Prospective careers

Community transport gives people facing transport barriers the ability to access the services and social outlets they need. As a Community Transport Coordinator, you will be in charge of coordinating transport programs and ensuring that regulations and procedures are properly followed. This role involves scheduling, managing a team of staff, and engaging with people who access transport services. This position is ideal for an organised, people person who wants to help people stay connected to the community.

Do you enjoy working with a team to achieve a common goal? Do you like supporting people to do the best work they can do? Team leadership roles are available in a huge range of community sector organisation. As a team leader you will mentor and support the people on your team, and try to foster a sense of camaraderie. This would be a great position for people who have extensive experience in a particular field and want to take on more duties and responsibility.

Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system. They are responsible for assessing, monitoring, and treating patients in collaboration with other healthcare providers. Nurses work in a range of setting such as hospitals, aged care facilities, schools, people’s homes, and community health services. Nurses not only take care of people, they also provide resources to help people manage their conditions independently, including guidance on additional community services. Nurses care deeply about their patients, are resourceful, and excellent listeners.

If you want to pursue a career in the healthcare system, why not consider nursing!

The community housing sector provides much needed support to people experiencing rental stress. You can use your skills as a property manager to manage a community housing portfolio giving low-income households a safe and affordable place to live. Your responsibilities will include maintenance and property improvements, budget forecasting, property inspections, administrative tasks, resolving disputes and ensuring regulatory compliance.

If you are passionate about contributing to the fight for better, more affordable housing, then this role might be for you.

The best policies and programs are evidence-based policies and programs. While charities and community service providers are generally well-intentioned, they are not always effective at meeting their goals. By collecting, analysing, and evaluating data on programs and services, the community sector can improve the quality of services and demonstrate their impact to supporters. As an outcomes and evaluation coordinator, you will be responsible for designing surveys, collecting and analysing data, and communicating your findings to internal and external stakeholders.

If research, collaboration, and storytelling sound appealing to you, then you should consider a career in program evaluation!

Everybody should be able to take charge of their life and participate in the activities that bring them joy. Occupational therapists (OTs) work with people to allow them to participate in day-to-day activities, from showering and cooking, to education, work, and social activities. Together with the client, OTs develop and implement plans to help people do the activities they want to do. Plans may involve home modification, providing training on assistive technology, or injury management and prevention. Through this process, OTs support people to take control of their lives and enhance their quality of life.

If you are a compassionate problem solver with an interest in healthcare, this could be the perfect career for you!

Many community organisations have a membership component to their structure. Members can include individuals and organisations that support your organisation’s work. Members generally provide financial support in return for participating in consultations, policy development, workshops, networking events and meetings. Membership-based community organisations also provide resources, regular communications, and support to their members.

As a member engagement officer, you will be responsible for building strong, collaborative relationships with members and increasing your member base. Tasks may involve event organising, writing newsletters, responding to member inquiries, and managing member records. Member engagement officers should be team players, detail oriented, approachable, and most importantly, great communicators.

Directing people to the most appropriate services saves the community sector time and resources. As an intake and assessment officers, you will play an important role in screening and assessing people’s risks and needs and referring them to the best services for their circumstances. Intake officers work in a number of sectors, including mental health, and housing and homelessness. They should have a deep understanding of the services available to clients and be able to form good working relationships with service providers. Intake and assessment officers are often a client’s first point of contact, and therefore need to be empathetic and effective communicators.

People working in Harm Reduction aim to minimise the consequences of drug use and drug policies. If you think that drug use should be treated as a social issue not a legal issue, this role could be for you. Harm Reduction Outreach Workers look out for the health and well-being of people who use drugs. They engage in street outreach, education, stigma reduction, and provide equipment for the safer use and disposal of needles and syringes. Outreach Workers also provide referrals and support navigating health and community services such as housing and legal support. Outreach Workers are personable and compassionate advocates who strive to have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Charities and community sector organisations can’t do their work without funding. While many community organisations are funded by the government, many rely on donations and grants to stay operational. This requires a team of skilled fundraisers who work on recruiting regular donors, writing grant applications, organising fundraising events or peer-to-peer campaigns, and securing bequests in wills. Other tasks may include budget management, building and maintaining relationships with funders, seeking out new funding streams, and writing progress reports.

