EMILY’s List Australia
Position Title: Status: Tenure: Salary Range: Administration & Memberships Assistant 0.6 (3 days/22.5 hours over week neg., full time in the longer term) 1 year, subject to review Salary package range - $42k-$46k (pro-rata), inclusive of base salary, bonus, 9% super. Position to be upgraded in 6-12 months. This position has all the conditions under the SACS Award. EMILY’s List Office, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, Level 2, 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne Early July This position is accountable and shall report directly to the National Co-ordinator.
Location: Start Date: Accountability Arrangements:
1. ABOUT EMILY’s List AUSTRALIA Vision: EMILY’s List Australia believes in building a more progressive Australia, by providing advocacy, research and political and financial support to enable progressive Labor women to win and retain seats in parliaments around the country, allowing them to implement reforms to achieve equity. EMILY’s List Australia (ELA) is a unique organisation within the Australian political landscape and within the community sector. At its core, it aims to create political and social change by being a financial, political and personal support network for progressive Labor women candidates. ELA, replicating the model of EMILY’s List USA, which assists Democrat women, supports progressive Labor women, once they have been preselected, with funding, mentoring, training, and Gender Gap research. “EMILY” is an acronym and stands for Early Money Is Like Yeast – it makes the dough rise – acknowledging that early campaign money is often the most important support a candidate can have when heading into an election. Members join ELA to support these potential and current Members of Parliament to achieve political change aligned with the principles of equity, diversity, pro-choice and the provision of equal pay and childcare. Hence its slogan, “When Women Support Women, Women Win”. ELA is a non-factional national organisation, governed by a National Committee with State and territory representatives. This is supplemented by EL Action Groups (ELAGs) operating in each State and Territory who undertake fundraising to support the organisation’s operations and support candidates with training and volunteer support. A National Partnership in Equity Network (PEN) was also formed to foster the participation of Indigenous women. The Victorian PEN is currently involved as a partner in a pilot project with the YWCA, VLGA and Koori Women Mean Business to empower Indigenous women to take on leadership positions in public life, called Sisters Doing it For Themselves. ELA is independent of the ALP, and about 40% of ELA members are not members of the ALP but see it as a way to donate to and offer practical support for EMILY’s List-supported ALP candidates.
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Organisational Functions The EMILY’s List National Committee has recently revised the organisation’s core functions as being: 1. Endorsing progressive Labor women candidates in state and federal elections; 2. Providing strategic and practical support to endorsed candidates via; a) “Early Money” to start their campaign b) Facilitating “Directed Donations” from the EL membership c) Allocating an experienced campaigner as their mentor d) Providing training for them and campaign managers to run effective campaigns; e) Facilitating volunteers from the EL membership; f) Conducting research to ascertain and highlight what women want in government and how to build women voter support (“Gender Gap Research”); 3. Fostering the next generation of potential candidates; 4. Raising the profile of the organisation via showcasing the impact of electing progressive Labor women for greater equity outcomes; 5. Raising funds, via events and membership strategies, to support the aforementioned priorities underpinning EL’s operations. Achievements Since its inception in 1996, EMILY’s List has: • Helped 125 new women MPs to be elected, including from 1996 to 2007, assisting the Federal House of Representatives to go from 4 to 27 women– a 575% increase; • Assisted in the election of 6 Indigenous women to Australia’s parliaments; • Supported the election of Julia Gillard, the first woman to be Deputy Prime Minister, and Anna Bligh, the first woman to be elected Premier of Queensland; • Re-shaped the political landscape with EMILY’s List Ministers & MPs implementing policies and progressive law reform aimed at improving women’s lives: o Reforming abortion laws in Victoria, Tasmania, NT, & ACT; o Improving working conditions through the abolition of WorkChoices and AWAs, which have unfairly penalised women, led by Deputy PM, Julia Gillard; o Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and o Introduction of a National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children, led by Tanya Plibersek; o The availability of the RU486 pill through the passage of the Therapeutic Goods Amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Claire Moore (QLD) o Creation of a new, integrated system to address family violence in Victoria, led by former Ministers Candy Broad and Mary Delahunty (VIC) • Contributed over $850,000 directly to Labor women’s campaigns • Commissioned Gender Gap research into how government can meet the needs of women ELA’s support for Affirmative Action has contributed to Queensland, South Australia and Victoria meeting the 40% target ten years ahead of schedule. There are now 162 Labor women in Parliaments of which 119 (73%) are EMILY’s List members.
