Program Manager: Indigenous Ranger Workforce Development Strategy

Job title: Program Manager – Indigenous Ranger Workforce Development Strategy

Reports to: CEO Mimal Land Management/Steering committee

Location: Darwin with extensive travel across Western and Central Arnhem Land

Remuneration: $115,000 plus 12.5% super and benefits including salary sacrifice and work vehicle

Role basis: Full-time, ongoing.

Date: Immediate

A fantastic opening to work with leading Aboriginal-owned, not-for-profit land management companies that combines traditional ecological knowledge with Western science to manage and protect one of Australia’s most unique environments. Be immersed in the stunning West and Central Arnhem Land landscape and contribute to the ongoing success of Australia’s leading Indigenous ranger programs.

We seek an adventurous and highly motivated leader to join our team in delivering an innovative training and development project that supports globally significant land management outcomes across the Mimal Land Management area and Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). The successful applicant should have a strong desire to support for-purpose training for indigenous rangers to advance in their careers.

You will be working directly with senior Indigenous educators and rangers in remote locations to identify, develop and deliver targeted training.   This role will underpin a five year project to develop an enduring solution to a large education gap in our sector and complement existing successful programs such as Learning on Country.

Our ideal candidate will be practical, organised and committed to working alongside Aboriginal people and caring for Country. This position involves regular remote travel within the IPA via 4WD, light aircraft and helicopter, and will suit someone who has a deep respect for Aboriginal culture, for Country, and a sense of adventure..!

Working in this extraordinary part of the world is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will be both challenging and rewarding for the right person. If you think that you could be that person, please get in touch. This is an exceptional opportunity to support Indigenous rangers to manage the extraordinary natural and cultural values of Central and Western Arnhem Land.

About us

Mimal Land Management and Warddeken Land Management are Indigenous owned and operated organisations combining traditional ecological knowledge with Western science to manage and protect one of Australia’s most unique environments. The Indigenous Ranger Workforce Development Strategy is a partnership between the Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation (Mimal) and Warddeken Land Management Limited (Warddeken). The partnership is built on the vision of delivering benefits to Country and to culture for the landowners and people of West and Central Arnhem Land.

Both organisations have strong, holistic ranger programs with each featuring robust, highly valued women’s ranger programs. The duties of the Mimal and Warddeken rangers include savanna burning (aerial and ground), monitoring the populations of native animals and culling the populations of invasive species that threaten their numbers, conserving and protecting highly biodiverse regions, and running education sessions to ensure the intergenerational transfer of knowledge. Overall, the work of the Mimal and Warddeken rangers significantly improves the actual health of their respective countries and ensures that they are implementing their cultural knowledge and practices.

To support their roles, rangers undertake both accredited and unaccredited training, however, that training is not always fit for purpose. The Indigenous Ranger Workforce Development Strategy aims to develop a comprehensive solution to this issue. Mimal, in partnership with Warddeken, have secured dedicated philanthropic funds for a five-year program that will address the gap in available and suitable professional development opportunities for rangers. The program intends to trial methods to strengthen adult education and to deliver more effective ranger training across Arnhem Land.

Under the Ranger Workforce Development Strategy, the program will deliver training to the ranger workforce through on-the-job learning methods that have historically produced the best results. This will include:

• Learning camps and exchanges with other ranger groups;
• On the job learning in a supportive environment;
• Mentors with one-on-one support to map out the pathway forward for each person; and
• Structured training focussed on developing applied skills.

As a Bininj-led program, it will strengthen skills and competencies so that Bininj can eventually step into coordinator and management positions. This will then demonstrate to others what is possible when training and development is conducted on Country and in the right way.

The role

The Program Manager will work alongside the Mimal and Warddeken CEOs and Board in leading the co-design and implementation of the initial two-year pilot program. The incumbent will be responsible for the overall management of the program including the planning of the program’s implementation, engagement with stakeholders, managing the staff involved and monitoring and evaluating the program’s progress. The successful candidate will also be required to demonstrate quality documentation and reporting compliance and be able to maintain a good relationship with internal and external stakeholders. 

As the team expands, the Program Manager’s role will become a mix of both program and personnel management. It will involve partnership development with a diverse range of people and will often require a face-to-face approach working with program staff and rangers. The position will require, on average, one week every month spent at the Mimal ranger base and/or one of the three Warddeken ranger bases. For the rest of the month, the Program Manager will work from the Mimal office based in Darwin.  

Position objectives

• Co-designing the program’s implementation, monitoring and evaluation plans for the initial two-year ‘seedling’ phase;
• Managing all aspects of the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the pilot program including the delivery of initial training;
• Supporting knowledge transfer, training and career development for all program staff and rangers;
• Representing Mimal Land Management in business development, on steering committees, at conferences, in the media and other public forums related to the role;
• Conducting a quarterly review of the project; and
• Delivering recommendations for the implementation of phase two.

Stakeholder relationships

• Behaving proactively in the area of relationship management with all Mimal and Warddeken staff;
• Building on existing relationships with training providers through regular contact and interaction at events and functions and working to establish new partner relationships to assist the program to transition to its second phase; and
• Developing and maintaining effective working relationships with Aboriginal communities, corporations and clans to identify and develop future training and development opportunities. 

About you

• Tertiary qualifications in Project Management, Community Development, Human Resources, Education or similar and/or experience in delivering large and complex projects;
• Demonstrated experience consulting and working with Aboriginal people in relation to training activities and resources, and experience delivering tailored training and development activities;
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and extensive knowledge of the Australian Qualifications Framework;
• Demonstrated experience in applying the principles of co-design to facilitate program development, implementation and evaluation;
• Knowledge of, and commitment to, the principles of Equity and Diversity, Participative Workplace Practices, and Workplace Health and Safety.
• Demonstrated experience in managing teams, resources and budgets;
• Experience living and working in a remote Aboriginal community;

What we offer

• Salary sacrifice
• 6 weeks annual leave plus loading
• Vehicle
• Mobile phone