Our Team

In the face of rising levels of unmet legal need, Justice Connect designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.

Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist free legal service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Since 2001, our Homeless Law team has worked closely with pro bono lawyers to increase access to tailored legal support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Our Homeless Law services are outreach-based and client-centred, and don’t just focus on legal needs. Homeless Law has integrated staff social workers and collaborates with community sector partners to ensure that clients’ needs are holistically addressed.

Homeless Law also prioritises advocating for better laws and policies through evidence-based strategic engagement and advocacy, which is focused on stopping homelessness before it starts and preventing the criminalisation of homelessness.

Our ideal candidate

You'll bring to the team:

Experience in leading high-quality, integrated legal services, including by motivating and developing multi-disciplinary staff and volunteers
Experience in seeking government and philanthropic support for services and projects
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to successfully manage stakeholder relationships, including with Homeless Law clients, government and philanthropic funders, the pro bono legal profession, the community legal and homelessness sectors and other stakeholders.
Experience in managing risk escalation, preferably in an integrated practice and/or not-for-profit context
Experience in engaging in systemic advocacy and strategic engagement work

You will also:

Be an Australian legal practitioner eligible to hold an unrestricted practising certificate

Candidates will need to demonstrate commitment to Justice Connect's vision, strategy and values.

What you will achieve in the role

In this role, you’ll work to

Manage, motivate and offer strategic guidance to Homeless Law in-house and pro bono lawyers, social workers, legal administrators, secondees and volunteers, including in relation to projects and priority cohorts.
Ensure ongoing and adequate funding for Homeless Law, including managing relationships with current funders and supporters and securing new sources of financial and in-kind support.
Prioritise and lead Homeless Law’s compliance with all governance, reporting, data responsiveness, measurement, evaluation & learning requirements, including reports for the Justice Connect Board and external funders.
Oversee Homeless Law’s existing projects, along with identifying and progressing related-funding and innovation opportunities.
Engage in systemic advocacy, strategic engagement, consumer outreach, and community-based education activities, including contributing to submissions on areas of law or policy related to Homeless Law’s clients and advocacy priorities.

A week in this role

If you were here last week, you would have:

Held a fortnightly supervision catch up with one of Homeless Law’s multi-disciplinary staff, including specialised lawyers, social workers and data-focused team members, who directly report to this role.
Met with one of Homeless Law's partners, such as government, community sector & pro bono stakeholders, in relation to innovative project work, including our post-release prison project and our new digital tool to keep women and children safely housed.
Finalised an evidence-based report and engaged with a current Homeless Law funder, sharing data and client insights about our collaborative impact in preventing and ending homelessness.
Met as part of Homeless Law’s senior leadership team to discuss client-focused, evidence-based priorities and trends, including how these inform the service’s 2025 strategy implementation process.
Contributed to managing the risk associated with leading a high-impact community legal centre practice.
Provided strategic guidance for systemic advocacy with a key government stakeholder, alongside colleagues from the wider-community sector, calling for better laws and policies that stop homelessness before it starts.

Important role information

The position reports to Cameron Lavery, Head of Community Programs.

Employment is full time (37.5 hours per week) and permanent. Part time arrangements will be considered.

The salary for this role is $111,606.25 per annum (pro rata), plus 10.5% superannuation, with annual leave loading and generous salary packaging options.

This role can be based at our Melbourne office on Level 5, 446 Collins Street, or any other remote location due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with ongoing hybrid working arrangements.

How to Apply

Please upload your resume and a cover letter which outlines your skills and experience that will help you achieve success in this role.

For more information, please contact Cameron Lavery, Head of Community Programs, on 03 8636 4412

Applications close at 11:59 pm on 7 December 2022.

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Homeless Law Manager