Join our Team

• Use your lived experience and relational approaches to lead implement and develop expertise-led projects and initiatives.
• Fixed Term, Full Time role | 38 hours per week
• WFH & Burnley Office Location

Mind strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and applicants from all cultures, genders, sexualities, bodies, abilities, spiritualities, ages and backgrounds.

Mind Australia is one of Australia’s largest providers of community-managed psychosocial services, supporting people experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges to find help, hope and purpose in their lives. Operating for more than 45 years and employing more than 1,300 staff around Australia, Mind is a leading employer of people with lived experience of mental health challenges, recognising their unique ability to connect with and motivate clients and guide recovery.

About the role

The Lived Experience Development Lead will work from a lived experience perspective to lead the implementation of new lived expertise-led initiatives, while further developing and evolving existing practice approaches to better align with lived expertise values and principles, including human rights.

We are seeking a self-motivated, compassionate leader with extensive experience in operational roles, who is able to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders and work across teams towards systems change.

Key responsibilities

• Demonstrated understanding of and ability to explain and promote Lived Experience as a key driver of service design and development.
• Be grounded in the discipline of Lived Expertise, informed by a commitment to social change, human rights, dignity and choice to shape their leadership, the delivery of their work and that of Mind.
• Convene an established lived experience advisory team and identify and facilitate opportunities for lived experience/expertise perspectives to engage in continuous improvement processes to evolve services or practices to better align with lived expertise values and principles. 
• Develop and lead projects that aim to embed lived experience and expertise perspectives in service establishment and development, within available resources. This may include establishing the conditions required for systems change, data analysis and synthesis, translating service design insights and initiatives into service or practice innovations, and evaluating their effectiveness.

What you’ll bring

• Completion of Intentional Peer Support Core and/ or Advanced Training, or willingness to complete.
• Tertiary qualifications as relevant to the role, such as mental health, health promotion, occupational therapy, social work or psychology, are desired but not required.
• In-depth knowledge of contemporary approaches to implementation, change management and continuous improvement and ability to demonstrate their practical application within Mental Health or Community Services, or not for profit organisations is required.
• Experience and expertise in working directly with people with mental health challenges, and with their families and carers, ideally in a designated lived expertise role.
• Demonstrated understanding of mental health system reform and commitment to human rights and intersectional inclusion.

Benefits

• Salary packaging up to $15,899 p.a. allows you to allocate a portion of your pre-tax income to cover living expenses (e.g. rent, mortgage, child care, car leasing expenses etc.)
• Option to access Meal and Entertainment allowance up to $2,650 p.a. via Salary Packaging.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by Converge International, for you and your immediate family members.
• Fitness Passport - Access to our corporate health and fitness program, providing you and family with access to a wide choice of fitness facilities.

Interested?

To apply online visit Mind Careers - reference number 498141. Online applications must be submitted by 11pm Wednesday 27 August 2025. Please contact the person below for more information.

Harriet McDougall, Acting Senior Manager, Lived Experience Design and Development

harriet.mcdougall@mindaustralia.org.au

Position Description

 PD Lived Experience Development Lead (LE) 20250808.pdf

The successful applicant is required to complete comprehensive reference and background checking prior to employment, including a Working with Children Check and NDIS Workers Screening Check.