Communications Officer (Perth)

The Westerman Jilya Institute The Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health (Jilya) is an incorporated Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) and a registered charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Founded by pre-eminent psychologist and Nyamal woman, Dr Tracy Westerman AM, Jilya operates across four interconnected arms:
- Research Arm: conducting and disseminating rigorous, culturally grounded research into Indigenous mental health outcomes, systemic barriers, and evidence-based practice.
- Scholarships Arm: investing in the next generation of Indigenous Psychologists through the Australian first, Dr Tracy Westerman Indigenous Psychology Scholarship Program achieving Australian record graduation rates.
- Treatment Arm: delivering culturally protected, trauma-informed psychology services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients across the lifespan through the National Indigenous Psychology Treatment Centre — the first of its kind in Australia.
- Operations and Corporate Governance: providing the organisational backbone that supports the research, scholarship, and treatment missions — including governance, finance, fundraising, communications, and data analytics. Jilya is an Indigenous psychology organisation. It is committed to maintaining a workforce that is predominantly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Position Overview The Communications Officer is responsible for delivering Jilya's external communications, social media, brand management, and communications support across all four arms of the Institute. The role works closely with the Founder, Dr Tracy Westerman, who maintains a significant national public profile and is one of the most recognised voices in Australian psychology and mental health. This is a hands-on communications delivery role with significant scope. The Communications Officer is responsible for managing Jilya's day-to-day communications output — social media content, newsletters, media coordination, brand materials, campaign collateral, and the public-facing presentation of Jilya's work. The role supports the Fundraising Manager on campaign creative, the Scholarships Manager on student communications, the Research and Grant Writer on research dissemination, and the Founder on her national profile activities. Jilya's communications voice is distinct: direct, data-grounded, culturally authoritative, and uncompromising about the failure of mainstream systems to deliver for Aboriginal people. The Communications Officer must understand and protect that voice. Selection Criteria – Essential:
- Demonstrated experience in a communications, marketing, or public affairs role — ideally in the charity, health, education, or Indigenous affairs sector.
- Strong writing skills with the ability to produce content in different voices and for different audiences — supporters, media, government, community, and academic.
- Social media management experience, including content production, community engagement, and analytics.
- Practical design literacy — ability to produce or commission branded materials using Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or equivalent tools.
- Cultural competence in representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, and stories — with deep attention to cultural protocols, image consent, and avoiding deficit framing.
- Ability to take direction from the Founder and reflect her authoritative public voice with accuracy and consistency.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, events, and content streams simultaneously.
- Sound judgement when handling sensitive matters — media enquiries on contentious issues, community concerns, and confidential program information. Selection Criteria – Desirable:
- Lived experience as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
- Tertiary qualifications in communications, journalism, marketing, or a related field.
- Experience working with senior public figures or in a role that supports a public-facing leader's profile.
- Photography, videography, or podcast production skills. Apply on Kit Job: kitjobau.com/job/3r3rgt