Project & Communications Officer

Trawalla Foundation and Women’s Leadership Institute Australia
Parental leave contract, February to December 2027
Melbourne CBD | 0.8 or 1.0 FTE, flexible across the week (hybrid working)

About us

The Trawalla Foundation was established in 2004 as a vehicle for the philanthropic activities of Carol and Alan Schwartz. The Trawalla Foundation works with exceptional individuals and organisations that have a vision for the future of Australia, focused particularly on strengthening gender equality in leadership, accelerating the climate transition and supporting community building within our society.

The Trawalla Foundation views philanthropy as a way to back ideas and leaders, and most importantly to act as risk capital. Philanthropic funding provides a unique opportunity to build and test new approaches for social change and to demonstrate what’s possible.

The Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (WLIA) is a not-for-profit founded by Carol Schwartz AO to grow the critical mass of diverse women leaders. WLIA believes shared power and decision-making between women and men leads to better outcomes for all Australians, and focuses its research, partnerships and investment on four areas that shape the nation: politics, media, policy and capital.

About the role

This is a ten month opportunity to help deliver high-profile gender equality initiatives within a small, fast-moving team. Reporting to the CEO of the Trawalla Foundation, you’ll project manage priority initiatives in 2027 and deliver the communications, grant-making and events that bring this work to our networks and the wider community.

Key responsibilities

Priority projects for 2027

• Women for Media research series. Working closely with the CEO and research lead, project manage the development of the 2027 report through to launch, including coordinating report design and finalisation, tracking timelines and tasks, and organising the launch activities and promotion.
• WLIA Fellows. Support the work of WLIA’s Fellows, a network of leading researchers working on gender equality, including coordinating the annual Fellows gathering, and promoting their work through our events and channels.
• Inclusive AI Pledge. Help grow engagement with the Inclusive AI Pledge, developed with the Champions of Change Coalition, through outreach to our networks and more broadly, content development and promotion opportunities.
• Pathways to Politics for Women. Supporting communications, meetings, special projects and events for the Pathways to Politics for Women Inter-University Working Group and alumni as needed. You’ll also help compile and maintain program data, including the alumni database and surveys, and prepare reports for stakeholders.

Ongoing responsibilities

• Communications and content. Planning and producing engaging content across WLIA and the Trawalla Foundation, including newsletters, LinkedIn and website updates, to grow our audiences and amplify the work of our Fellows, partners and research.
• Writing for our leaders. Drafting speaker notes and other materials for the CEO and Chair in their voice, plus content for board papers and minutes.
• Grant management. Coordinate the administration of the Trawalla Foundation’s grants, including agreements, milestone and acquittal reporting, and day to day contact with grantee partners.
• Events. Planning and delivering online and in-person events, including logistics, run sheets and follow-up.
• Operations. Managing the administrative tasks that keep a small team running smoothly, including liaising with IT support, Finance and other functions across the Trawalla family office.

About you

We’re looking for a capable, collaborative project and communications manager who wants to put their skills to work for gender equality. As this is a ten month role in a small team, you’ll need to get across projects quickly and produce polished work independently. You’ll suit this role if you bring:

• Strong project management. You bring a structured, disciplined approach to planning and delivering projects, keep others updated as you go, and find practical solutions when things change.
• Quality and continuous improvement. You take pride in producing high quality work, with close attention to detail and reliable follow through, and you’re always looking for better ways of doing things.
• Excellent writing and communication. You write clearly and compellingly for different audiences and formats, from newsletters and social media to speaker notes, with a good instinct for what will resonate and the ability to adapt to a particular voice.
• Agility. You thrive in a small, entrepreneurial team, can juggle competing priorities as they shift, and are happy to take on tasks large and small to get things done.
• Relationships. You’re confident working with senior stakeholders across business, policy, research and the social sector, build positive relationships with people at all levels, and handle sensitive information with sound judgement and discretion.
• Commitment to gender equality. You share our belief that shared power and decision-making between women and men leads to better outcomes for all Australians.
• Relevant experience. Around five years in a professional environment such as a corporate, consulting, philanthropic or social sector organisation.
• AI and digital confidence. You’re confident with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Canva, Mailchimp, Qualtrics and website platforms, and an active, thoughtful user of AI tools. You’ll help us adopt AI in ways that are inclusive and responsible, in keeping with the Inclusive AI Pledge.

The team

• Carol Schwartz AO is Chair of the Trawalla Foundation and WLIA, and one of Australia’s most influential business and community leaders, celebrated for a dynamic career spanning property, the arts, finance, investment, entrepreneurship, government and health. A prominent public voice, Carol is a passionate advocate for women’s leadership.
• Sarah Buckley is CEO of the Trawalla Foundation and Chief of Staff to Carol Schwartz AO, and leads a broad portfolio of gender equity initiatives across politics, media, policy and capital, including as National Co-Convenor of Pathways to Politics for Women, leading WLIA and involvement with the Female Led Venture Portfolio.
• Lara Richardson is Executive Assistant to Carol and has supported Carol and the Trawalla Group for more than 20 years.

Why join us

• Meaningful work on some of Australia’s most impactful gender equality initiatives
• Working closely with national leaders across philanthropy, research, politics and business
• Broad, hands-on experience across project management, communications, grant-making and research, in a small team where your contribution is visible
• Flexible hours across the week, with hybrid working

How to apply

Send your CV and a cover letter (of no more than one page) to [email protected] by Friday 6 November 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short writing task.