Program Manager. Permanent Full Time - Mackay

Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave a brighter future.

Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose organisation of 8,000 employees working in more than 500 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers. Join a community of people dedicated to breaking down barriers.

We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager – Child, Youth & Family to lead and inspire teams delivering support to children and young people in Residential and SILS (Supported Independent Living Services) placements. This role is responsible for ensuring high-quality, therapeutic, and culturally responsive services while driving compliance, service excellence, and staff development.

You will provide strong leadership and subject matter expertise, ensuring programs meet contractual and legislative requirements, while fostering reflective practice and embedding trauma-informed approaches across your teams.

This position is Permanent Full-Time, based in our Mackay office.

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  Lead, supervise, and motivate the House Manager(s) and Youth Workers.

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  Drive therapeutic practice that provides stability and ongoing support to children and young people.

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  Ensure programs comply with legislation, accreditation standards, contractual obligations, and internal policies.

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  Manage budgets and resources effectively, balancing client needs with business requirements.

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  Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders including carers, community organisations, and funding bodies.

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  Champion client voice and cultural safety, embedding the CARE model and trauma-informed practice.

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  Promote a positive team culture through coaching, reflective practice, and professional development.

• Degree qualification in Human Services, Social Work, Psychology, Social Sciences, or related field.

• Proven leadership/management experience in human services, preferably within out-of-home care.

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to manage sensitive and complex matters.

• Demonstrated knowledge of trauma, attachment, and the needs of children and young people in care.

• Experience managing budgets, competing priorities, and delivering outcomes in a high-volume environment.

• Commitment to working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

• Highly developed communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

• Current driver’s licence.

• Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).

• Some travel between sites may be required — a fully insured vehicle is essential.

Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact Joelene at recruitment@lwb.org.au with the subject heading ‘PM Mackay’.

Candidates with disabilities who require adjustments to the recruitment process or the application form in an alternate format can visit https://www.lwb.org.au/careers/ for information on our access and inclusion work and how to contact us directly.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications are continuously reviewed prior to the closing date; and as such the closing date is subject to change without notice. Current application closing date is midnight Monday 29th June. 

Advertised: 15 Jun 2026 E. Australia Standard Time
Applications close: 29 Jun 2026 23:55 E. Australia Standard Time

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