Peacemaking and Mediation Program Manager

We are looking for people to join us in this unique opportunity to stand alongside Traditional Owners, Town Camp Leaders and the local communities as we build stronger ways of working together.

Apurte – le Mpwareme is grounded in Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing, and is guided by the knowledge, leadership, know-how and aspirations of Traditional Owners and Town Camp Leaders.

Developed through a strong partnership, the service aims to drive change through embedding culturally grounded pathways and Aboriginal voices when resolving conflict, strengthening relationships and supporting families and communities to be strong.

We are looking for community members who want to be part of this important work – people who respect Aboriginal leadership, value cultural knowledge and want to contribute to a service shaped by Aboriginal Leaders.

Position Summary

• Host Employer – North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
• Salary – $129,177.81 – $143,999.64 (Plus 12% Superannuation)
• Location – Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• Responsible to – Partnership Governance Group (PGG)
• Reports to – Peacemaking Coordinator
• Closing date – 09 September 2026 (Applications will be assessed on receipt)
• No. of Positions – 2 x 1.0 FTE
• Term: Initial Fixed Term of 12-Months

About the partnership

Apurte – le Mpwareme is a partnership between Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation, Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation and NAAJA. It is governed by a Partnership Governance Group (PGG) made up of representatives from all three organisations, which provides strategic direction, cultural governance and partnership oversight. The Program Managers work closely with and are accountable to the PGG.

The PGG have a shared vision and commitment to delivering a peacemaking service grounded in relationships, kinship, responsibility, cultural law and lore.

Tangentyere Council – Town Camp Leadership and Authority

TCAC is a proud Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) and our well-established human services are trusted by community members for the organisation’s high level of cultural safety and competency. We recognise that culture and community form an integral part of an individual’s identity, and recognition of their importance in terms of potential impact on overall wellness is therefore vital.

TCAC was incorporated in 1979 as a service provider and umbrella organisation for the Town Camp Associations, and these associations are the corporate members of the Council.

Almost 50 years on and we are a strong Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) delivering human services and social enterprise activities for the benefit of Town Campers and Aboriginal people from Central Australia in the Northern Territory. We have 16 Town Camp corporate members and over 600 individual members.

Website: www.tangentyere.org.au/introducing-apurtle-le-mpwareme

Lhere Artepe-Mparntwe Traditional Owners & Custodians

Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation (LAAC) is the Prescribed Body Corporate representing the Traditional Owners of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Our purpose is to empower, recognise and respect Apmereke-artweye (Traditional Owners) as leaders with a strong voice for their Central Arrernte Apmere (Country). The Arrernte people of the Antulye, Irlpme and Mparntwe estate groups have cared for this land since the Altyerre (Dreaming), maintaining a strong connection to Country, culture, and community. LAAC is committed to preserving Arrernte culture while strengthening the wellbeing, safety and resilience of Aboriginal people, families and the wider community.

Through a range of community programs and services, LAAC provides meaningful employment opportunities for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, supports community safety and wellbeing, and works alongside families through culturally appropriate engagement and mediation. By partnering with government agencies, local organisations, and the community, LAAC helps build stronger families, stronger communities, and positive outcomes for future generations.

Website: lhereartepe.org.au/introducing-apurte-le-mpwareme/

North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)

An Aboriginal ACCO, providing legal services and justice programs across the Northern Territory, is the host employer for the program managers and provides employment, administrative and line-management support. NAAJA is also an active contributor to law and policy reform.

Website: www.naaja.org.au

The co-management model

This role is shared by two Program Managers who work together in a co-­management structure. The model recognises that effective leadership of the service requires bringing together different skills, experiences, relationships, knowledge systems and leadership approaches.

The two Co-Managers may hold different areas of expertise – these differences are understood as complementary, not separate, with both holding equal authority and shared accountability.

A strong, respectful and collaborative working relationship between the Co-­Managers is essential to ensuring the service is culturally responsive, community accountable and aligned with the Partnership Governance Group.

About the role

We’re seeking two Program Managers to collaboratively lead the establishment and delivery of Apurte – le Mpwareme. This is a shared leadership role, the Co-­Managers hold equal authority and are jointly accountable for the service’s leadership, implementation and outcomes.

Apurte – le Mpwareme will support locally determined, culturally grounded responses to conflict – strengthening healing, reducing harm, and reducing Aboriginal people’s contact with the formal justice system. It is grounded in Aboriginal justice leadership, cultural authority and community-led approaches to restoring relationships and building community safety and wellbeing.

One of the two positions is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identified role, recognising the importance of Aboriginal leadership, lived experience and cultural knowledge within the leadership of the service.

Key Responsibilities

The Program Managers lead implementation across three interconnected areas:

• Practice Leadership – ensuring the quality, safety and integrity of peacemaking practice, including practice guidance, capability development, reflective learning and continuous improvement. This includes co-mediating complex matters involving significant relational, cultural or safety considerations.
• Partnerships and advocacy – building trusted relationships with Elders, families, communities, Aboriginal organisations, justice agencies and government; strengthening referral pathways; and supporting systemic advocacy identified by the PGG.
• Operational leadership – service delivery systems, governance, workforce development, data and evaluation, financial management, and reporting to the PGG and funding bodies.

The Co-Managers also provide leadership, supervision and support across the project workforce within a partnership-based operating model.

Selection Criteria – What you need to know

Essential – skills and knowledge you must have

• Grounded processes guided by community priorities, cultural authority and partnership governance.
• Experience establishing, implementing or strengthening community-led services, programs or initiatives.
• Ability to work effectively within governance structures involving shared authority, accountability and collaborative decision-making.
• Experience leading diverse teams across different knowledge systems within Aboriginal community, justice or human services contexts.
• Ability to contribute to systemic advocacy and change agendas through respectful partnerships, ensuring cultural authority, lived experience and evidence inform responses.
• Facilitation, peacemaking and/or mediation capability, including supporting complex conflict resolution processes involving multiple participants, families and stakeholders.
• Sound judgement and ethical decision-making within complex partnership, cultural governance and service delivery environments.
• Highly developed relational and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with families, community leaders, Aboriginal organisations, justice agencies and government.
• Extensive experience working with Aboriginal young people, adults and families, and a strong understanding of the historical and ongoing structural factors driving overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in statutory systems.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, including report writing, documentation, governance processes and operational systems.
• Experience contributing to evaluation, data collection and using information to support learning, accountability and service improvement.

Beneficial Knowledge

• Knowledge of Central Australian communities, histories, cultural context and contemporary issues.
• Ability to speak a Central Desert Aboriginal language, and/or experience working respectfully across language and cultural contexts.
• Experience in training, mentoring, community education or workforce capability development.

You also need a:

• Current driver’s license.
• Satisfactory criminal history check.
• Ability to obtain a Working with Children clearance (Ochre Card) on commencement.
• No history of disqualification from employment by a legal practice.

Key Benefits

This role is employed under the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) Enterprise Agreement 2025. Some of the benefits which apply to this role include:

• Relocation Allowance
• 6 weeks Annual Leave (with 17.5% loading)
• 3 weeks Personal Leave
• 1 weeks Cultural Leave

How to apply

Click ‘apply now’ and fill out all the required information.

For a confidential discussion about the role, contact: Sunaina Pinto 0428630837 I sunaina@aazaadprojects.com.au or Melanie Trevarthen melanie.trevarthen@naaja.org.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply for both positions. One of these roles is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identified position and is a special measure under section 8 of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). This position is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants.