About the role
The Youth Engagement and Connections Officer leads the planning and delivery of inclusive youth engagement initiatives that support young people to connect, participate and feel a sense of belonging in their community. This is a hands-on role working directly with young people aged 12 to 25 across a mix of centre-based and outreach settings, playing a key role in how the City connects with young people and responds to their needs across the municipality. Working as part of the Youth Development Unit, the role requires a collaborative, flexible and responsive approach to engaging young people at different times and in different settings, helping create safe and welcoming environments where young people feel supported to participate.

Work type: Permanent Full Time
Classification: Band 5 $83,436 pa plus super (from 1 July 2026)

Key responsibilities:

• Plan, deliver and evaluate youth-informed programs and events across the City’s youth hubs (The Nest, The fOrT, Armstrong Creek) and through assertive outreach, including the Mobile Youth Hub, ensuring services are responsive and accessible to young people across the municipality.
• Supervise and engage groups of young people in hub and outreach settings, maintaining safe, inclusive environments and effectively managing behaviour, risk and incidents in line with City policies and child safety requirements.
• Develop and maintain strong, proactive partnerships with schools, educational institutions and local youth services/organisations to support engagement pathways, coordinated responses and improved outcomes for young people.
• Demonstrate initiative, creativity and strong interpersonal skills to build rapport and connect with young people from diverse backgrounds, with flexibility to undertake after-hours and weekend work to meet operational and service delivery needs.

About you
The ideal candidate for this role will have experience working with young people from diverse backgrounds. You will possess a warm, caring and engaging personality, with a high level of resilience and the confidence to work autonomously and make decisions utilising your professional judgement. You will have a keen eye for detail, demonstrate initiative and creativity in your work and be willing to roll up your sleeves and get involved!

Essential Experience:

• Relevant qualification in Community Services, Social Work, Youth Work or related field and/or some relevant professional experience in a comparable organisation.
• Current Victorian Working with Children's Check (Employee) and a valid Drivers Licence.
• Experience in the development and implementation of community development and/or youth programs.
• Knowledge of youth participation and engagement frameworks with demonstrated skills in co-design.
• Stakeholder management skills and the ability to work collaboratively with others to deliver quality outcomes.

Preferred candidate will be required to undergo a National Police Check as part of the recruitment process (funded by the City).

If this sounds like the role for you, then click apply now!

Child Safety Responsibilities 
We are committed to being a child-safe organisation and have zero-tolerance for child abuse. We have specific policies, procedures, and mandatory training in place to support employees, volunteers, and contractors to achieve and adhere to these commitments. Please read our Child Safe Standards Management Policy.  

Diversity and Inclusion 
At the City we want a workforce that reflects the community we live in. We welcome and embrace everyone, all people with their own unique experiences, and support and encourage all our employees to do their best work, have equal access to opportunities and a just working environment. For this reason, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from First Nations people, people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, from the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disability and people of all genders, ages and diverse experience.

We are the City
From parks to offices, childcare centres to works depots, leisure facilities to the Wool Museum and waterfront, our team plays a vital role in shaping our vibrant and growing community. Our community counts on us to get the essentials right while looking for ways to go beyond. By listening, collaborating, and focusing on sustainability, we strive to do the basics brilliantly and create a lasting impact. If you’re ready to be part of something bigger, join us in shaping the future of Geelong.

We support accessibility and encourage discussions about any adjustments or support you may need during the recruitment process.

Applications and Enquiries
Click the Position Description link to view more information about this position.

Enquiries: Danielle Parker – Team Leader Youth Engagement and Connections | 0403 580 346 | DParker@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

Click the Apply button to submit your application or find out more about this opportunity. If we can assist you with any reasonable adjustments in order to submit your application for this role, please contact the Talent Acquisition team via email at careers@geelongcity.vic.gov.au  noting your preferred method of communication and contact details and a member of the team will be in touch.

We collect demographic data to help us learn who our advertisements are reaching and how we can reach an even more diverse audience. We are committed to building a more diverse team. Your responses to our demographic questions are strictly confidential and will not be individually shared.

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