Position Details

About Children's Ground
Children’s Ground is a First Nations organisation. The Children’s Ground Approach is designed and delivered through the leadership of First Nations people. We are committed to systems change to ensure dignity, justice and equity for all children and families. Our work focuses on national reform as well as evidencing a new way of working.

The Children’s Ground Approach is a whole of community, whole of life approach. We privilege First Nations knowledge systems and practice. Over the course of a generation, led by local expertise, we create and deliver an integrated system that is centred on learning, development and wellbeing that responds to the child and their family through the key transition points from pre-birth to young adulthood.

Our approach recognises the cultural, social, and economic strength of our communities. We build on this over a generation to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren that gives them freedom, opportunity and rights to their culture and identity.

Children’s Ground operates in Central Australia and across the Top End, with support provided by a Melbourne-based Shared Services team.

About the role
The Head of R&E role can be based in either Darwin or Alice Springs. The role will entail working in partnership with the Head of Cultural Integrity & Research & Evaluation. Responsible for leading the R&E team in Central Australia and Top End (Darwin), providing guidance, support and supervision for the team's work with Children's Ground communities. Functions will include team management, training, performance reviews and support. The position will bring technical western knowledge, skills and experience to the Research & Evaluation team, working alongside cultural leads, who will ensure that cultural approaches, standards and integrity are embedded across Children's Ground. The position will oversee and support high quality monitoring, evaluation and research, with a focus on empowering all First Nations staff and families in data, evaluation and research ownership and sovereignty. Part of this will entail working with the R&E team and First Nations staff to implement regular community level evaluation and reporting, as well as locally relevant and robust triennial regional progress evaluation.

The focus of the monitoring and evaluation is to evidence the impact of the Children's Ground Approach and system. Key to this is the longitudinal triennial evaluation of impact and building by-community internal evaluations. R&D is central to Children's Ground work. This position will support the ongoing establishment and growth of R&D internally and with external research partners.

Children's Ground is committed to community led practice that privileges First Nations culture. In our monitoring, evaluation and research, First Nations Community Research teams and leaders are directly involved int eh designing of a new way of approaching evaluation.

Details of how to apply:

Use this link to apply:
https://ats.rippling.com/en-US/childrensground/jobs/5d677e5f-9ed4-4367-8a7d-1e290fd06a4b

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please apply with a resume and a cover letter/pitch. Your pitch should tell us why you are a good fit for the role and why you want to work for Children's Ground. Use the Key Responsibilities to address your pitch. Also please note if you are interested in Alice Springs or Darwin location.

Deadline: 13 March 2026