Program Manager, Transform Lives Program (Townsville)

Every institution values excellence. What matters most is why.
Griffith was created to be a different type of university.  You’ll find we’re about leading research, academic excellence, and the transformative power of education. But what sets us apart is why those things matter and how you’ll achieve them.

Why? Griffith brings together exceptional minds like yours from across the globe and from all walks of life. Here, we do incredible work, questioning and challenging, always in the pursuit of excellence.

The Griffith Criminology Institute (GCI) is a large, diverse, and high-performing group of scholars focused on crime and justice issues. Through collaboration and innovation our research is helping find solutions to universal problems. GCI hosts the Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives Centre. The Centre’s vision is to support mothers and their children to have safe, dignified, and fulfilling lives, breaking down intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and incarceration, by transforming systems and generating new knowledge for evidence-based programs.

The Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives (TCTL) Centre is seeking to appoint a Program Manager for Townsville and the surrounding areas. The Program Manager will work under the direction of the TCTL Centre Director, and collaboratively with their counterpart in the Southeast Queensland region, to deliver the Transform Lives Program - a model of care that provides mothers, including First Nations’ mothers and children, with support during their prison sentence and post-release. The Program aspires to ensure that mothers are provided with continuity of care until they have sufficient stability and are sufficiently empowered to continue meeting their needs, improving their own lives, and supporting the positive development of their children. The program is:

1. Multimodal in its approach (addressing not just parenting skills but also mental health needs, substance use problems, housing needs, etc);
2. Multisystemic, working across the multiple developmental systems that parents and children have contact with (e.g., prisons, family, schools, community, employment, multiple agencies, and service providers), and
3. Family focused, working with parents and their children during the custody period and for a substantial period after release.
4. Being rigorously evaluated by TCTL Centre researchers.

Key responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Draw on emerging best practice in working with families of prisoners, and families with complex needs, to maintain the implementation of the Transform Lives Program.
• Oversee the implementation of the trial of the Transform Lives Program in Queensland women’s correctional centres and in the community, including the implementation of individual and ongoing case planning for mothers and their children, with practitioners (i.e., Program Coaches).
• Supervise a team of Program Coaches and Program Assistants while carrying a small caseload of families in the Transform Lives Program.
• Continue to develop, maintain, and lead a Communities of Practice with relevant stakeholders to promote and enable holistic case planning, information sharing and professional development.
• Work collaboratively with correctional centre staff and relevant staff within other government departments and service providers to ensure that Transform Lives Coaches are supported and that positive outcomes for mothers and their children are achieved.
• Work collaboratively with TCTL leadership and the research team to support the research and evaluation required to establish the effectiveness of the Transform Lives Program.

About you
The occupant of this position will hold a four-year undergraduate degree in social work or psychology or a related discipline, together with completion of, or progress towards, a higher degree (Masters, Professional Doctorate, or PhD) in a relevant field, and demonstrated experience working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system within a multisystemic framework.

You will demonstrate a breadth and depth of professional skills and knowledge in the human services/social work/community service/youth work field with excellent knowledge of the issues affecting incarcerated women and their children.

You will have demonstrated cultural competency and the ability to work effectively with members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, as well as people from other diverse backgrounds.

The occupant of this position will be eligible for registration with a relevant professional body, such as the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

You will also have:

• Experience leading and managing practitioners/administrative staff and providing clinical supervision.
• Ability to be self-motivated and able to demonstrate a high level of individual initiative, discretion, attention to detail and judgement. You will have demonstrated ability to work independently and with minimal supervision to meet competing deadlines and work effectively as a team member.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and effectively with government and non-government agencies and with clients and their families through the use of well-developed communication, consultation and conflict resolution skills.
• Knowledge of (or the ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of) social ecological, multisystemic and multi-agency case conceptualisation, intervention and support, and First People cultures and the issues that may impact upon them in contemporary society and in a criminal justice context.

You will hold a valid driver’s licence for Queensland. Applicants must undertake and pass, on an annual basis, a Criminal History Check for the purposes of entering correctional centres. You will hold a valid blue card in Queensland or be eligible to obtain one upon appointment.

The TCTL Centre is committed to ensuring that program delivery and evaluation recognises, respects, and is inclusive of, Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

What we can offer
This is a fixed term (available until 30 June 2027), full-time position with a potential for extension, based at the Griffith University offices in South Townsville. It is expected that the successful candidate will undertake regular travel around Townsville and surrounding areas, meeting with stakeholders, partners, Program Coaches and mothers and their children in the Program. A vehicle (or expense provision) will be provided to support the successful candidate in carrying out their duties. 

Salary Range
A competitive salary package will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Why Griffith? 
As a values-led organisation, at Griffith University, we've worked hard to create a dynamic and strong organisational culture. We offer: 

• Wide range of Learning and Development opportunities 
• Salary packaging options and corporate health discounts 
• Generous leave entitlements including paid parental leave and leave loading 
• Support with future learning opportunities through our educational staff assistance scheme 

How to apply 
At Griffith, we’re committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all - whoever you are and wherever you’re from. If you require any accommodations, we welcome you to let us know so we can work with you to participate fully in our recruitment experience.

Griffith University values diversity, inclusion and flexibility and we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people of all backgrounds to apply. For more information please visit our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page. Our University is committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive community for all. In alignment with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence (2025), Griffith University includes a declaration as part of the recruitment journey to uphold the values and standards of our community. Griffith University also maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against all forms of modern slavery. For more information, please refer to Griffith’s Modern Slavery Policy.

Please submit your application online and ensure it includes the following: 

• A covering letter outlining your suitability for the role (please refer to the About you section above and the position description)
• Current curriculum vitae/resume including full contact details 

Applicants must have unrestricted work rights. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Successful candidates may be subject to a criminal history check.

For further information specifically about this role, please contact Susan Dennison, TCTL Director at . 

For further application and recruitment advice, please contact Theresa Burke, Talent Acquisition Partner on .

Closing date: Monday, 24 August 2026 at 11:59pm AEST. All applications must be submitted online.

Please allow at least 1 – 2 weeks from the closing date to expect an application update.