If you are an influencer, love networking and are passionate about the community sector, fundraising could be your calling.

Are you a detail-oriented, organised person and want to use your skills for good? Why not consider becoming an executive assistant in the community sector! As an executive assistant (EA), you will work closely with the chief executive officer (CEO), board members, and other members of the executive team. EAs manage the CEO’s calendar, appointments, and travel arrangements, prepare the CEO for meetings, respond to inquiries from members and the public, and engage with stakeholders. EAs should be excellent record keepers, relationship builders, and communicators.
If love making sure things runs smoothly, this might be a great role for you.

Exercise physiologists provide tailored advice and exercise programs to help prevent and manage injuries and medical conditions. They play an important role in the healthcare system, allowing clients to improve their physical functioning and implement lifestyle changes to improve their overall health. Exercise physiologists design individualised exercise programs that allow clients to work towards their health goals. Whether they are supporting someone post-injury, or helping someone manage a chronic disease, exercise physiologists assist clients to live their healthiest life.

If you are organised and like running the show, then you should think about becoming an events manager! This role involves a range of exciting responsibilities. Tasks may include communicating and coordinating with event partners, managing a team, promotion and marketing, budgeting, engaging with supporters and the community, and ensuring health and safety procedures are followed. Event managers need to be great at time management, collaborating with others, and creative problem solving. Does that sound like you?

Drivers are an essential part of the community sector. Whether you are providing transport to isolated members of the community or delivering food, clothing, or other essentials, you are playing a vital role in community service delivery. Other duties may include assisting people with mobility issues, loading wheelchairs, walkers and scooters, cleaning work vehicles, and providing first aid. If you enjoy working with members of the community, working independently and want to make a difference in people’s lives, maybe this is the role for you.

Social workers help people in crisis or those struggling to cope with life’s challenges. Social workers support people going through a range of challenges, including housing stress, domestic or family violence, financial stress, and mental health problems. In addition to counselling, social workers provide critical information and resources to clients. They can also refer clients to relevant service providers and help them navigate those systems. This is a great role for people who are skilled communicators, listeners, and problem solvers.

As a project coordinator you will work on a range of projects, overseeing all aspects of design and implementation. Common tasks include planning and executing projects, coordinating and supporting a team, budgeting, monitoring and evaluating progress throughout a project’s lifetime, and building strong relationships with stakeholders. This is a great role for someone who is organised, can stick to a deadline, and likes solving problems. This is an exciting career path with the opportunity to work on a huge range of projects that have a positive impact on the community.

If you are passionate about social justice and disability rights, then working in disability inclusion would be perfect for you. Through your work, you will create more accessible and inclusive spaces – in workplaces, schools, sporting clubs or community facilities. You will have the chance to work with a range of stakeholders to ensure they are creating inclusive systems and structures for people with disability. You will also work directly with people with disabilities to make sure their individual needs are being met. This is a rewarding, people-focused role for anyone who wants to be part of making their community more inclusive.

If you want to make a practical difference in people’s live and you’re a great listener, then counselling might be a great option for you. Counsellors provide support and advice to people experiencing a wide range of issues, from mental health to relationship issues, from drug or alcohol-related problems to coping with the loss of a loved one.

Are you empathetic and like working with people? You should look into becoming a counselling!

Clinical psychologists work closely with individuals, families, and small groups as they tackle psychological problems and other challenges in their lives. Clinical psychologists assess and treat people struggling with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders. Clinical psychologists also work with people with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. Clinical psychologists may choose to specialise in a particular area of psychology or with a particular group of people, like the LGBTIQA+ community or young people.

Are you an excellent listener and communicator? Are you fascinated by the science of the mind and behaviour? This might be the career for you!

This is often an identified role, meaning that to apply you must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

In this role you will use your cultural knowledge to support and advocate for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples in a range of settings. This could involve developing or improving policies and practices within a workplace or organisation, or case management for First Nations people accessing services. It may also involve developing and delivering cultural training for government and non-government organisations or within your own workplace. If you like working with people, value diversity, and want to help create more culturally safe spaces, this could be a great role for you.

The food we eat directly affects our health and wellbeing. As a dietician, you can provide personalised, expert advice on nutrition and have a positive impact on your clients’ lives. Dieticians provide valuable information and guidance tailored to the needs of the individual. This might involve discussing ways to create a healthy, balanced diet, or helping someone manage a health condition, food intolerance, or eating disorder.

