Operations Coordinator

VANISH is seeking an Operations Coordinator to play a key role in enabling our organisation to fulfil its mission of providing impactful services and initiatives for adults affected by adoption and family separation. As the first point of contact for the VANISH community, the Operations Coordinator will ensure that everyone who contacts us receives a warm, caring response and is promptly connected to the right person or information.

The Operations Coordinator will manage our office operations and administrative processes. They will oversee logistical arrangements for meetings, events and peer support programs, support communications and stakeholder engagement, leveraging digital tools and platforms to streamline these processes while keeping the community we serve and inclusion front of mind. We’re looking for someone who is organised, proactive and detail-oriented. The ability to manage multiple tasks in a small but growing organisation is essential.

The Operations Coordinator will also play an important role in identifying and implementing opportunities to improve how we do things, enhancing our ability to meet the needs of our community effectively and sustainably.

About VANISH

Established in 1989, VANISH is a Victorian-based not-for-profit organisation providing support to adults affected by past adoption practices including adopted people, mothers and fathers separated from a child through adoption and other family members. We also support care leavers and donor conceived individuals.  We provide a range of free and confidential services including information and support, assistance with search and reunion, access to specialist counselling through a counselling brokerage fund, support groups and workshops. Through community education, professional training, and advocacy, we work towards our vision for a society in which the human right to genealogical connection and identity is recognised and supported in the broader community.

We’re a small team (5.8 FTE), committed to making a difference for people affected by adoption and family separation. Many of us bring lived experience to guide our work. With a new CEO appointed in March and a new Victorian Government funding agreement signed in June, we’re an organisation that is growing and changing so we can meet the needs of our community now and into the future.

Key Responsibilities

Office Management

• Ensure everyone contacting VANISH in person, via telephone or email is met with warmth and care and connected to the right person or information in a timely way.
• Oversee and manage administrative functions, including scheduling meetings, managing shared calendars, mail and coordinating office activities.
• Bookkeeping including accurately coding invoices for approval, reconciling credit card expenditure, maintaining accurate records of expenditure made on behalf of service users, issuing invoices and other basic bookkeeping tasks as required.
• Maintain inventory and order office supplies, ensuring the office is well-stocked.
• Ensure the office space is well-maintained, including overseeing cleaning services, maintenance, and repairs.
• Facilitate communication and coordination amongst the VANISH team, ensuring smooth workflow and collaboration by preparing agendas and noting action items at key meetings.
• Oversee the office’s IT infrastructure, including helping team-mates to troubleshoot issues and coordinating with external IT support to resolve any technical issues that require escalation.
• Digitise, manage and maintain office records, including contracts, and other important documents.
• Liaise with external vendors and service providers, negotiating contracts and managing relationships.
• Ensure the office complies with health and safety regulations, including conducting regular safety audits and addressing any issues that arise.

Program Support and Quality Improvement

• Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure the office runs smoothly and team members feel enabled to do their work well.
• Provide administrative and logistical support to VANISH’s peer and therapeutic support services including managing registration processes for groups and workshops, assisting with the set up and pack down of rooms, collecting and analysing simple data on program participation.
• Support the CEO to monitor and report to key stakeholders including funders and the Committee of Management on the impact of VANISH’s work.

Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement

• Organise and manage meetings and other events, both in-office and external, including the Annual General Meeting and Commemorative Events
• Record and maintain VANISH’s membership register
• Prepare digital and hard copy publications such as the Annual Report, VOICE and news bulletins
• Prepare website and social media content
• Maintain up to date library resources, records and borrowing systems

Other

• Provide administrative support to the CEO and Committee of Management, including preparing agendas and reports, minute taking, preparing presentations, and handling confidential information.
• Embrace VANISH’s values in everything you do.

Selection Criteria

Essential

• Proven administrative experience in an Office Manager, Program Coordination or Operations role, ideally in the not-for-profit, health or for-purpose sectors.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills, ability to interact appropriately and professionally with people from a broad range of backgrounds including the general public, service-users, Committee of Management members, colleagues and other professionals.
• Well-developed communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to listen and provide information in a supportive and empathetic manner.
• Demonstrated high-level organisational ability and initiative including experience in planning and prioritising to meet deadlines.
• Strong digital literacy with proven experience using Microsoft 365 tools including Outlook, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint, Sharepoint, One Drive and Teams and design tools such as Canva.
• Knowledge of basic accounting principles and familiarity with bookkeeping software (e.g., Xero).
• Attention to detail in all tasks, including record-keeping, scheduling, and communication.
• Ability to identify inefficiencies and implement improvements to systems and processes.
• Understanding of the impact on all parties involved in separation from family of origin through adoption, out of home care and assisted reproductive technology.

Desirable

• A personal experience of separation from a child or family of origin through adoption, out of home care or assisted reproductive technology and a deep level of understanding of what this experience means
• Experience working in growing organisations
• Experience providing Secretariat support to a Board, Committee of Management or Advisory Body.
• A willingness to work out of hours when required e.g. for community events.

A position description is attached.

VANISH is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views. We welcome applications from First Nations people, people with disability, people from the LGBTIQ+ community, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Please reach out if you would like to discuss any accommodations that might support you in applying for this role.