Justice Peer Research Coordinator

About SHARC

Established in 1995, SHARC is a community of people impacted by alcohol, drugs and gambling, including family, friends and supporters.

Together, we work towards an Australian society where our communities’ lived expertise is at the heart of inclusive communities, services, and systems.

Our Vision

Lived expertise is at the heart of inclusive communities and services, where people proudly share their experiences and support each other in a society free of stigma and discrimination.

Our Purpose

We transform lives, services and society through our community’s lived experience of alcohol and other drugs, gambling and related harms. We create change by being ourselves, supporting one another, telling our stories, sharing our knowledge, advocating and building allyships.

SHARC places a priority on a positive, supportive, and productive work environment. Our services operate within an empowerment framework that maximises clients' and volunteers' opportunities for self-responsibility, mutual support, and participation.

About the program

The Association of Participating Service Users (APSU) is the peak Victorian consumer body for people who use, have used, or are eligible to use AOD services, including families and significant others. We exist to ensure the voices and expertise of people with lived experience are central in the systems that affect them.

Through training, advocacy, and peer-led engagement, APSU empowers individuals and shapes the policy and service landscape to better meet the needs of our communities.

The position is an APSU project.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Utilising co-design methodologies and peer-led research, the project aims to contribute to the understanding of how peer-led models of support can meet the treatment and support the needs of people with a history of drug use, who have been recently released from prison or otherwise involved with the justice system.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Research Coordinator will be responsible for the successful coordination of a research project, in partnership with Burnet Institute, to explore a peer-led model of support for people leaving prison with AOD treatment needs through a peer researcher approach. Utilising co-design methodologies and peer-led research.

Key tasks include:

• Undertaking a range of research tasks, such as data collection and qualitative/quantitative data analysis
• Coordinating project deliverables and timelines, ensuring milestones are met and research progresses according to schedule
• Reviewing and preparing written materials using a lived experience lens, ensuring authenticity and relevance
• Contributing to key research documentation, including ethics applications and study protocols

ABOUT YOU

To be successful in the role, you will bring:

• Lived or living experience of alcohol and other drug use and the justice system - and a desire to use that experience purposefully
• Experience using co-design and coproduction principles and practice, and/or skills and experience in consultation, research, evaluation, writing, advocacy, and collaboration
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to adapt to changing needs and priorities
• A proven ability to build relationships and work in partnership with diverse stakeholders
• Excellent skills in planning, organising, problem-solving, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to integrate lived experience into research and evaluation activities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Desirable experience

• Experience with SPSS, NVivo, data analysis, and/or the Power BI platform.
• Experience in qualitative research and data analysis, and an ability to interpret and understand quantitative research information.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A supportive and inclusive team culture
• Access to supervision and professional development
• Flexible and hybrid work arrangements for maintaining your work-life balance
• Generous salary packaging and 17.5% annual leave loading

Closing Date:

Submit your application before 26 September 2025.

Essential

• A publicly disclosed personal experience of substance use and engagement with the criminal justice system, either past or present, that radically changed your life and influences how you see the world. A willingness to use this experience intentionally alongside peers to change systems and services.
• Experience using co-design and coproduction principles and practice and/or skills and experience in consultation, research, evaluation, writing, advocacy, collaboration
• Effective project management skills, including the ability to be flexible and responsive to changing needs and priorities
• A track record in building relationships and working in partnership
• Demonstrated passion and commitment to championing change initiatives and advancing a lived and living experience agenda within the justice system
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organise, problem solve and work effectively, both independently and as a team member
• Demonstrated, well developed interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to work effectively both as part of a team and independently.
• Ability to incorporate lived experience knowledge into research and evaluation activities.