Multicultural Support Officer – Coffs Harbour

Do you want to work with a leading purpose driven, community-based organisation and make a real positive difference? 

SSI’s vision is to achieve a society that values the diversity of its people and actively provides support to ensure meaningful social and economic participation and to assist individuals and families to reach their potential. 

In the role of an MSO you will support clients and community members to achieve self-agency and thrive. The role does this in a variety of ways from welcoming and orientating new arrivals to Australia, supporting migrants to build their independence in the community and when accessing services, providing language support to case workers, engaging with their ethnic and faith community to provide information & referral and providing cultural insights to build the capacity of the wider staff team and sector. There are some administration components to this role which require digital and written skills. 

About the Team 

The Shared Services team at SSI provides support to service delivery program areas across the organisation. Our MSO workforce is a great strength of SSI. It allows programs to deliver services in a clients first language and with a culturally responsive approach. The Shared Services team is diverse, flexible and responsive, allowing us to support the changing needs of our clients and programs. 

Responsibilities: 

• Helping build their capacity so they can learn about the services offered and how to navigate them independently in the future   
• Supporting clients to attend appointments or events
• Language support for interactions between clients and internal/externals services and teaching clients how to use professional interpreting services when required and providing clients with basic words and phrases in English which they can use to help start them on their Settlement journey
• Transporting clients: Transporting clients by car or public transport to activities, supervisions, and other appointment they may have. Supporting clients to learn about the public transport system and how to use navigation tools 
• Workshops and information sessions support services: Organising and accompanying clients to workshops and information sessions, conducting orientation sessions workshops for clients, interpreting for workshops 
• Accommodation support services:  Assisting clients in settling into short term or long-term accommodation. Support clients to inspect properties and learn general accommodation requirements in Australia 
• Support to Children and Youth:  Assisting them to achieve their goals, supervising Child Protection Out of Home Care visits or youth work type support 
• General Orientation activities: Providing newcomers with information about living in Australia (in accordance with client handbook), providing general guidance 
•  Engage with Ethnic/Faith communities: To provide information about SSI services, arrange information sessions or activities for communities 
• Administration:  Writing clear, concise, accurate, and objective case notes. Using email and Microsoft Office applications to perform basic administration tasks 
• Cultural consultancy: Using cultural background to assist programs co-design activities by identifying community needs  

About You 

You will need to be able to speak, read and write in any other language whilst also being proficient in written and spoken English. Highly desirable to be able to drive and have your own vehicle.

Preferred Language

• Swahili
• Kurdish Kurmaanji

If you have the capability to achieve success in this role and are interested in creating an impact for communities who need your support, we would love to hear from you! 

Recruitment Pool 

Please note: If you are successful through the recruitment assessment process, but there are no current vacancies which match your region or language, you will be placed in our recruitment pool for any future opportunities that may come available in the next 3-6 months.

About our Benefits 

• Access to Talent Pools to utilise your other skills and experience across the organisation 
• Access to in-house training and learning opportunities for professional development and growth. 
• Access to our inhouse wellbeing programs 
•  Working alongside professional and dedicated team members all wanting to make a difference in our communities. 

About our Recruitment Process 

At SSI we have a zero tolerance for child abuse and is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation where protecting children and preventing and responding to child abuse is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of all employees, contractors and volunteers. SSI expects all applicants who can be safely vaccinated for COVID-19, to be so. This is also a pre-condition to ongoing employment. 

All successful candidates will be required to undergo pre-employment checks including reference checks, WWCC, a Criminal History Check and NDIS Screening check (if applicable) as a reasonable condition of employment. 

Applying for the Role 

Apply by submitting a current resume which outlines your skills and experience relevant to the role. If you would like further information about the role, contact the talent team on [email protected], using the subject line: Multicultural Support Officer – Coffs Harbour enquiry via EthicalJobs. 

SSI strives to be an inclusive workplace for all people. We recognise that we operate in a diverse community and welcome and encourage applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTIQ+ community, veterans, refugees and people with disability. 

SSI is a Disability Confident Recruiter, and our Talent Acquisition team can also assist in; providing alternative formats to apply, making adjustments to the recruitment process and offering information about workplace adjustments and support network.