NSP/Community Development Worker

• Casual position
• Work for a multi-award-winning iconic community health organisation
• Generous salary packaging options to reduce your cohealth taxable income

So why cohealth?
cohealth leads the way in reducing health and social inequity in partnership with people and the communities in which they live. Named Premier's Health Service of the Year (Primary) and the Supporting LGBTIQ+ Health Service at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards, cohealth's 1000 staff demonstrate courage, leadership, innovation, and agility in their commitment to providing inclusive and culturally safe health services that protect the human rights of all people of all gender identities, sexualities, ages, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, faiths, and abilities.

Our inclusive workplace culture enables staff to bring their whole selves to work, where uniqueness is valued, and people experience a feeling of belonging. Our aim is for everyone to thrive in their role. Please click here to find out more.

About the role
The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP)/ Community Development Worker provides onsite and outreach harm reduction services to individuals and groups across the west and the north, improving health, wellbeing and inclusion amongst People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) to provide support, advocacy, linkages to treatment and referral services.

This is a casual role based across Footscray and Collingwood and may include occasional weekend, night, and public holiday shifts as required.

Please refer to the Position Description for more information.

Your duties include:

• Operate NSP outreach at nights, providing responsive access to equipment and education to reduce the harms related to substance use
• Provide harm reduction education, advocacy, referral, needles/syringes and other injecting and disposal equipment to service users to support safer using and disposal through all modalities
• Maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders
• Participate in program activities to ensure the provision of a high quality, flexible, integrated, and responsive service

What cohealth offers:

• Exciting Parental leave benefits
  • cohealth offers primary carers 14 weeks paid parental leave upon completion of only 6 months of continuous service
  • Eligible co-workers will continue to receive superannuation on unpaid parental leave as well
• Salary packaging to suit you - tax free amount of up to $15,900 p.a (mortgage, rent, or credit cards) and a further $2,650 p.a (meal, entertainment expenses and holiday accommodation) alongside generous reward programs from our salary packaging providers. Find out more on salary packaging here: https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Jobs-and-employment-types/Working-as-an-employee/Salary-sacrificing-for-employees/
• Novated Leasing available
• A significantly discounted fitness membership with unlimited access to over 290 facilities for you and your family. To find out more click here
• Counselling services for you and your immediate family through our EAP-Access provider, and mindfulness, resilience, and wellbeing programs
• We offer inclusion, equality, and opportunity in a workplace where making a difference counts (based on our guiding principles and values)

Our ideal candidate:

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. AOD, Community Development, Social Work), Certificate IV or higher with minimum two years relevant work experience. Lived experience will be highly regarded
• Sound knowledge of the health and social issues for people who use drugs such as blood borne virus prevention, pharmacotherapy treatment, stigma and discrimination
• The ability to assess client need and develop a responsive, considered approach in order to support and assist their navigation of health and other community services both internal and external to cohealth
• Strong belief and personal alignment in cohealth Values and Mission

Application Process

To download the PD, and to apply for this job go to: https://cohealthcareers.org.au/Current-Jobs & enter ref code: 6882368.

Applications close 24 April 2026 at 10pm

We will be conducting interviews for this role as applications are received.

If you have any questions regarding this role, please contact Kit Regan on Kit.Regan@cohealth.org.au

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), a Working With Children Check (WWCC), complete a Pre-Employment Declaration Form, evidence of legal rights to work in Australia, and evidence of vaccination.

Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of immunisation assessment including Influenza within 12 weeks of commencement [B]. This is in accordance with the Victorian Minister of Health Mandatory Vaccination Orders and legislated requirement for influenza vaccination.