Small Business Specialist - Diversity Field Officer

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Detail information about job Small Business Specialist - Diversity Field Officer. Terms and conditions vacancy

Diversity Field Officer

Do you have experience working with small businesses and can solve problems in innovative ways? Interested in using your influencing and relationship management skills to build the confidence of businesses to hire a more diverse workforce?

The Diversity Field Officer Service, led by the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) in collaboration with Deakin University, works to support small and medium sized businesses (<100 employees) to increase their ‘disability confidence’ to employ people with disability across Greater Geelong and the Bellarine. Up to 110 workplaces, with a focus on the tourism and hospitality sectors, will be supported over the next 24 months. 

We are seeking to recruit a Diversity Field Officer with exceptional interpersonal skills to join our existing team. Working within a small team, you will identify and canvass new businesses to join the service, work with each business to identify barriers and opportunities to increase accessibility and employment pathways and develop a customised set of recommendations with practical steps to increase the inclusion of people with disability. Your role will include supporting businesses to develop connections with a range of local, state and national organisations, including employment support providers, link businesses with information and resources, and assist with the delivery of workshops, events and information to build ‘disability confidence’.

The ideal applicant will:

• Have excellent relationship management, influencing and negotiation skills
• Be a creative problem solver who can ask all of the right questions and gather information to develop customised solutions for each business
• Genuinely value the inclusion of people with disability within the open workforce
• Have the confidence to address the concerns of business as they relate to misconceptions about disability (training will be provided)
• Have confidence to work autonomously, from initial conversation to assisting each business to implement customised recommendations
• Have business acumen (with knowledge of small business and the Geelong region very highly regarded)
• Be able to project manage multiple tasks simultaneously, with attention to detail
• Be able to position other opportunities in addition to the service that may be of interest to each business, including consultancy or training offered by AFDO
• Have excellent communication skills, including written communication
• Knowledge of diversity and inclusion strategies, personal experience of disability and/or experience working with people with disability would be highly regarded.

   

  Work Mode: Part time (30 hours) or full time (up to 37.5 hours per week), with a 12 month contract and scope for renewal into the second year. The number of hours per fortnight will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

  To be able to meet the time pressures of small businesses, AFDO particularly welcome applications from candidates who are interested in working flexibly between the hours of 7.00am and 7.00pm on weekdays and on Saturdays between 8.00am-5.00pm (noting that the majority of business engagement currently occurs during standard business hours).

  Location:  The position will be based at Deakin University Waterfront Campus, Geelong, with the opportunity to work remotely. As support will be offered onsite to small businesses, independent work related travel in the Greater Geelong and the Bellarine will be a core feature of the position.
  
  Should you be successful, you will be supported by a small and passionate local (based in Geelong and the Bellarine) and national team (based in the Melbourne CBD), with an extended network of partners. You will be provided with full support and training to hit the ground running. Most importantly, you will have the opportunity to play a leadership role in Geelong and the Bellarine in advancing employment opportunities for people with disability.

  Salary will be commensurate with experience and negotiated with the successful candidate. As a charitable organisation, salary packaging is also available. Ideally, we are seeking the candidate to commence in early to mid August 2018.

  Interested in applying? Please submit a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) with your CV to [email protected] with the subject line: Diversity Field Officer by midnight Sunday 29 July 2018, with interviews to be conducted on Tuesday 31 July 2018. AFDO is a flexible and inclusive employer and encourage suitably skilled people with disability to apply.

• About us: The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations is the peak organisation in the disability sector representing people with lived experience of disability. Our member organisations are run by people with lived experience of disability. AFDO works to develop a community where people with disability can participate in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life. This includes genuine participation in mainstream community life, the development of respectful and valued relationships, social and economic participation and the opportunity to contribute as valued citizens.

• Position description available at www.afdo.org.au