Student Advocacy and Support Manager - University of Queensland Union

$108,561.44 to $117,730.08 + 15% Superannuation

About University of Queensland Union (UQU)

University of Queensland Union (UQU) is one of Australia's oldest, largest, and most representative university union. We are led by students, not-for-profit, and have been independent since day one. We're not your typical employer, and we don't want to be.

We're a team of organisers, creatives, advocates, and community-builders. We are students backing students, choosing representation over hierarchy, and real impact over red tape.

We take our work seriously and thousands of students rely on us every day.

UQU supports 220 clubs and societies, our food and retail outlets, runs campus-defining events, and embed free food initiatives like Kampus Kitchen and Morning Marmalade to make sure no student goes without.

Right now, you'll see UQU has a lot on our plate - we're working hard to build and grow, and are actively investing in the ways we work, lead, and support our people. We're focused on getting our foundations right - a culture that makes a real difference.

We're currently going through an organisational review and a period of change, and as part of this we have a number of roles to fill, meaning there's genuine opportunity to grow with us and shape how the organisation works.

When you join UQU, you won't just witness the uplift, you'll help drive it. Here, you'll have a genuine opportunity to use and build your skills, and leave your mark, there's no other workplace quite like it.

About The Role

We're looking for an experienced leader to join UQU as Manager of Student Advocacy and Support (SAS) team.

This is an exciting time to join SAS. Following a recent service review, you'll work alongside leadership to drive the uplift, implement key process improvements, and help shape the future of student support at UQU.

You’ll take ownership of SAS, UQU's independent and confidential support hub providing free assistance to UQU's 60,000 students across academic, legal, visa, employment, and welfare matters.

You’ll lead a multidisciplinary team of legal professionals, migration agents, academic advocates, and human services staff, owning service planning, workforce management, quality assurance, policy development, and risk management across five support domains.





You’ll work closely with sister welfare and wellbeing services and student representative bodies, guiding staff through complex and sensitive casework while driving a major update to SAS's systems, processes, and reporting framework - making this a role with real scope to shape the future of student support at UQU.

You’ll take ownership for outcomes across a complex, multidisciplinary function - providing mentorship, sound judgement, and steady leadership through demanding, sensitive, and sometimes confronting casework. Day to day, this means supporting (and where needed, stepping into) complex matters, liaising with the University and external stakeholders, monitoring service demand and performance, and managing emerging risks. Right now, it also includes leading a major update to SAS's systems, processes, and reporting framework.

Key responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management - recruit, coach and manage a multidisciplinary team; own the SAS budget; develop policy and governance frameworks; lead the systems and process transformation (in partnership with leadership)

Service Quality - support team capability and compliance; run surveys, audits and reviews; maintain SAS resources; implement a target-state reporting framework to track demand, outcomes and impact

Student Advocacy - facilitate student voice and feedback channels; support elected student representatives to build leadership capability

Partnerships & Communication - build community partnerships that support student wellbeing; work with Marketing on awareness and access

Student Welfare - supervise and mentor advocates on complex cases; co-develop strategic plans for welfare, wellbeing, inclusivity and community engagement

Budgets - work with the Treasurer (and GM/Head of SEA) on resourcing and funding; develop budgets and financial advice for student-led initiatives

About you

Tertiary qualifications and/or extensive relevant experience in social work, psychology, human services, or a related welfare discipline. Experience in law or management is highly regarded.





Experience managing a multidisciplinary team across legal, migration, academic and welfare disciplines, ideally in a not-for-profit or university setting

Sound understanding of case management, mental health, and support for vulnerable or at-risk groups

Demonstrated resilience and judgement in a high-pressure environment with competing priorities and sensitive casework

Experience engaging with student, staff or community representative bodies to inform service planning

Experience preparing reports/briefings for senior leadership or governing bodies

Experience developing budgets and financial advice for operational priorities

Strong working knowledge of Queensland WHS requirements

Experience leading operational or service redesign/change management

Ability to translate service and student data into meaningful impact reporting

Comfortable operating within not-for-profit resourcing constraints

Additional requirements: Current open driver's licence; current First Aid and CPR certification

Skills & abilities: Fosters a safe, ethical, respectful and inclusive workplace culture; sound judgement and composure with sensitive/high-risk casework; solid stakeholder management across University, Union and community; trauma-informed practice

Education, Training & Professional Development

UQU is the hub of student life at the University of Queensland!

We represent the interests of UQ students and run independent services, events and outlets to enhance your student experience including Student Help On Campus (SHOC); 10 retail food and beverage outlets; and a fantastic campus culture. As an independent body, UQU represent students on all important university committees to ensure your voice is heard on all university matters.

Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.

UQU is the hub of student life at the University of Queensland!

We represent the interests of UQ students and run independent services, events and outlets to enhance your student experience including Student Help On Campus (SHOC); 10 retail food and beverage outlets; and a fantastic campus culture. As an independent body, UQU represent students on all important university committees to ensure your voice is heard on all university matters.

Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.

Director of Academic and Career Development

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📌 Student Advocacy and Support Manager - University of Queensland Union
🏢 University of Queensland Union
📍 Queensland