If you’re passionate about health and wellbeing, maybe you could be a future dietician!

Community educators empower people in the community by providing them with the resources they need to live the life they want to live. Community education can involve a range of activities such as facilitating workshops, one-on-one discussions, creating flyers and handouts, or running social media pages. This is a very rewarding career path, with the opportunity to work face-to-face with the community and provide much needed public awareness on a range of social issues. Are you a creative and effective communicator? This might be the role for you!

If you are frustrated with systems and policy that perpetuate injustice and unfairness, why not work to shape policy to improve the lives of people living on low-incomes or experiencing disadvantage. Most policy work is done by advocacy and peak bodies, but some service providers also have policy teams that build on frontline experience to provide advice as to how things can be done better. Policy roles provide opportunities to speak to the media and give evidence to inquiries and committees. If you feel passionately about changing our community, then policy work might be your thing.

Hearing from someone who has experienced similar challenges and recovered can be key to successful outcomes for the people we support in the community sector. Your experiences of mental health, problematic drug and alcohol use, homelessness or being part of marginalised communities can be key to connecting with people who can benefit from support and services. Peer Support Workers are recognised as one of the most important ways of connecting with clients and are becoming an increasingly important part of the community sector.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants support our community sector lawyers to deliver legal services to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Given the resource constraints faced by our community legal services, paralegals and legal assistants are critical in supporting our clients and our lawyers to deliver good outcomes. These roles might include answering calls and greeting clients, supporting administrative tasks, helping with client intake and supporting lawyers in ensuring that clients receive legal assistance in a safe and respectful manner.

Do you enjoy program/project management? Are you good at managing budgets and contracts? Use your skills to look after a community organisation’s internal budgets, policies/processes, HR and finance. Keep projects on track and report progress to boards and funders. In smaller organisations you might assist with recruitments and onboarding new staff.

Lawyers get a bad rap – we LOVE our community sector lawyers. They are doing critical work in our community legal services, protecting the most vulnerable who come into contact with the justice system or who need legal support relating to health, immigration, family, social welfare, housing, finance, discrimination and a range of other issues. Lawyers in our community legal services are often the last protection available to people experiencing injustice. Community sector lawyers have also been at the forefront of challenging major systemic injustice in areas including Robodebt, offshore processing and discrimination.

Help empower and support people as they face systemic and individual injustice. Advocates provide information, education, support, and representation to clients to ensure that they are sufficiently informed to make their own choices and have their legal and human rights and interests respected. As an individual advocate you can make direct change to an individual’s life.

Home care workers provide personal, physical and emotional support and care to Canberrans who require assistance with daily living in their own homes. You could assist clients with their daily care needs, and domestic duties such as cooking and cleaning, accompanying clients to appointments or on outings and providing companionship.

Poverty, debt, and financial abuse can have significant impacts on health, wellbeing and relationships. Financial counsellors provide confidential assistance to people who are experiencing crisis or chronic financial difficulties and help families work towards positive change. This could include case management, advocacy and providing emotional support to vulnerable clients that might be experiencing multiple and complex issues.

Do you have excellent people skills and like helping people find the information/contacts they need? Are you good at time management and juggling multiple tasks? The front office person of any organisation is crucial to answering the office phone, managing diary engagements for CEOs, and a range of administrative tasks to keep the broader team working smoothly.

The earliest years of child’s life are the most important. As an early childhood educator, you can play a vital role in support children to develop lifelong skills through play and create lasting nurturing relationships. If you have passion but lack qualifications, traineeship roles are available. Traineeships allow you to study for an accredited qualification while getting paid to gain work experience. A role in the ECE sector is an opportunity for a rewarding, dynamic and flexible work life.

DLOs work in a variety of sectors including our community’s; legal, domestic and family violence, housing and homelessness, health and disability services. These roles focus on ensuring that community services are culturally safe and accessible for people with disabilities and raising awareness of the issues disproportionately impacting people with disability within the organisation. A commitment to social justice is critical and these roles present opportunities to demonstrate and develop experience in community education and development, facilitating workshops, understanding of human rights and advocacy.

