Progress and growth through cohesion

A values-based approach to work

With more than 350 employees structured into teams across all service areas, we represent a wide range of skills from a variety of disciplines.

St John of God Accord recognises that attracting, developing and retaining talented people aligned with our Values, is crucial to achieving our Vision. To ensure we achieve this, all teams and individuals are encouraged to follow the Mission and Values that underpin our services. Only through cohesion, open communication and respect of fellow workers and the people we support, can we really make a difference.

We depend on our teams completely, as they are at the front line of our services. Our teams have an undeniably important role to play - whether as direct care workers, cleaners, instructors, facilitators, team leaders, program coordinators, managers or the Chief Executive Officer. Day in - day out, our teams contribute positively to others' quality of life. Care, compassion, dedication and generosity is ever present in our staff and volunteers.

Things to remember when applying

Once you receive the relevant position description, please refer to it carefully to give yourself the best possible opportunity to present your suitability for your career of choice and aligned with our Mission and Values.

Becoming a short-listed applicant and being offered an interview to discuss your application will depend on how appropriately your skills and qualifications match the role you are applying for and how well you have responded to any Key Selection Criteria. If you wish to submit your resume, please contact (03) 8804 4600.

What personality traits are we looking for?

Whether you are a Manager, Team Leader, Program Coordinator or Direct Support Worker/Professional there are a mix of skills and personality traits that best suit working in this sector. If you have already worked in the field, it will be no surprise that key personality traits needed are: patience, determination, attentiveness and a supportive disposition. St John of God Accord provides great moments of personal satisfaction and reward when you see the impact that good engagement can bring to the people our service supports.

Feedback through regular supervision sessions and informal conversations with fellow workers already tells us that relationships with the people we support is very much a two way street. "Mutual co-operation" is a word often mentioned. “More of a vocation, than a job”. Many of our staff gain a warm satisfaction in seeing how they have built  positive and meaningful relationships with people supported at our Respite Centre, Individualised Support area, Shared Supported Accommodation service, employment support services and Accord Community Engagement centres, formerly referred to as Day Services. If you are looking for a role where no two days are the same and can handle variety of tasks, then Accord can certainly provide a rewarding career.

Accord offers many different positions. Our Disability Support Workers and Team Leaders are the frontline staff that work with people on a daily basis in activities such as travel training, independent living skills, cooking, drama and arts, outdoor sport and recreation, music and dance, computer skills, photographic visual arts and more. We're always in search of people with an above average level of energy and enthusiasm to keep going all day (as the job can be tough at times).

We're building a culture and attitude towards our service based on positive attitude, flexibility in terms of roster management and being able to respond effortlessly to the constantly changing needs of the people we support. We're hoping you will join us with a strong sense of creativity and innovation, organisational skills and the ability to improvise. It goes without saying that, like any organisation, a strong work ethic and above all else, patience and a supportive disposition will drive our service towards the goals we're striving to achieve.

Management roles also need these attributes and great people skills because managers work closely with families, guardians and support workers.

Benefits of working at Accord

An Attractive and Principled Employer

A key goal of St John of God Accord is to be an Attractive and Principled Employer. This means having a culture which is supportive of, and values, its support workers. We do this by having employment relations based on trust and principles centred on and aligned with our Mission and five core Values of Hospitality, Compassion, Respect, Justice and Excellence. We provide guidelines for our support workers who are striving to express these Values in their particular area of work, and assists in clarifying the organisation's expectations for new support workers.

Being an Attractive and Principled Employer means:

• Providing a high level of service excellence to the people we support and to staff
• Having a culture that supports and holistically develops our support workers and encourages them to stay
• Ensuring our employment relations are governed by principles centred on our Mission and Values and supported by policies
• Ensuring our support workers are able to work in a safe and healthy environment
• Offering competitive and just remuneration and benefits
• Encouraging a culture of recognition and reward for our support workers
• Striving to promote work/life balance strategies
• Offering opportunities for support workers to contribute to the wider community through our Social Outreach and Advocacy and other programs
• Being seen as an attractive employer to prospective support workers
• Acknowledging that it is a combination of these factors and the ongoing review and development of appropriate policies and initiatives that make Accord an Attractive and Principled Employer.

Further details regarding specific benefits are outlined below.

Competitive salaries, conditions and benefits

We continually review salary levels and general conditions of employment to ensure we remain an attractive employer. Not only are our rates of pay competitive within the relevant market, but we are continually reviewing general employment policies and benefits to ensure we can meet the expectations of our support workers.

A supportive environment

Accord is an organisation built on a passion for supporting people. A wide network of support services are available in the workplace for general advice and assistance for support workers in addition to the support provided by supervisors and managers. These include our General Manager - Mission, Human Resource Manager and affiliated advisors and external assistance through our Employee Assistance Programs.

Family friendly workplaces

Balancing the demands of work and family is one of the challenges facing many employees. That's why at Accord, part-time employment, flexible rostering and flexible leave arrangements are just some of the options to assist in balancing work and family.

Paid maternity leave

Accord offers paid maternity leave. Arrangements can be made through our HR Unit (03) 8804 4667. 

Availability of salary packaging

Salary packaging is an optional benefit available to all permanent support workers. This benefit arises because Accord is considered a Public Benevolent Institution for Fringe Benefits Tax purposes. Salary packaging allows support workers to forego part of their taxable income in return for other benefits (eg mortgage payments or additional superannuation payments). The amount foregone is a reduction in the support worker's gross salary, thus resulting in a tax saving.

Orientation and further development

We understand that commencing with a new organisation can be daunting as well as exciting. There is an opportunity for new support workers to attend an orientation process in their first weeks of employment. We are also committed to the principle of life long learning and continued improvement and development of support workers through innovative, creative and nurturing educational opportunities relevant to the support worker's position and occupation.

Our goal is to inspire and capture support workers' enthusiasm through learning and to facilitate personal and professional growth reflecting our  Mission and Values.