Join our Homelessness and Crisis Support Team.

• Use your local expertise and networks to shape outcomes
• Lead through influence, strengthen partnerships and transform lives
• Competitive salary + super + salary packaging, full time ongoing

Your new role

Step into a senior leadership role with a strong local presence and the opportunity to influence how homelessness services respond to changing community needs.

As Senior Manager Homelessness Services West, you will lead a diverse portfolio of programs supporting people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Based in Ballarat, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across services spanning crisis response, case management, assertive outreach, housing support and responses for young people.

Most services are located in Ballarat, with additional oversight in Horsham and Gippsland and some travel to Melbourne. A visible and connected leadership presence in Ballarat will be central to your success.

You will lead managers and teams to deliver safe, responsive and sustainable services, while maintaining accountability for operational performance, budgets, funding requirements, quality and risk. You will bring a strategic lens to service planning and improvement, helping programs respond to the interconnected challenges of homelessness, mental health and alcohol and other drug use.

Uniting is a prominent voice on homelessness in Ballarat. You will build trusted relationships with government, funders, community partners, local services and the media, representing Uniting with credibility and advocating for the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

This is an opportunity to shape services beyond day-to-day delivery. You will navigate complex community relationships and projects, strengthen collaboration across service systems and ensure our work reflects the realities of regional, rural and remote communities. 

Benefits of working at Uniting

Our work isn’t easy, but it matters. Work with people who care as much as you.

In addition to your salary of Competitive salary + super & salary packaging, you can access the following. 

• Working in a values-led organisation with real community impact.
• A 60% discount for eligible employees on out-of-pocket childcare fees at Uniting learning services.
• A 30% discount on Office 365 subscriptions, and a 25% discount at our Uniting Op Shops.
• Up to $15,900 in salary packaging benefits that can be used for living expenses such as groceries, bills, clothing and streaming services.
• Saving on dining out and drinks with a meal entertainment benefit of $2,650 annually.
• Access to additional annual leave entitlements through our purchase leave program.

Your skills and experience

You are a strategic and collaborative leader who can balance a strong local presence with responsibility for a geographically dispersed portfolio. You understand that effective homelessness responses rely on strong services, connected systems and trusted community relationships.

You will also bring:

• A bachelor-level qualification in a relevant professional discipline.
• Substantial management experience, with demonstrated success leading managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience overseeing operational performance, financial management and program delivery across diverse or geographically dispersed services.
• Knowledge of homelessness, housing or related community services, including the intersection with mental health and alcohol and other drug use.
• An understanding of the challenges affecting service access and delivery in regional, rural and remote communities.
• Experience delivering government-funded programs and meeting contractual, legislative, regulatory and quality requirements.
• Strong strategic planning, service development and continuous improvement capability.
• Highly developed relationship-building and communication skills, with the confidence to represent an organisation in community, government and media settings.
• The ability to lead through complexity, strengthen collaboration and translate strategy into practical outcomes.

Click here to view job description

How to apply

Click APPLY to submit your interest.

If this role sounds like a good fit for you, please apply soon. We'll review applications as they come in and may close the ad early.

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please reach out to Renee Russo, Talent Advisor at renee.russo@vt.uniting.org.

About Uniting

We create real change in people’s lives by working in partnership with people, communities, governments and other agencies to reduce the impact of poverty, trauma and disadvantage.

We provide compassionate care for people facing tough times and personal challenges. We support children and young people to break the cycle of disadvantage. We help families keep safe, together and thriving.

For over 100 years we’ve been fighting inequality, opposing discrimination, and responding to the needs in our communities across Victoria and Tasmania. 

Visit us: www.vt.uniting.org

We are an inclusive, values-led organisation and proudly welcome people of all identities, backgrounds and experiences. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with lived and living experience relevant to our work.

We are committed to inclusive hiring practices. You are welcome to share your pronouns and let us know if you require any adjustments during the recruitment process. We are here to support you.

Uniting is a child safe organisation and is committed to the safety, wellbeing and empowerment of all children and young people. We embed child safety in everything we do. Employment with Uniting is subject to relevant pre-employment checks, including a National Police Check and Working with Children Check.