Program Director - Government

Overview of role

As a key member of the management team at Garage Sale Trail, you will lead our partnership program with local and state government, working both remotely and from our Darlinghurst HQ.
 

This role is about ensuring we continue to meet, and exceed, our partners expectations in delivering a high value and impactful program that brings local communities together around secondhand and the circular economy.

Who we’re looking for

In a nutshell, this role is about business development, project management, partnerships and product development.  

The successful candidate will be well organised, with a flair for building relationships and delivering a customer-focused approach in all they do.  You must be able to understand what different government partners need and be able to educate them on how a program like Garage Sale Trail can help to achieve their goals as well as listen and understand their needs to help evolve the program.

This is a senior role but given the size of the organisation pretty hands on too.  Be ready to get your hands dirty and own a really important part of Garage Sale Trail’s annual operation.
 

Role and responsibilities

New business development (45%)

• Create and execute an annual new business plan for government, with the aim of retaining and engaging new council partners to enable the continued growth of Garage Sale Trail.
• Overall responsibility for ensuring financial targets for local government partners are met annually.
• Creation of sales tools and presentations.
• Building relationships at all levels of government, to include elected members, officers and local government associations.
• Attending meetings with existing and new council partners.
• Identifying and applying for state government and other grants (min $50,000 request).
• Attending, networking and presenting at trade conferences and events, Australia-wide.
• Supporting the General Manager with approaches to private sector partners and sponsors.

Account management and product development (45%)

• Manage the council account management team (1-2 staff members).
• Devise the account management and communications strategy for managing local government partners.
• End-end management of state government partners from grant application to execution and delivery of the final report.
• Identify and oversee required product developments to ensure the program continues to represent value for money for government partners and meet their needs.
• Oversee development of all campaign materials and toolkits provided to council partners, supported by a graphic designer.

Reporting (10%)

• Oversee the creation of annual impact reports.
• Management of Garage Sale Trail’s research company.

About Garage Sale Trail Foundation

Garage Sale Trail Foundation has delivered an annual waste education and behaviour change campaign in partnership with local and state government for over 12 years.  

We’re all about tackling the issue of overconsumption through the simple, and humble act of the garage sale.

We believe doing the right thing by the planet should be fun and social and that big change can start from your front yard.

In 2023:

• The campaign reached over 40 million Australians cumulatively via an integrated communications campaign that ran nationally across TV, radio, newspaper, digital and social media.
• 419,705 people shopped or sold secondhand at more than 13,500 garage sales, held across the country over two big weekends in November.
• Over 4.2 million kilograms of unwanted items were sold. 35% of which would otherwise have gone to landfill.
• $3.6 million was generated for local communities.