Chief Executive Officer

Lead South Australia's peer sex worker organisation.

SIN is looking for a Chief Executive Officer to lead us through the next chapter — in the state with the most punitive sex work laws in the country.

At a glance

• Part-time, 0.86 FTE (five days per week), based in Mile End, Adelaide
• Permanent position
• SCHADS Level 8: $135,343 – $140,674 per annum FTE (pro rata: $115,748 – $120,311 at 0.86 FTE), plus 12% super and salary packaging
• Flexible hours and hybrid working available
• Sex work experience is essential — SIN is a 100% peer organisation
• Applications close 5pm ACST on the advertised closing date.

About SIN

SIN is a peer-based organisation run by sex workers, for sex workers. We promote the health, rights and wellbeing of South Australian sex workers, and we recognise sex work as legitimate, skilled labour.

We were formed in 1986 by a group of sex worker peers as the Prostitutes Association of South Australia, in response to heavy-handed policing. Forty years on, we are a fully independent and autonomous sex worker organisation — an incorporated association and registered charity, governed by a board of peers, accountable to our members, and funded by SA Health. We are a founding and active member of Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association.

Everyone who works or volunteers at SIN identifies as a past or present sex worker. We deliver peer education, outreach, support, workshops, community events and safer sex products  — alongside law reform advocacy, media and public education.

Our work is guided by one principle: nothing about us, without us.

SIN acknowledges the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide region, where we live and work. We pay our respects to Kaurna elders past and present, and acknowledge that this land was stolen and sovereignty was never ceded.

About the role

The CEO leads SIN. You are accountable to the Board for the performance, sustainability and integrity of the organisation, and you are our principal representative to funders, government, media and the sector.

South Australia is the hardest jurisdiction in the country to do this work. Sex work remains criminalised here, decriminalisation is expected to return to the 56th Parliament, and SIN leads the state campaign. That shapes the job: you will need real judgement about risk, a high standard around confidentiality, and the resilience to hold a public profile on a stigmatised issue.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the implementation of SIN's strategic plan and turning it into an achievable annual work plan
• Keeping SIN driven by and accountable to the South Australian sex worker community
• Leading our advocacy for full decriminalisation, and representing SIN to Parliament, government, media and the sector
• Supporting the Board to govern well, with timely reporting and clear advice
• Managing funding relationships, contracts, submissions, reporting and acquittals — and building a more sustainable funding base
• Overseeing budgets, financial reporting, audit and internal controls
• Leading, supervising and supporting a small peer staff team
• Making sure our services stay accessible, high quality and grounded in peer education and harm reduction

The full detail is in the attached Position Description.

What success looks like in your first year

We'll agree on your priorities with you. Indicatively, by the end of year one we'd expect to see:

• An agreed annual work plan in place, reported against at every Board meeting
• Funding agreements met, reported and acquitted on time
• A stable, supported staff team with current work plans and regular supervision
• SIN visible and credible in the law reform debate, with strong relationships across Parliament and the sector
• A Board-endorsed plan for diversifying or growing SIN's funding base
• Members telling us that SIN is accessible, responsive and theirs

About you

The Position Description sets out the full capability set for the role. These eight criteria are what we'd like you to address in your application.

Essential:

1. Sex work experience, and a strong understanding of sex worker rights, the sex worker rights movement in South Australia and nationally, and the issues facing the diversity of sex workers in this state. Sex work experience is a genuine occupational requirement for this position.
2. Knowledge of sex work law and law reform — criminalisation, decriminalisation and licensing models — and demonstrated ability to advocate persuasively to government, media and the public.
3. Demonstrated senior leadership and management experience in a community-based, peer-led or member-based organisation, including leading a team and owning organisational performance.
4. Financial management skills and experience: budgets, expenditure monitoring, financial reporting, audit and grant acquittal.
5. People management skills and experience: supervision, performance management, professional development, and work health and safety in a small team.
6. Understanding of not-for-profit governance and the obligations of incorporated associations and registered charities, and demonstrated ability to work effectively with a board.
7. Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with funders, government, partner organisations and community, including preparing funding submissions and managing contracts.
8. Excellent written and verbal communication, sound judgement, integrity, and a demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality — including in a criminalised environment.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of BBV and STI health promotion for sex workers, including peer education, community development, enabling environments and harm reduction
• Experience across multiple sectors of the sex industry
• Experience with communities that intersect with sex work — First Nations, migrant and CALD, trans and gender diverse, street-based, and people who use drugs
• Tertiary qualifications or equivalent experience in public health, health promotion, community organisation management, social science, law or a related field
• Experience leading organisational change, growth or transition
• A current driver's licence

We don't expect one person to arrive with all of this. If you meet criterion 1 and bring strong leadership capability, please apply even if you don't yet meet every other criterion. SIN will support the right person to build capability in the role.

Terms and conditions

• Hours: 0.86 FTE — 32.5 hours per week, usually over five days. Flexible hours and some working from home are available by agreement.
• Term: Two-year fixed-term contract, with a six-month probation period. Renewal by agreement, subject to ongoing funding.
• Classification: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (MA000100), Social and Community Services Employee Level 8. Pay point set according to experience.
• Salary: $135,343 – $140,674 per annum FTE (pro rata: $115,748 – $120,311 at 0.86 FTE), plus 12% superannuation.
• Salary packaging: Available as a registered charity, which meaningfully increases your take-home pay.
• Location: SIN office, 220 South Road, Mile End SA 5031, on Kaurna Country.
• Out-of-hours work: Some evening and weekend work is required, consistent with the responsibilities of the role.
• Travel: Some intrastate and interstate travel is required, including for Scarlet Alliance national activities. Occasional travel may be at short notice.
• Orientation: A structured orientation and handover is provided, along with access to external supervision and a professional development budget.

Our commitment

SIN is a 100% peer organisation. Everyone who works or volunteers here identifies as a past or present sex worker, and we treat sex work experience as an essential qualification, not a disclosure risk. Anything you tell us about your sex work history stays with the selection panel and goes no further.

We recognise that criminalisation means many sex workers have criminal records. A criminal record relating to sex work will not preclude you from appointment.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers, migrant and CALD sex workers, trans and gender diverse sex workers, sex workers with disability, sex workers living with HIV, and street-based sex workers.

Enquiries

If you're interested but unsure whether you meet the criteria, please get in touch — we'd rather talk than have you rule yourself out.

Contact Matthew, SIN President, on 0458114918 or at thesinboard@sin.org.au using the subject line: Chief Executive Officer enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.