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Community Development jobs in Bairnsdale

Community Development in Bairnsdale involves the same work as it does anywhere in Australia, but who employs you, and under which registration or clearance, is local. Bairnsdale's largest employing industries are Health care and social assistance, Retail trade and Manufacturing, which shapes both where the work is and how steady it tends to be. Licensing is set by Victoria, not nationally — the requirements below are the ones that apply here.

Vacancies

Current community development vacancies in Bairnsdale

No community development roles are advertised in Bairnsdale right now. Licensing and who hires locally still apply — this page updates when a matching role appears.

Licensing

Licensing for community development in VIC

Community development is not a licensed or registered occupation, and there is no national registration body. The main compliance requirement is the child-related clearance for your state or territory whenever your work brings you into contact with children — which is common in neighbourhood centres, youth programs and school-linked initiatives. Some roles in disability-inclusive community programs also require an NDIS Worker Screening Check. A National Police Check and a driver licence are near-universal employer requirements, and local government roles often add their own probity checks.

Victoria
Working with Children Clearance from Working with Children Check Victoria (Department of Justice and Community Safety) under the Worker Screening Act 2020, plus compliance with Victoria's Child Safe Standards at the organisational level. NDIS-funded programs need a Victorian NDIS Worker Screening Check.

Licensing rules change. Confirm with the regulator named above before quoting or contracting — this page is a starting point, not advice.

Local market

Who hires in community development in Bairnsdale

Patties Food Group's Bairnsdale plant — the world's largest pie factory, home of Four'N Twenty and Herbert Adams — supports around 700 East Gippsland jobs and is the region's second-largest employer after health. The 2024 end of native timber harvesting removed a long-standing forestry employer, while Gippsland Lakes tourism drives sharp seasonal hospitality demand.

Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, East Gippsland Shire Council, Patties Food Group and TAFE Gippsland are among the largest employers in Bairnsdale. Most people working in community development here, though, are hired by small and mid-sized businesses rather than by the names everyone recognises — which is why so many local vacancies never reach a big job board.

Largest employing industries

Health care and social assistanceRetail tradeManufacturingAccommodation and food servicesConstructionAgriculture, forestry and fishing

49,669 people (East Gippsland Shire Council area (Local Government Area, covering Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost and Omeo), ABS Estimated Resident Population at 30 June 2025 (preliminary). The Bairnsdale urban centre itself is far smaller.).

Role

What the job involves

Community development workers help communities identify their own priorities and build collective solutions to issues such as health, housing, recreation, employment and social isolation. Rather than casework with individuals, the focus is on facilitation, partnership building, funding submissions and place-based programs run with local government, neighbourhood centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.

  • Consult community members and groups to identify local needs, assets and priorities
  • Design, deliver and evaluate community programs, events and place-based initiatives
  • Facilitate meetings, reference groups and community forums, including with people who disagree
  • Prepare grant applications, funding acquittals and reports to funders and boards
  • Build partnerships across local government, schools, health services, business and community organisations
  • Recruit, train and support volunteers and community leaders
  • Collect and report data on participation, reach and program outcomes
  • Advocate on community issues to government and represent the community in planning processes

Training

Qualifications and training

  • CHC42021 Certificate IV in Community Services — a common entry qualification for community and neighbourhood centre roles
  • CHC52021 Diploma of Community Services — the usual qualification for coordinator and program roles
  • A bachelor degree in community development, social science, human services, social work or public health is common for local government and larger program roles
  • Short courses in grant writing, project management and community engagement are widely valued and often employer-funded

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Community engagement and consultation facilitation · Grant writing and funding acquittal · Project and event management on a small budget · Partnership building and stakeholder negotiation · Volunteer recruitment, training and retention · Program evaluation and outcomes reporting · Cultural competence, particularly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and multicultural communities · Plain-English communication, including public speaking and written submissions

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Community Development work in Bairnsdale — licensing, hiring and what employers look for.

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Sources

  • Community Development — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 4117 Welfare Support Workers (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/4/41/411/4117); training.gov.au (https://training.gov.au/training/details/CHC42021 and https://training.gov.au/training/details/CHC52021); Fair Work Ombudsman (https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000100.html); Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections May 2024 – May 2034 (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections); Queensland Blue Card Services (https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/regulated-industries-and-licensing/blue-card); NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/working-children-check); Working with Children Check Victoria (https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check); WA Department of Communities (https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check); SA DHS Screening Unit (https://dhs.sa.gov.au/how-we-help/screening-and-background-checks); Tasmania CBOS (https://www.cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/licensing-and-registration/work-with-vulnerable-people); ACT Access Canberra WWVP (https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/business-and-work/working-with-vulnerable-people); SAFE NT (https://pfes.nt.gov.au/police/community-safety/safe-nt)
  • Bairnsdale — local data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS Regional population, 2024-25 https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release; ABS Census employment by industry https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats; Bairnsdale Regional Health Service https://www.brhs.com.au/; East Gippsland Shire Council https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/

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