Migraine Australia is a national patient advocacy organisation to support all Australians living with migraine and their families. We are the voice of migraine in Australia.
We are entirely volunteer-run and led by people with a lived experience of migraine. Our board is an operational board as we currently have no staff, yet we do have an army of over 100 volunteers. Due to recent government project funding, and success in some of our core advocacy goals, we have decided to double the size of our board to develop a more sustainable long-term plan, as well as allow for more redundancy in our leadership team.
About the positions
Migraine Australia operates under an operational board. Each director on the board leads a working group of volunteers, who work on a certain area of our activities. Our intention in expanding the board is to split some of the working groups to better share the workload. It is also our intention to recruit more volunteers into the team so we can achieve more of our goals.
As a member of the Migraine Australia board, you will be asked to lead and be accountable for an area of the organisation's activity as fits your skill set. The areas that we currently need board directors in are:
- Research: oversight and management of a team of mostly academic researchers who donate their time to do migraine research, developing a research program and liaising with migraine researchers
- People: oversight and management of our membership and volunteer programs, in particular working with the volunteer coordinator and Director of Support to organise our volunteer team, inducting and onboarding new volunteers, assigning them to roles, and ensuring they are fitting well into our vibrant and talented team.
- Fundraising and grants: developing and executing a fundraising plan and working with the treasurer on the budget and grant applications.
- Communication: managing external communication, email and website content, major publications, media relations; working with the Engagement Director on social media messaging, and the Campaigns Director on major initiatives like Migraine Awareness Month.
Board members are also involved in the selection and support of sub-board volunteers in their area of responsibility.
Candidates with an interest in being a co-chair of the board should indicate their willingness to take on this additional responsibility in their application.
Migraine Australia is also seeking two enthusiastic and qualified Company Secretaries to join our board who can provide support and strategic direction to the organisation in partnership with other board members. A key focus of the Company Secretary role is to contribute to corporate governance and compliance, assist the board with policy and decision making, prepare government and other legislative statements and provide general administrative support to the board and its members. You will also be responsible for updating ASIC and other records as required. In addition to secretarial support of the board, you will be asked to provide additional secretariat assistance to one internal committee, and leadership to a working group of administration volunteers.
Migraine Australia board meetings are conducted via Zoom on a Wednesday evening once a month. Applicants are warmly invited from anywhere in the country.
Selection Criteria
- Experience on boards or other leadership roles in health, social welfare, or pharma organisations.
- Experience in developing business plans and governance documents.
- Experience leading teams of volunteers.
- Experience developing and managing projects or longer-term work plans.
- Familiarity and comfort with online tools such as Slack, Workstreams, Google Workplace, Zoom and Facebook.
- Experience and skills relevant to the role for which you are nominating.
- Understanding or lived experience of migraine.
- Commitment to the purpose, goals, and values of Migraine Australia.
How to apply
To apply, please email a cover letter and your resume to [email protected] with 'Board Application' in the subject line.
Please ensure that your cover letter addresses your personal experience of migraine, whether your own migraine or that of a loved one.
Interested but not sure you are board ready? Volunteer to join the working group that you are interested in.