Vulnerable Community Engagement Lead - Fixed Term Full Time

Why Optus?

We are a business fuelled by optimism, unwavering customer focus and a team of amazing people.

And that’s where we come in…. “the amazing people” part!

We don’t sit back and wait for the future to happen, we are out there crafting our own path through new technology, innovation, and investment. We are truly a challenger brand, with challenger spirit.

The Vulnerable Customer Engagement Lead plays a meaningful role in advancing Optus’ dedication to supporting vulnerable customers by leading strategic partnerships, industry engagement, and internal cultural initiatives. The role ensures vulnerable customers receive tailored, trauma-informed support through proactive, accessible, and empathetic service. This includes driving collaboration with external partners, embedding lived experience into service design, and ensuring the organisation actively reduces barriers to access, care, and protection for customers in need.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Vulnerable Customers, this role caters for deep understanding of customer vulnerability and social impact with a passionate, strategic, and relationship driven engagement. The Engagement (Manager/Lead) is responsible for strengthening Optus’s influence in industry forums, cultivating values-aligned partnerships, and embedding a culture of advocacy across the business, to champion fairness, inclusion, and trust in every customer interaction.

Please note, this is a full-time temporary opportunity offered for up to 10 months.

Your day to day will consist of...

• Champion Vulnerable Customers by leading advocacy efforts, influencing leadership decisions, and embedding care, urgency, and reduced effort into customer experiences.
• Provide expert consultation on vulnerability considerations across Optus, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with external standards.
• Manage strategic partnerships with external organisations supporting vulnerable customers, coordinating onboarding, contracts, and procurement.
• Lead communications and engagement planning, collaborating on initiatives that build trust and awareness of support programs internally and externally.
• Represent Optus in industry forums and community events, bringing back best practices and fostering meaningful external relationships.
• Drive cultural initiatives that promote awareness and empathy, and integrate lived experience and best practice into operations and service delivery.

What makes you perfect for the role?

• Relevant professional qualifications in Business, Commerce, Management or a related field.
• At least 10 years in contact centre and/or retail operations, with 5+ years in telecommunications or essential services industries, including knowledge of regulatory and legal obligations.
• Minimum 5 years leading teams and 3+ years in strategic or capability roles within complex, fast-paced organisations.
• Experience in supporting vulnerable customers, including regulatory, remediation, or service delivery work in essential services or financial/utility sectors.
• Manage related contracts and procurement processes to ensure alignment with business goals and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of business strategy, transformation delivery, regulatory compliance, change management, and the development of business metrics.
• Skilled in using diagnostic tools, interpreting data, and identifying business improvements; able to facilitate workshops and facilitate change.
• Proven ability to communicate, influence, and build senior stakeholder relationships; highly developed coaching, mentoring, and leadership capabilities.

Optus is a place where we let you do you. We offer a range of benefits including:

• 3 days in the office, 2 days remote – with flexible hours to suit!
• Inclusive paid parental leave, up to 16 weeks for the primary care giver
• All Optus employees have access to resources, webinars and support via the ‘Parents at Work portal’
• Own your own growth by accessing an extensive online and facilitator led learning catalogue.
• Connect at work through our employee-led volunteer groups: Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network, Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+), United Veterans, Yarn Network, Wellbeing Network and Young Professionals.
• Vibrant campus life, variety of facilities including restaurants, cafes, gymnasium, GP, and post office
• Free Optus bus from Macquarie University Metro Station (every 6-8 minutes); morning and afternoon!

Curious about our culture? Go behind the scenes with our people by searching #OptusLife on LinkedIn!

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email AccessibleRecruitment@optus.com.au or call 1800 309 170. We're here to help. When you contact us, please advise your preferred method of contact and we will be in touch within 48 hours.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity.

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