Senior Communications Advisor

Join one of Victoria's Leading Not-for-Profits!

Full time Position

Eastern Suburbs Location – Hybrid WFH Options

About Us:

For over 165 years we have been in Victoria assisting people through the challenges of poverty and exclusion address suffering, advocating against inequality and promoting human dignity and self-determination.

Overall, the group of companies of St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria has many arms and services. These include soup vans, education programs, home visitation programs and VincentCare Victoria, which provides a range of services and programs for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and disadvantage. This includes crisis accommodation, drug and alcohol dependency programs and housing.

About the Role

The Senior Communications Advisor plays a key role in planning, coordinating, and implementing strategic communications activities that support the delivery of programs and promote initiatives across the St Vincent de Paul Victoria (SVDPV) Group. This includes our core services: St Vincent de Paul Society (SVDPV), VincentCare (VCV), VincentCare Community Housing (VCCH), and Vinnies Retail. You will work closely with various departments, internal stakeholders and media to develop impactful content and strategies, ensuring alignment with the organisation's mission and values.

Key accountabilities include:

• Develop and execute strategic internal and external communication plans, including change management initiatives.
• Manage third party PR and communication agency contracts to ensure appropriate targets for SVDPV media representation are met and that all media enquiries are responded to appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Create and deliver compelling content across a variety of channels such as website, intranet, newsletters, media releases, social media and reports.
• Provide communication advice to senior leadership and internal stakeholders, ensuring messaging is clear, engaging, and tailored to diverse audiences.
• Manage media relations, including developing and executing public relations strategies and responding to media inquiries in a timely manner.
• Coordinate crisis communication efforts, ensuring that key messaging addresses reputational risks and stakeholder concerns effectively.
• Foster strong relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment on communication strategies and project goals.
• Oversee the production of high-quality visual content in collaboration with designers and videographers.

About You:

More specifically you will have:

• Tertiary qualifications in Marketing, Communications, or a related field.
• Proven experience in a communications role, with exposure to media relations and strategic content creation.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to produce high-quality, engaging content across various channels.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across the organisation.
• Experience in managing social media channels, including growing organic audiences and creating engaged communities.
• The ability to manage competing priorities, adapt to changing environments, and meet deadlines.
• A resilient, adaptable approach with excellent judgment and critical thinking skills to navigate complex situations.

Why work for us?  We offer:

• Salary packaging, sometimes called salary sacrificing is a huge attraction here! It is a popular way of providing employees in the community sector with tax benefits over and above their salary. It means the real value of a salary package can be significantly higher than the nominal value.
• We are committed to professional development to make sure that your career keeps growing while you’re working with us.
• We make an incredible difference in the lives of over 300,000 people every year.
• We believe in families, so we like to provide a family-friendly environment in which to work.
• We offer a place where you know you are contributing to an organisation committed to helping others. We are passionate about #Social Justice.

#Join Good

 If this opportunity sounds perfect to you, we can’t wait to hear from you!

Please send us your updated CV and a cover letter that tells us a little more about you and why you would be perfect for the role.

Click HERE for a copy of the Position Description.

Applications close: December 19th 2024 at 11:30pm 

Please note: SVDP reserves the right to close the advertisement at any time.

Candidates may be reviewed and progressed as applications are received, rather than after the advertised closing date.

We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure due consideration is given to your suitability.

 Eligibility

To be eligible for this role, you will need to have a Working with Children Check (WWCC) and complete a national police check issued by SVDP – the organisation will cover the cost.

 St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria is proactive in supporting child safety

We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions.