We’re looking for someone to help us continue our ‘Healthy Homes for Renters’ work for minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals. This role would suit someone with some initial experience of working in an advocacy organisation who is keen to develop and take on more responsibility over time. Initially you’ll help us to deliver key projects but over time there is scope to take more initiative and have ownership around campaigning work. You may have past experience with campaigning, but if not, a knack for project work and an appetite to learn will serve you (and us!) well.

• Classification: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award. Social and community services employee 3.4 to 4.4, depending on experience. Annual salary of $71,371 to $82,608, pro-rata.
  Hourly pay rate of $36.5 to $42.25 per hour. This award includes leave loading of 17.5%. Salary packaging/fringe benefits available.
• Primary location: We are open to applicants working remotely or working locally with existing staff in Adelaide or Canberra.
• Time commitment: Part-time, 0.8 FTE (30 hours). Weekly workload can be flexible according to your needs.
• Position length: Fixed-term contract to the end of December 2023.

About Better Renting

Better Renting is a community of renters working together for stable, affordable, and healthy homes. With more Australians locked out of homeownership, more of us are renting, and renting for longer. But renters are denied the rights and protections of homeowners. We can't all own a house — but we should all be able to rent a home. Renting can be a genuine alternative to ownership — and Better Renting exists to make it happen.

You can learn more about us from our Impact Report on our activities from 2018-2020: https://www.betterrenting.org.au/impact_report

About Healthy Homes

We are looking for a campaigner/project officer to work on the Healthy Homes for Renters project.

Better Renting is coordinating a national collaboration of over 100 organisations pushing for minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties. This is a critical social justice issue: improving the standard of rentals will help renters avoid poverty, it will improve physical and mental health, and it will reduce climate emissions. And so we're excited to have someone join our team so we can move faster on this important issue. 

This includes working on key projects, and potentially assisting with campaigning and communications. Key projects in the coming months will be:

• Working on ‘Winter Renter Researchers’: supporting 50+ renters across Australia to track winter temperatures in their homes. Past examples of this work are here and here.
• Supporting outreach to existing and potential partner organisations.
• An online action to engage renters across Australia around the poor quality of rental housing.
• Supporting partners in different states to run Healthy Homes for Renters actions locally.

The role will involve

Here’s what your role might look like week-to-week:

• Helping with ‘Winter Renter Researchers’. You help some renters to troubleshoot their temperature tracker to make sure they are recording data correctly. You prepare to help out with a ‘welcome webinar’ by providing feedback on the itinerary and preparing follow-up resources.
• Engaging with renters. You conduct some phone calls with renters across Australia to better understand their experiences of winter cold. Some renters would like to do media about their experiences: you write up some short quotes and email them to the renter for approval. You update our communications log to track what you’ve done.
• Recruiting new supporters. You identify new organisations in NSW that you think would be interested in joining HH4R, so you draft and send an outreach email. You meet with other potential joiners to discuss the project, learn about their interests, and explore next steps for signing up as a supporter.
• Delivering projects. You meet with a partner organisation to flesh out ideas for an action to take place in a few months. You use this to draft an updated project plan covering the goals and timeline for the project. You start to establish a reference group of renters to support the project, by drafting an email to existing renter supporters.
• Sharing ideas and reflections with the team. Twice a week you join a team meeting to discuss what you’ve been working on and share information. In these meetings you engage closely with the work of others, sharing feedback and suggestions, and also inviting and welcoming input on your own work.

Selection criteria

We will be evaluating applicants on whether you are:

• highly accountable and great at staying on top of things. Better Renting is a small organisation with minimal resources. You will be your own PA. You should be a natural at staying on top of your responsibilities, reporting back, and getting things done. You don’t need to be followed up.
• reflective and invested in ongoing learning. You value reflection on your practice as a way to develop in your role; you freely give and receive feedback as part of a shared commitment to ongoing growth; you get better over time at what you do.
• great at working with others. You can build effective working relationships with different people, from staff in allied organisations to volunteer renters wanting to support the campaign. You can build connections, find opportunities for mutual benefit, and offer a rewarding experience of participation.

The best candidates will further distinguish themselves by demonstrating:

• A record of moving others to act. We want someone who can develop buy-in and commitment in others and rally people behind a shared goal - even if it’s as simple as drafting a joint letter together.
• An aptitude for digital communications. You can integrate email and social media alongside other forms of campaigning to help grow a base and activate supporters behind an issue.

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t have all of the above characteristics. A passion for the work and an eagerness to learn are the most important things.

Recruitment process

Please complete this online application form before Tuesday 11 April: https://airtable.com/shrjqjgoJHXqoRkna. Once we have reviewed applications we will contact candidates to schedule interviews and complete assessment tasks.

If you have any questions you can contact us via [email protected].

We will complete interviews and make an offer by May 2023; ideally a candidate could begin that month.

Better Renting is an equal-opportunity employer. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQI people, and people with a disability are encouraged to apply.