Grant Manager, 13YARN

OUR ORGANISATION

13YARN is the national crisis support and suicide prevention service delivered and managed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Launched in 2022, this critical program is delivered in partnership with Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. 13YARN is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

13YARN is part of Lifeline Australia, an organisation committed to First Nations peoples’ self-determination and Australia’s leading provider of crisis support and suicide prevention services.

13YARN is currently launching a 24/7 text and chat support service to complement the well-established phone line. 13YARN is entirely staffed and managed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

About Lifeline Australia

Join 13YARN and Lifeline Australia and you will help support the delivery of critical services, ensuring that “no person in Australia has to face their darkest moments alone”.

Lifeline Australia is a national suicide prevention charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. We are committed to empowering Australians to be suicide-safe through connection, compassion and hope.

Lifeline Australia Ltd (LLA) is located in Sydney, with small teams of dedicated staff, including the 13YARN National Management Team, employed to lead program management, funding and corporate relations activities, and to provide the design, technical infrastructure and governance of services across Lifeline’s national member network.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We know that experience and capability can be built in many different ways. If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with strong relationship-building skills, a willingness to learn, and a passion for supporting our communities, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every requirement listed.

We welcome applicants with experience in community, program, project, policy, service delivery or stakeholder engagement roles who are interested in developing their grant management skills. Training, support and mentoring will be provided to help the successful candidate grow into the role.

The 13YARN Grant Manager works in the Grant Management team and works closely with the 13YARN team. The role is accountable for coordinating a range of stakeholders to deliver clearly described grant obligations on time and on budget. This includes overseeing grant obligations, tracking performance, maintaining strong relationships with the Department and internal teams, meeting contractual requirements, and coordinating reporting, budgeting and evaluation activities. The role is also an important liaison point for funders and stakeholders and contributes to the growth of 13YARN’s relationships across government and the sector, including with Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia.

Identified position:

 This is an identified position for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the 13YARN grant.
• Manage internal review of the grant and any grant variations when the grant is due for renewal or when additional one-off funding is provided by the Department for a particular purpose.
• Coordinate the development, approval and submission of all activity work plans, budgets, reports and acquittals required under the 13YARN grant.
• Track the performance of the 13YARN service against the annual grant activity work plan and budget, with support from Lifeline’s Finance team, and support remedial action and risk management as required.
• Use Power BI to collate and report service delivery data for the Department and other government agencies through formal performance reports, regular data reports and responses to ad hoc data requests.
• Act as an internal advocate for government funders to help resolve internal barriers.
• Foster and develop strong working relationships with colleagues across Lifeline.
• Liaise with members of the 13YARN team to complete annual activity work plans and reports.
• Build and maintain a strong relationship with the Funding Arrangement Manager who administers the 13YARN grant on behalf of the Department.
• Build and grow positive working relationships with relevant sector partners and stakeholders, including Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia.
• Lead the development and distribution of annual service agreements (contracts) to the Lifeline Members that deliver the 13YARN service.
• Manage purchase orders and invoices in line with service agreements and variations.
• Contribute to the enhancement of grant management processes and procedures.
• Represent Grant Management in internal meetings and working groups.

ABOUT YOU

• Identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, with cultural knowledge and connection to community relevant to the purpose and delivery of 13YARN.
• Experience in working with contracts, funding agreements, grants or project deliverables (or the capability to quickly develop these).
• Experience engaging with internal and external stakeholders, building relationships and working with colleagues to solve problems.
• Ability to coordinate various stakeholders to deliver agreed grant, contract or project obligations on time and on budget.
• Able to manage a busy workload with multiple deadlines and coordinate across diverse programs and internal stakeholders.
• Familiarity or interest in financial reporting and budget tracking.
• Experience working with data and reporting. Experience with Power BI is desirable, or a willingness to learn.
• Highly organised, able to plan and work to a calendar of tasks and deadlines, with a strong eye for detail.
• Experience contributing to project implementation and working with project teams.

THE 13YARN TEAM

The 13YARN team is committed to closing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide outcomes by placing culture first in the way the service is governed, led and delivered. It is a supportive and culturally aware team that values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, leadership, ways of working and ways of being. The team works together with care, accountability and respect to deliver a trusted national service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PACKAGE

• Salary packaging: as a not-for-profit organisation, we offer employees access to valuable tax savings through salary packaging.
• Flexible working: we provide flexibility and support to employees and encourage work-life balance.
• Employee Assistance Program: access to free counselling sessions for you and your family.
• Well-appointed and welcoming office facilities in a central location.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please select “Apply Now” and follow the prompts to submit your expression of interest.

Applications will close 5pm, Friday, 31 July 2026.