The Centre for Humanitarian Leadership (CHL) is an award-winning partnership between Save the Children Australia and Deakin University. Established in 2011 as an innovative combination of academic rigour and humanitarian practice, CHL supports crisis and humanitarian leaders in more than 90 countries with accredited and non-accredited academic courses in multiple languages. CHL champions humanitarian action that centres the agency of affected communities, respects diverse perspectives, elevates local actors, and furthers social justice.
A place to make a difference:
In this part time (0.8 FTE), maximum term (12 months) role, you’ll work as a part of our CHL team (ideally based in Melbourne) to help us create lasting change for children everywhere.
The Manager, Influencing and Engagement stewards CHL's engagement with the humanitarian sector and broader systems-change ecosystem. This is not a traditional advocacy role focused on campaigns, policy positions, or organisational promotion. Rather, it centres on listening, relationship-building, convening, and co-design—working alongside local actors, practitioners, researchers, donors, and partners to surface diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and foster dialogue on the future of humanitarian action. The role helps CHL navigate and interrogate the tensions that shape the sector, including questions of power, representation, localisation, and whose knowledge and leadership are valued and amplified.
You will make a difference by:
- Leading CHL’s influencing and engagement strategy, shaping thought leadership and driving the Beyond Reform agenda to support more locally led, equitable and adaptive humanitarian systems.
- Building strategic partnerships and networks across humanitarian, development, philanthropy, climate, social justice and community sectors to foster collaboration and collective impact.
- Designing and delivering high-profile convenings, including conferences, dialogues and engagement initiatives that create opportunities for shared learning, relationship building and collective action.
- Translating research, learning and diverse stakeholder perspectives into influential insights, public conversations and strategic engagement opportunities.
- Amplifying the voices of local leaders, practitioners, partners and communities, promoting inclusive, participatory and non-extractive approaches to influence and engage
- Driving organisational learning and continuous improvement by evaluating engagement activities, capturing emerging insights and adapting strategies to maximise impact and relevance.
A place to feel valued:
We're seeking a strategic influencer and connector who can turn ideas, evidence and relationships into meaningful systems change and collective action.
Ideally, you will have:
- Significant experience in advocacy, influencing, movement-building or systems change, ideally within humanitarian, development, human rights or related sectors.
- Strong understanding of localisation, equity, power dynamics and transformative change in complex environments.
- Proven ability to lead high-impact convenings, stakeholder engagement initiatives and cross-sector collaborations.
- Exceptional communication, storytelling and public engagement skills, including media and speaking experience.
- Relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience, with the ability to work effectively across diverse cultures, geographies and disciplines.
A place to belong:
We are diverse personalities, backgrounds and talents, embracing our differences as one strong and united team. We see and celebrate the unique value you bring to our organisation, and offer a range of rewards for your effort, including:
- Opportunity to work on additional projects to enable you to stretch and feel connected to programs in a different way
- Individual learning plans to help map and deliver on your career development.
- Support for workplace wellness, including access to our free, confidential Employee Wellbeing Program
- Celebrate and feel supported in your diversity. We have a highly inclusive culture and diverse workforce reflecting the communities we serve, allowing you to bring your whole self to work (if that’s what you want!).
Full salary packaging benefits (please-
- Extra leave to use in a range of ways to ensure you’re able to perform at your optimum
Follow this link for the full list of our employee benefits.
Does this sound like the place for you?
We’d love to hear from you. Submit your cover letter and resume below.
We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates to apply.
Applications close COB, Thursday 23rd July 2026.
Position Description – Manager, Influencing and Engagement
We have tested our application process with diverse groups in mind, with the intent to ensure it's straightforward and accessible for all to apply. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our culture and improve our ability to reach our most vulnerable client groups. But we also know there is no one-size fits-all when it comes to recruitment - so if we didn’t quite hit the mark for you, please let us know at [email protected]. We’re dedicated to ensuring Save the Children Australia & the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership is a place where everyone can feel supported – no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexuality, neurodiversity, culture and beliefs.
Save the Children Australia & the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership is a child-safe organisation. All employees are required to undergo a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. We also support the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
Save the Children Australia & the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership is committed to providing and maintaining a safe working environment for its employees and client groups, consistent with our obligations under OH&S legislation.
If you are having any issues with uploading your application for this role, please contact [email protected] for further support.
