Program Manager, Consumer Leadership

Part time (0.8FTE), 3 year contract

• Expand your career in health project management, working with leading change-makers in the cancer sector
• Great opportunity to play a key role in enabling effective consumer engagement
• Offering hybrid flexibility (on site at 305 Grattan Street Melbourne up to 2-3 days per week & working from home)
• NFP salary packaging available to optimise take-home salary.

About the program

Consumer engagement holds a pivotal role within the strategic framework of the VCCC Alliance. To address the identified gap in immersive consumer leadership training programs, we have established collaborations with five esteemed cancer control organisations. These partnerships will help to create and evaluate a comprehensive leadership program for consumers. Given the significance of this initiative, we are seeking a qualified Program Manager to lead this project and elevate our consumer leadership initiatives to industry leading heights.

About the position

In this role, you will be based at the VCCC Alliance (as project lead) and will be responsible for driving delivery and oversight of implementation activities. You will coordinate governance and working groups, monitor budget, and report to the funder and other key stakeholders. A natural collaborator, you will work together with Consumer Involvement Managers (or equivalent) across Partner sites to implement a consumer leadership program. You will develop a detailed project plan that focuses on involving consumers throughout implementation and enabling a productive working relationship across partner organisations and you will draw on the collective expertise of the Partners to deliver this initiative that builds upon their respective consumer engagement strategies.

Key responsibilities 

• Develop a detailed project plan for a consumer-led research project with agreed governance, objectives, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and budget.
• Complete project reporting to meet governance structures and funder requirements.
• Assist the recruitment and management of the Consumer Liaison Coordinators across the Partner organisations to ensure a ‘community of practice’, harmonisation of purpose, and implementation of project objectives.
• Coordinate process for consumer recruitment from across the Partner organisations to optimise participation in and dissemination of learnings from the project.
• Support project governance and working group meetings through development of agendas and workplans, and through documenting decisions and outcomes via minutes and agreed actions.
• Develop a consumer involvement strategy, coordinate consumer remuneration, and monitor consumer perceptions. Ensure the expertise of the lived experience is embedded in direction-setting, prioritisation, project planning, and implementation.
• Strengthen and maintain collaborative working relationships across Partner organisations as appropriate to deliver the objectives of the project.
• Promote harmonisation and be proactive to identifying synergies across the Partners to optimise collaboration and collective impact opportunities in their respective consumer engagement strategies.

About you  

Your exceptional communication skills will be put to good use, as you engage with colleagues, partners and stakeholders. You’ll be highly collaborative and enjoy building strong and sustainable relationships, as you engage our 5 partner organisations to work towards a common goal. In addition to this, you will have:

• Tertiary higher degree in relevant research, scientific or public health discipline.
• Project management qualification is an advantage.
• Experience in consumer engagement principles and organisational mechanisms to enable best practice.
• Proven experience in all aspects of project management from design through to implementation and final reports.
• Ability to manage multi-organisation relationships, with practiced prioritisation skills.
• Demonstrated communication skills with diverse stakeholder groups from multiple organisations to reach consensus and drive deliverables in a timely manner.
• Experience in establishing governance structures and leading stakeholders in cross-functional settings (research, education, clinical care).
• Understanding of project management frameworks and methodologies, with ability and skill to adjust processes to problem solve and remove unnecessary complexity.
• Ability to navigate and manage complexity and the administrative requirements associated with multi-stakeholder project management.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including report writing, presentation and meeting/workshop facilitation.
• Demonstrated experience in enabling consumers to proactively contribute to prioritisation and implementation of project activities.
• Willingness to travel between Partner organisations as required for project deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible, resilient, organised and effective in time management.

About the VCCC Alliance

The vision for the VCCC Alliance is to save lives through the integration of consumer-engaged cancer research, education and patient care.

Founded on the holistic principles of the internationally-recognised Comprehensive Cancer Centre model, the VCCC Alliance brings together 10 of Victoria’s leading research, academic, and clinical institutions to achieve what can only be done through state-wide collaboration. Together we will improve outcomes in cancer in metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria, and forge new approaches to cancer research, education, and patient care for all.

The VCCC Alliance’s multi-site, multidisciplinary model brings together the complementary strengths of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Health (including The Royal Melbourne Hospital), the University of Melbourne, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, The Royal Women’s Hospital, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Western Health, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (including St Vincent's Institute), Austin Health (including the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and Austin Lifesciences) and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

VCCC Alliance is made up of a tight-knit team of staff who form the backbone working to facilitate the power of collective impact across the VCCC alliance and beyond. 

Our team values

Better Together: we connect and support to empower sustainable change

Integrity: we are respectful of each other and the cancer community and accountable for our contribution

Bold: we cultivate ideas and dare to innovate

Patient-Centred: we place patients with cancer at the centre of all we do

For All: we champion equity of cancer care for every Victorian

Equity & inclusion

The VCCC Alliance values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an inclusive work environment, free from all forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, vilification and victimisation. We are committed to all aspects of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and to providing all staff, contractors, appointees, secondees, volunteers and partners with a safe, respectful and rewarding environment.

Contact for enquiries 

For a confidential conversation regarding the role, please contact Dr Joanne Britto, Manager, Consumer Involvement ([email protected]).

Secondment 

With the ongoing objective of enhancing relationships with our alliance partners, this position may be able to be arranged as a secondment within a VCCC Alliance member organisation. Employees within the VCCC Alliance are encouraged to contact Chris Morton, Head of People & Culture ([email protected]) or Nell Keenan, People and Development Advisor ([email protected]) to discuss the possibility of a suitable arrangement.

To apply

Download a copy of the position description.

Applications should consist of your CV and a covering letter outlining the key reasons for your interest, specifically addressing the main areas of the selection criteria in the position description.

Please also indicate your preference for full-time or number of part-time days when you submit your application. Applicants must have permanent residency status to be considered.

Please lodge your application via SEEK by 10.00am, Monday 23 October 2023.

The closing date may be brought forward if applications meeting the key selection criteria are received in advance of this date.