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2. ABOUT THE ROLE This position is a result of a re-structure as EMILY’s List moves into a consolidation phase and resources are put in place to most efficiently and logically service candidates, MPs, volunteers and our membership, and eventually position the organisation for further growth.
EL National Committee
Finance SubC’tee
Temporary Sub Commitees, as the
need arises
National Co-ordinator
Finance Officer (0.4)
Admin & Memberships Assistant (0.6)
Events, Training & Communications Officer (0.4)
Nat’l ELAG Fundraising Ctee State/Terr Convenors
Nat’l PEN Committee State/Terr Convenors
(Led by Volunteers in each state/terr)
ELAG Ctees
Led by Volunteers in each state/terr)
PEN Ctees
The Administration and Memberships Assistant reports to the National Co-ordinator, and provides administrative support to this role, aswell as overseeing membershiprelated activities and office administration. The key objectives of this position are to: 1. To provide a quality and responsive service for all people in contact with ELA, ensuring that all have a positive experience when contacting the organisation; 2. To undertake a range of office and administrative tasks necessary for the effective functioning of the organisation; 3. Establish and maintain accurate membership records and ensure all necessary organisational documentation is collected and filed appropriately; 4. To provide high quality administrative support to the National Co-ordinator. As the organisation further evolves and takes shape it will be necessary to adjust the key responsibilities accordingly and thus a degree of flexibility, co-operation, and goodwill will be expected from the incumbent. 3. ABOUT THE PERSON WE’RE LOOKING FOR You will have loads of initiative, have a knack for organising systems, happy to be flexible as the demands of your role changes throughout the day and over time, enjoy assisting people and making the organisation run like clockwork! This is a job for you if you get excited by administrative systems but also want to be close to seeing the impact your workplace is having on people. You’ll get a high from seeing the collective impact for both the individual women, aswell as society as a whole, from the increased representation of progressive Labor women into our parliaments and the impact this has for equity in society and women in particular. You will ideally have had experience within
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membership-based organisations, fundraising and event management, aswell as in galvanising and supporting volunteers. You will have lots of initiative, strong organisational skills, aswell as excellent inter-personal, written and verbal communication skills. In essence, this role requires someone who is a self-motivated all-rounder with a passion for being part of a unique organisation undertaking political and social change by adjusting some levers to even out the un-level political playing field. You will relish being part of an organisation making both micro and macro change – at a micro level, empowering prospective and current progressive Labor women to be effective parliamentary candidates and, at a macro level, these women then enacting political change which improves the lives of women and broader society. You will believe in the principles of equity, choice, diversity and the provision of equal pay and childcare and play a part in increasing the chances for progressive women to make a contribution to public office by facilitating a range of opportunities. If this sounds like you, read on! 4. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES The Administration and Memberships Assistant is an important part of the EMILY’s List National Office team. The successful applicant will undertake a wide range of administrative and membership-related responsibilities. This will include members’ enquiries and liaison, membership database and renewal system, office administration (mail, banking, correspondence etc), merchandise and administrative support to the National Co-ordinator on the Candidate Support Program and National Committee meetings. Office Administrative Duties & Administrative Support 1. Attend to all telephone calls & public requests in a timely and efficient manner 2. Appropriately refer or handle all inquiries, by drafting responses to incoming email & correspondence as required; 3. Administrative support to National Co-ordinator in o office co-ordination (eg. staff meeting agendas, correspondence etc.), o Candidate Support Program (setting interview times with candidates, tracking donations etc) and o National Committee meetings (liaison regarding RSVPs, formatting of reports); 4. Attend to ordering and maintaining all office supplies and all relevant purchasing administrative requirements, in conjunction with Finance Officer; 5. Maintain record keeping system of EL merchandise. 6. In conjunction with the National Co-ordinator, undertake duties relating to building and property management. Mail, Mailouts & Payment processing 1. Distribution and processing of incoming and outgoing mail, faxes and response to simple requests arising from incoming correspondence; 2. Co-ordination of National Office mailouts, in conjunction with other staff, enlising volunteers; 3. Banking and processing credit card payments, cheques and other payments for memberships, candidate donations, fundraising monies, National Office merchandise and/or events.
