Lived Experience Worker Level 3

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• Be the first Grade 3 lived experience worker in an established acute inpatient unit.
• Help build and shape the lived experience program from the ground up.
• Work alongside a welcoming, experienced and supportive multidisciplinary team.
• Be part of a service committed to compassion, dignity, hope, and continuous improvement.
• Permanent part time, 32 hours per week

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives. 

About the Acute Psychiatric Unit department

The Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) incorporates 2 mental health programs.

Adult Acute Program (AAP) has 19 beds which provide inpatient services to people over 18 years of age who have an acute psychiatric disorder requiring specialist intervention for assessment and treatment. The Unit has a strong integration with mental health community-based services supporting continuity of recovery-focused care.

Eating Disorder Program –This program provides five inpatient beds for consumers with an eating disorder, who require an acute health restoration program due to medical risk because of the severity of their eating problems.

About the role 

This is a pivotal role that will help shape and embed the lived experience workforce within a busy, recovery‑oriented acute mental health environment.

As a senior lived experience practitioner, you will draw on your own mental health recovery journey to provide empathetic, person‑centred support to consumers and their families. You will also play a foundational leadership role in establishing lived experience practice across the unit.

A regular day will see you:

• Shape the lived experience workforce within APU and contribute to the development of trauma‑informed, recovery‑focused models of care.
• Provide direct consumer support, using your lived experience to build connection, instil hope, and promote self-determination.
• Collaborate with a dynamic multidisciplinary team.
• Strengthen consumer voice through advocacy, peer support, and participation in service development.
• Support staff education in lived experience principles, collaborative care, and reducing stigma.
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives, including co-design and co-production of service improvements.

About you 

To be successful in this role, you'll bring with you:

• Demonstrated experience working in a designated lived experience role (or capacity to step into a Grade 3 position with appropriate support).
• A strong, reflective understanding of your own recovery and how to use it purposefully and safely in practice.
• Commitment to trauma‑informed care, consumer autonomy, and recovery-oriented service delivery.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced acute setting.
• Excellent communication, documentation and boundary-setting skills.
• Passion for creating cultural change and embedding lived experience as a valued pillar in mental health care.

Our benefits 

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including: 

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation. 
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program. 
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options. 
• Mentoring and career development opportunities. 

Work with us! 

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures. 

If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. What matters most is your passion, your drive and your willingness to learn and contribute. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date. 

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working with Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Melissa Leslie, Nurse Unit Manager at Melissa.LESLIE@austin.org.au

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details. 

Application closing date: Sunday 3 May 2026