Joint Chief Executive Officer
Job share with existing joint CEO… 13.5 weeks on (includes handover) and 12.5 weeks off.
Balgo Community (managed by Wirrimanu Aboriginal Corporation) is one of the remotest Aboriginal communities in the country. It is situated 250 kms south of the small town of Halls Creek in the Kimberley/Tanami area of Western Australia.
The corporation is looking for someone to job share the role of CEO for three months on and three months off.
The community is strong in self-management. It owns several successful businesses. Turn over between $7m to $8m a year. The stronger our businesses, the more independent we can become.
The term CEO is an inadequate term to describe your job.
Outline of Main Professional Skills Required
- Listening – Above all you will need to demonstrate that you are someone who is prepared to keep on learning. Your working environment is extremely complex.
- Empathy And Related Skills – You will be interacting closely with individuals in a society that is under extreme stress. It will be essential to build good trusting relationships.
- Flexibility & Self-Reliance – You must be able to think pragmatically, outside of the square. There is no ‘head office’ to back you up.
- Cross-cultural Skills – You must be able to work practically in an oral, extended-family based, culture where subtleties, such as ‘keeping all families level,’ are more highly emphasized than mainstream Australian values, such as individual achievement.
- How Government Works – Particularly in areas such as funding requests & submitting reports. You will need a good understanding of the weaknesses of government funded programs and how ‘Closing The Gap’ can best be addressed at community level.
- Small Business And Entrepreneurial Skills (About 60% of the community office admin costs are underpinned by our businesses) – Note that the skills of a small business owner are markedly different to those of a manager/executive in a big corporation/organization.
- Understanding Finances & Making it a Priority to Check Financial Position – You will need to demonstrate that you understand key principles of financial management.
Walking in Two Worlds
As a temporary resident, you will need to genuinely walk ‘two worlds’ with the local people of Balgo. We advise you to ask yourself now if you have the capacity to balance the visions of two different cultures when they come into conflict. Can you help articulate the vision of people in another culture when that vision is not your own?
Self-Management
Practical support of self-management must lie at the heart of all that you do. Balgo people have often said that they want to keep moving towards economic independence while holding on to their distinct cultural identity. This is no easy task.
Managers & Staff
Wirrimanu management structures are relatively flat. Management and staff have a lot of freedom to manage their programs within their own ‘paddocks’. For example, they are responsible for ensuring expenditure within budget. Micromanagement is not encouraged. However, as CEO, the buck stops with you. You will need the appropriate management skills to handle such an open arrangement successfully.
Applications
Minimum required: Your CV along with three references. References must include contact details for referees.