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Membership Database & co- ordinating Membership Renewal system 1. Maintenance of the existing membership database, including processing new members; 2. Sending out and processing renewals; 3. Jointly work with the Administration & Memberships Assistant to finalise acquisition of a membership database system to cope with sophisticated requests and synchronisation with ELA’s financial system; 4. Design, implement and test systems to streamline membership processes; 5. Following up basic membership queries/problems and issues; 6. Undertaking initial follow-up of membership renewals via phone, ensuring at least 80% retention and encouraging upgrade to EMILY’s Angel – with bonuses for increased income achieved; 7. In conjunction with National Co-ordinator, recommend renewals/lapsed phone followups for Ambassadors; 8. Updating membership statistics for National Co-ordinator’s report to National Committee. Volunteers Supervision, Team Work & Promotion of Service 1. Post training in office procedures, assist in the supervision of Volunteers; 2. Support existing and recruit potential volunteers 3. Maintain accurate database of volunteer support to candidates 4. Co-ordination point for administrative tasks for Volunteers, updating spreadsheet 5. Actively participate in team meetings 6. Establish and maintain professional relationships in the workplace Organisational wide responsibilities 1. Represent ELA at events which may be out of normal working hours. 2. Maintain capacity to respond to changes in the job description as the role evolves; 3. Establish and maintain professional relationships in the workplace. Other duties as discussed and mutually agreed by the National Co-ordinator. NB: In the long-term, as this role moves to 4-5 days, it will be upgraded to an Officerlevel role and encompass a more strategic membership role. The successful applicant will be expected to have the flexibility to adapt to a 4 day role in the next 12 months at least. Membership & Major Donors 1. Development and implementation of EMILY’s List Membership Strategy, focusing on recruitment and retention strategies, specifically to increase EMILY’s Angels members; 2. Liaison with National Co-ordinator and State Convenors, on membership matters & strategy; 3. Producing analytical reports to National Committee regarding membership statistics, trends and progress on the implementation of the Membership Strategy; 4. Co-ordinating an EL Bequest program and investigating organisational membership.
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5. PERSON SPECIFICATIONS – KEY SELECTION CRITERIA To be successful in the role, it is anticipated that the ideal candidate should possess the following knowledge, experience and attributes. Applicants are required to address these specifications in their application. ESSENTIAL Experience 1. Previous office/administrative experience, ideally within a membership-based organisation; 2. Demonstrated initiative and experience in setting up and tailoring administrative and support service systems within an office environment 3. Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, in particular MS Access & Outlook, as well as internet searching and email, and the ability to present information in varying formats; 4. Demonstrated interpersonal skills and strong customer-focused approach, whilst having the capacity to deal with a range of people; 5. Demonstrated communication skills, both verbal and written, including preparing reports and other papers with attention to detail; 6. Highly organised and demonstrated ability to juggle multiple tasks, change priorities as the need arises and work under pressure; Personal Attributes 7. Commitment to the principles of EMILY’s List Australia; 8. A flexible, responsive and helpful approach; 9. The drive to achieve quarterly membership retention targets and annual membership income KPIs, which would be rewarded with the payment of a quarterly bonus; 10. Ability to work unsupervised at times but also as part of team; 11. A current driver’s license and access to own vehicle during work hours. DESIRABLE 12. Relevant accredited Office Administration course 13. Experience in membership data processing and management Interest in politics and current affairs an advantage 6. SPECIAL CONDITIONS 6.1. The role is offered as 0.6 (3 days/22.5 hours) position. This can be negotiable to be worked over a 4 day week. Whilst EMILY’s List is a family friendly office for weekday work, attendance at after hours events may be needed, as will be availability for interstate travel (every 2 years). 6.2. It is envisaged that the job will move to be full time in the longer term. Post the 12 month period, “purchased leave” will be considered. Purchased Leave is intended to provide flexibility in employment for staff members with family responsibilities and for staff who wish to extend their leave options for personal reasons. Under this scheme, within a twelve (12) month period, a staff member is entitled to a minimum of two weeks paid absence in addition to an annual leave entitlement, with a commensurate reduction in total salary for the twelve (12) months. 6.3. The successful applicant will be subject to an initial 6 month probationary period review and then an 11 month position review, as part of the broader organisational structure review that will be held.
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7. APPLICATION PROCESS Written applications, addressing the key selection criteria at Section 5, and including the name and contact details of at least 3 current referees, should be forwarded and received by no later than Monday 22 June, 9am. Email applications are preferred: Applications should be addressed to: Ms Hutch Hussein National Co-Convenor EMILY’s List Level 2, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre 210 Lonsdale St Melbourne 3000 Email: convenor@emilyslist.org.au Confidential inquiries can be made to Hutch on 0438 507 103. A breakdown of the salary package, including KPIs for bonus, is available on request to convenor@emilyslist.org.au
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