About Us

The Carlton Football Club is one of Australia’s oldest and most prominent sporting institutions. Founded in 1864, the Club is headquartered at IKON Park in Carlton, where our state-of-the-art facilities support a world-class high performance environment across our AFL, AFLW and VFL programs.

We are passionate about our contribution to the community and foster an inclusive and welcoming culture where our values are at the core of who we are and what we do.

About the Role

As Head of Community, you will lead a team across two primary pillars, Carlton Respects and First Nations Engagement, driving the Club’s social impact programs and connecting community initiatives to Carlton’s broader strategic priorities. Reporting to the General Manager – People, Culture and Community, this 12-month fixed term role is an opportunity for an experienced and collaborative leader who can build trusted relationships across a diverse stakeholder landscape, engage senior leaders, staff and players, and bring a whole-of-club perspective to everything they do.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and nurture meaningful relationships with First Nations communities, Elders, advisors, industry partners, philanthropic organisations, government and sector and industry stakeholders.
• Lead the implementation and ongoing review of the Club’s social impact strategies (Carlton Respects Strategy and First Nations Strategy) including the preparation of operational plans, connecting to the broader Club strategic plan.
• Support the development of the next Carlton Respects Strategy, 2028 and beyond.
• Lead, mentor and develop a team of five across Carlton Respects and First Nations Engagement programs
• Oversee the planning and execution of Carlton Respects campaigns across AFL and AFLW and the AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round and AFLW Indigenous Round games
• Lead the ongoing development and growth of community programs including the Road to Respect and Loorende-gat programs
• Collaborate cross-departmentally with Commercial Operations, Marketing and Communications, People and Culture and the Football department to bring community initiatives to life
• Collaborate with the Commercial team to capture new and additional commercial partnership opportunities relating to community programming that align to our strategic priorities.
• Develop innovative ways to expand reach and awareness of our social impact causes.
• As required, represent the Club as a key spokesperson through speaking engagements at events, conferences and other opportunities that highlight the Club’s involvement in the community or sector.
• Oversee the community team operational budget and forecasts in line with fundraising and approved spend on programing and strategic initiatives.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Demonstrated leadership experience, with a proven ability to lead high-performing teams and foster an inclusive and values-led culture
• An approachable and engaging leader, with a clear strength in building and maintaining positive and trusting relationships.
• Experience leading or delivering community education, social impact or community development initiatives is desired
• Experience working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and with culturally diverse communities is desirable
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across a broad range of internal and external stakeholders including senior leaders, government agencies and community partners
• Ability to balance personal and stakeholder perspectives, and commitment to the social cause while ensuring alignment with the Club’s strategic priorities and areas of focus.
• Understanding of government funding environments, including grant identification, application processes and acquittal reporting
• Proven ability to develop and implement strategic and operational plans, manage budgets and deliver against agreed objectives
• A genuine passion for social impact and the ability to balance community and stakeholder perspectives with organisational priorities
• Highly approachable and engaging, with natural strength in building positive, trusting relationships and leveraging existing networks
• Strong communicator, with sound presentation skills and the confidence to represent Carlton in front of small and large audiences
• The ability to maintain discretion, professionalism and integrity in all dealings
• Strong interpersonal skills and the flexibility to lead a small team while contributing broadly across the wider People, Culture and Community department
• Alignment with Carlton’s values and a whole-of-club mindset in day-to-day interactions and decision making
• Knowledge of AI tools and a willingness to use, adapt to and continue learning new technologies.
• Ability to fulfill match day requirements for AFL and AFLW seasons (as required)
• A valid Victorian Working With Children Check and National Police Check (or willingness to obtain)

Benefits and Culture

Carlton’s values underpin how the Club operates, describing how our people work together, interact and behave. The Club is passionate about its culture, focused on cultivating a unique sense of belonging and connection. In addition, we offer our people flexible working, learning and development opportunities, as well as employee benefits such as membership, café and retail discounts, and the opportunity to work in a world-class sporting environment.

How to Apply

Please submit your current resume and cover letter by Wednesday 7 October 2026.

The Carlton Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and a place who welcomes all. We encourage people with diverse experiences and backgrounds to apply. We are committed to fostering a workplace environment which is inclusive, safe and flexible. All applicants will be considered based on the relevance of their abilities to the role and their alignment with our Club Values.

The Carlton Football Club is committed to providing a welcoming environment where the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our programs, services, activities, events, and the broader community, will always be our first priority. All staff must hold (or be willing to obtain) a current Victorian Working with Children Check and valid Police Check as part of their employment with the Club.