All Things Urban

The University of Melbourne is a leading international university with over 160 years experience in teaching and research.

Our student body consists of 47,000 students with an International cohort of over 11,800 students from 120 countries.

The university is one of the largest employers in the state of Victoria with more than 6500 professional and academic staff spreading over seven beautiful and historic campuses. We are also home to 100 centres and institutes for research and research training. Our largest campus in Parkville is part of the renowned “Parkville Precinct” knowledge hub, including 8 hospitals, leading institutes and a wide range of knowledge-based industries.

High profile employers from around the world actively seek out our graduates, with four Australian Prime Ministers beginning their careers right here at the University of Melbourne.

• Exciting new project focused on supporting young people who want to take an active role in their local community
• Document and support the rollout and enhancement of the Young Mayors program
• Work with project leads in the development of further scaling up activities and funding

The University of Melbourne would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples, the Yorta Yorta Nation, the Dja Dja Wuurang people. We acknowledge that the land on which we meet and learn was the place of age-old ceremonies, of celebration, initiation and renewal, and that the local Aboriginal peoples have had and continue to have a unique role in the life of these lands.

About – The Melbourne Centre for Cities

The Melbourne Centre for Cities, a cross-faculty centre of the University of Melbourne, has been designed to foster responsible and cosmopolitan city leadership, and the information it needs, in an interconnected and increasingly urbanised planet.

About the Role

The Fellowship offers the opportunity to work in the Melbourne Centre for Cities, with appointment in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (ABP, one of three core faculties for the Centre), on an exciting new project of training and engagement focused on supporting young people who want to take an active role in their local community. In particular, the Fellow will work directly with the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) to support the roll out of a transformative “Young Mayors” program, supporting those running for local councils.

The Fellow will work with Centre and FYA staff with a focus on documenting and supporting the roll out of the program, as well as convening an advisory group of experts, and supporting project leadership in enhancing “Young Mayors”.

• Collaborate with and support project leads in planning and delivering the Young Mayors project in select local councils in Australia
• Support project administration and dissemination including web-based and social media content delivery and management
• Support initial evaluation and research on the initial cohort of Young Mayors program councils
• Work with project leads in the development of further scaling up activities and funding (e.g. grant proposals) for the Young Mayors program

You will have a collaborative emerging track record of research on, engagement with, and clear interest in city leadership aligned to the mission of the Centre, ideally with a clear commitment to issues of inclusion and youth in cities and/or a close grasp of local government policymaking. You will have a strong understanding of challenges affecting cities today, and the leadership needed to address them, and a commitment to drive change in urban governance in an inclusive and progressive way.

You will also have:

• a postgraduate degree (Masters or higher), or substantial progress toward one with prior professional experience, in a relevant discipline (e.g. urban planning, public policy, international relations, sustainability) or comparable work experience (e.g. in local government or the multilateral sector).
• High-level interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships and act with utmost professional etiquette.
• Interest in building collaborative academic relationships and partnerships in relevant public and private organisations.

• Location: Parkville
• Role type: Part time 0.4 FTE, fixed-term for 9 months
• Faculty: Architecture, Building and Planning
• Department/School: Melbourne Centre for Cities
• Salary: Level A – $77,171 – $104,701 p.a. plus 17% super

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements, generous personal, parental and cultural leave
• Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loading
• Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
• Discounts on a wide range of products and services including Myki cards and Qantas Club
• Career development opportunities and 25% off graduate courses for staff and their immediate families

Be Yourself

We value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community and encourage and celebrate diversity. First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.