, including:
* Measuring and managing project performance,
* Adapting to project changes and managing shifting priorities,
* Meeting deadlines,
* Managing client, team, and partner expectations,
* Conducting project reviews,
* Delivering reports,
* Continuously optimising project processes.
Additional Requirements
* FAC operates under an Indigenous First approach; we ensure that our Indigenous stakeholders are the designers and drivers of what we do as a team through all business activities and decisions.
* Ongoing right to work in Australia.
* Flexibility to undertake interstate travel on occasion is required
* Some attendance at after-hours meetings and/or events may be required.
* A valid full Australian driving license.
* A national criminal history check (or similar).
To Apply
Please attach a current resume and a 1-page cover letter. Applicants who do not submit these documents will likely not be considered.