Make-A-Wish is one of Australia’s most trusted charities and part of the largest wish-granting organisations in the world.
We create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Every day, our team works to bring hope and joy when it’s needed most. We partner with children with life threatening conditions, their families, and medical teams to grant wishes as unique as the children who imagine them. At Make-A-Wish, our mission is to grant the wish of every eligible child as we believe these wishes complement treatment, build resilience and bring hope to these children and their families when they need it most.
Make-A-Wish Australia is a values-driven, child-safe organisation committed to inclusion, ethical conduct, and community engagement. We prioritise the wellbeing and protection of children throughout their wish journey and embed inclusive principles across all operations. We maintain high standards of governance, transparency, and ethical behaviour, and actively work to ensure our leadership and volunteer base are representative of Australia’s diverse communities.
The Volunteer Relationships Lead is a senior role within the Volunteer Programs Team, responsible for strengthening the experience, quality, consistency, connection, and scalability of the volunteer network across current and emerging modes of volunteering. The role identifies network strengths, pressure points, and opportunities to improve how volunteers are engaged and supported at scale. A key focus is identifying the touchpoints in the volunteer journey where volunteers represent Make-A-Wish - particularly in contact with wish families, fundraising initiatives, and community-facing activity. This role partners with the capability-focused role to ensure volunteers are set up for success and leave a positive, professional, and memorable impression of Make-A-Wish.
Enough about us, here's what you need to bring to the role.
Must-Have Experiences:
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Experience in volunteer management, stakeholder engagement, relationship management, or community/program leadership.
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Experience supporting complex volunteer or community networks.
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Experience managing sensitive stakeholder issues, conflict, or escalations.
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Project management experience (desirable).
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Experience using Salesforce or similar systems (desirable).
Must-Have Competencies:
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High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal judgment.
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Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building capability.
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong problem-solving, influencing, and continuous improvement mindset. Volunteer Relationships Lead
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Ability to work collaboratively across teams while operating independently when required.
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Mature, resilient, trustworthy, and adaptable in times of change or uncertainty.
Nice-To-Haves:
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Relevant tertiary education qualifications.
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Work experience in a charity or not-for-profit organisation.
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Experience working with (or in) a large voluntary workforce.
Make-A-Wish Australia is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and identities—including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We value the unique perspectives that each person brings and encourage candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, and individuals from all walks of life to apply. Our organisation is dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to creating a safe, respectful, and flexible environment where everyone can thrive.
If everything we've said so far sounds like you, we would love to hear from you! Click APPLY NOW and follow our application process.
Please submit your current resume, and a cover letter explaining why you’re interested in joining Make-A-Wish Australia and what makes you a great fit for this role.
We know that you'll be tempted to use AI for this bit, but please ensure that your documents are real and they represent you and your passion and your personality.
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
You'll also be asked a few screening/filtering questions to help us ensure that we can find you if you tick all of the boxes.
We'll start shortlisting right away and we'll move quickly when we find the perfect person ... so don't delay.
We look forward to hearing from you.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our recruitment practices are strictly adhered to during the application and interview process and include thorough screening to ensure that anyone joining us at Make-A-Wish Australia aligns with our values and commitment to child safety. Everyone working with Make-A-Wish Australia needs to obtain a Working With Children Check and undergo identity, social media and police pre-screening.
