Join our Team

• Opportunity to utilise your learnings from lived/living experience in a leadership role to hold space and opportunity for healing
• Fixed term 12 month role | Multiple Part time Opportunities
• Geelong Location

Mind strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people with a lived experience of mental ill health and recovery, 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 Residential Service will provide free short-term support in a home-like setting for people experiencing mental health crisis and distress. This innovative trial service is designed and run by a highly experienced and skilled peer workforce. Peer practitioners are trained to draw on the experience, knowledge and wisdom of their own mental health challenges to support others in their healing and recovery. Lived Experience Residential Service will offer up to eight beds for anyone aged 18 and over experiencing high levels of distress.

We are seeking compassionate Lived Experience Team Leaders for 12 month fixed term, varying part time opportunities in the Geelong area. Working a rotating 24/7 roster, you will utilises your learnings from lived/living experience of mental health challenges, languages of pain and other intersectional identities to hold space and opportunity for healing for those accessing the Lived Experience Residential Service. You will have authority to make day-to-day decisions to ensure operational requirements of the service are met in alignment with operational guidelines and lived experience practice principles.

Key responsibilities

• Have a publicly disclosed personal/consumer lived experience, along with demonstrated lived expertise and designated work experience that is equal to the level of the position.
• Lead innovative delivery of services to people as defined in the Service Model and Operations Manual.
• Provide discipline-specific and role-specific supervision.
• Work with the team to create and contribute to a collective culture based upon the vision of the service, holding the heart and intention at the centre prioritising relational practice and meeting people where they are at.

What you’ll bring

• An ability to champion the voice of lived experience alternatives and human rights centred innovation.
• Completion of Intentional Peer Support Core and/ or Advanced Training,.
• Completion of other relevant Consumer Discipline trainings are desired but not required eg: Consumer Perspective Supervision, Alt2Su, Hearing Voices etc.
• Have a lived/living experience of mental distress and recovery and understanding of, and ability and willingness to, contribute this Lived Expertise in working towards greater organisational impact.
• A grounding in the discipline of Lived Expertise, drawing from your own lived experience, informed by a commitment to social change, human rights, dignity and choice.
• Experience in managing teams and working within a collaborative leadership structure.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to work within a 24/7 rotating roster including regular Active Night shift allocation.

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.)
• 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.

This role will initially be advertised for three weeks, applicants will be reviewed on an ongoing basis with interviews scheduled for the new year and expected start in late February 2026.

To be eligible

To be eligible, applicants must submit a covering letter that addresses their Lived Expertise Leadership and no longer than 1 page.

Interested?

To apply visit Mind Careers - reference number 498739. Online applications must be submitted by 11pm Friday 19 December 2025. Please contact the person below for more information.

Tristan Cadman-Gibbings – Lived Experience Operational Development Lead

tris.cadmangibbings@mindaustralia.org.au

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please contact us at hr@mindaustralia.org.au

Position Description

 PD Lived Experience Team Leader (LERS, Geelong) 20251024.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.