Community development work is all about building strong, resilient communities. Community development workers help develop networks within communities so that individuals and families are empowered to access the support and services they need. This work also provides community members with the tools to support and help each other. Our busy lives and transient communities mean that it is harder to develop the local networks that help create strong communities. You can play a role in facilitating those networks particularly for people who are vulnerable or face disadvantage including new migrants, residents in new townships and suburbs, suburbs with younger people and families, people on low incomes or in social and community housing.

What better way to make a contribution to where you live?

Case Managers work in a variety of sectors using skills including communication, delegation/referral, understanding, time management, conflict resolution and organisation to plan the care and support of clients. Clients may be children, young people, and their families; people with problematic drug use; people with complex health needs; or people engaged with the justice system. You can make an incredible contribution by coordinating and collaborating with clients, their families, government and community service providers to create a positive outcome for an individual and the people around them.

Make a direct difference for your community as a campaign organiser. Campaign organisers contribute to developing and implementing campaigns to achieve outcomes that advance our community. Campaign organisers coordinate, train, and mobilise others to support a cause; run events and rallies; and create campaign material and content. It’s social, exciting, positive, and focused on achieving immediate outcomes.

What better way to start your career in the community sector?

Charities and not-for-profit community sector organisations are key to making a difference in our community. ’Boards of organisations have the ultimate responsibility for overseeing the organisation, managing its finances, its operations and managing staff and volunteers. Being a board member can be hard work and is normally unpaid, but it can be immensely rewarding and a great opportunity to learn about the sector and develop incredible networks and experience. The sector also needs your expertise and knowledge to ensure that organisations are truly meeting the needs of the communities they serve.

Use your administration skills whilst also supporting a team that are making a change in our community. Rather than working in the corporate sector, why not consider an administrative role where you can develop key skills in administration, HR or finance whilst also playing a part in improving the lives of Canberrans.

ALOs work in a variety of sectors including our community legal, domestic, and family violence, housing and homelessness, health and disability services. These roles focus on ensuring that community services are culturally safe and accessible for First Nations peoples and raise awareness of the issues impacting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples within the organisation. A commitment to social justice is critical and these roles present opportunities for demonstrating and developing experience in community education and development, facilitating workshops, understanding of human rights and advocacy.

These roles are often ‘identified’ roles meaning that it is a genuine occupational qualification to be Aboriginal for the position.

Money is what keeps us going and the community sector is no different. If you have expertise in payroll, finance, accounting, risk, bookkeeping and bringing in the dollars then the community sector is looking for your skills and expertise. Across the range of finance specialists, help organisations ensure that they are well governed, meeting regulatory obligations, fiscally prudent and financially viable while learning about the sector and giving back to the community.

How do we let the community know that we’re here to support them? What can we do to influence government policy to improve outcomes for vulnerable people? What will encourage people to make donations? How can we keep our workforce engaged and motivated? These are the questions that show why good media and communications professionals are so important to the community service sector. From marketing to social media; internal communications to media relations there are diverse and varied media and communications roles in the community sector. Use your media and communication skills to bring change to individuals and communities.

Wanna hit the big time AND make a difference – have you thought about being the Chief Executive Officer of a not-for-profit organisation? Okay, so you’ll need to have some experience behind you but the community sector offers opportunities to become CEO at an early stage in your career. For those with significant managerial experience, the community sector also offers the chance to manage complex, large-scale organisations with competitive pay and conditions while making a meaningful change to your local community. Smaller organisations enable you to develop broad skills across management and the organisation’s specialist area while making a significant internal and external impact. Did you know that a disproportionate number of CEOs in the community sector started in frontline service provision?

Would you have thought that home or garden maintenance is a role in the community sector? Older people and people with disability want to remain in their homes but need support to keep their home and garden safe and livable. Some disability and community sector organisations provide this support for their clients and need people with home or garden maintenance skills to deliver these critical services.

All organisations need good HR and the community sector is no different. Use your HR skills to support complex and diverse workforces and create ethical and caring environments that reflect your values. Just as in other sectors, HR officers support the management of payroll, recruitment, rostering, performance, planning, training, and development. Some larger organisations have many hundreds of employees providing opportunities for all levels of HR roles – a perfect opportunity for early career joiners or senior HR professionals. Other smaller organisations may require an HR officer or manager to cover a broad range of HR issues suitable for someone who is adaptable or with significant experience looking for a new challenge.