Better and fairer care.  Always.

St Vincent’s has been a leader in Australia’s health and aged care landscape for more than 165 years. Since our founders, the Sisters of Charity, opened our first hospital in 1857, our services and nearly 30,000 people have been behind some of Australia’s most important medical breakthroughs. We are a microcosm of Australia’s health and aged care system and are uniquely positioned to lead and respond to our rapidly changing environment.

We are looking for a special kind of person – a St Vincent’s kind of person. Someone who puts excellence, compassion, connection and caring for other people at the heart of everything they do.

Reporting directly to the Program Director TISCI, the Research Practitioner-Trainer will be a vital part of the Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care Initiative (TISCI). This special program of St Vincent’s Health Australia focused on the spiritual and broader healthcare needs of people who have experienced sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Through a sustained process of deep listening, we came to understand both the central place of faith in many survivors’ healing journeys and the additional harm that can occur when spiritual harm is misunderstood or minimised. In response, TISCI was established to address this gap and now also delivers specialised training.

This is a 12-month fixed term, part-time (0.6 FTE / 22.8 hours per week) opportunity with review for extension. You will support the national delivery of training, co-design content with survivors, and support workforce capability uplift across health, aged care, and Catholic ministry settings. Interstate travel will be a requirement of this role as needed to deliver training in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Key responsibilities of the role:

• Deliver high-quality, survivor-informed training and information sessions across St Vincent’s, partner health services, and Catholic dioceses
• Work alongside survivors, clinicians, and pastoral leaders to co-create training content that remains faithful to trauma-responsive principles
• Facilitate psychologically safe learning environments that model best-practice responses to disclosures
• Support the Program Director in creating a scalable “train-the-trainer” model for Australia and international adaptation
• Coordinate logistics, manage stakeholder engagement with diocesan and health leaders, and analyse evaluation data for continuous improvement

Things that work for us:

• A minimum of a Masters or equivalent in a relevant discipline (Health, Theology, Pastoral Care, or similar)
• Deep understanding of trauma-informed care and experience working with survivors of sexual abuse or trauma
• Proven ability to deliver training and maintain a high standard of record-keeping while meeting competing deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact sensitively with diverse stakeholders and hold complexity and ambiguity
• Capacity to understand and integrate the St Vincent’s mission, vision, and values into every area of responsibility
• Ability to work autonomously and take responsibility of your own learning and development in this space

Things that work for you:

• Ability to visibly see your impact on the business and its service
• Competitive salary packaging options
• Discounted private health insurance
• Employee Assistance Program for staff and their families
• Access to the Fitness Passport (FP)

At St Vincent’s we value inclusivity and diversity and acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, fair and impartial and invites people from all backgrounds to join us.

Pre-Employment Checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all required pre-employment checks, including relevant immunisations.

Equal Opportunity

We celebrate diversity & inclusion and are committed to equal employment opportunity for everyone.

How To Apply

Please submit your application via the Apply button, include your resume and a detailed cover letter outlining your experience and suitability. We would appreciate hearing more about your experience or understanding of working with survivors of sexual violence as well as the specific context of abuse in the Catholic Church.

Informal discussions are welcomed (and encouraged) if you would like to learn more about this role. If interested, please contact Dr Joanne Durkin on [email protected].

Respectfully, no recruitment agencies.