Community Development jobs in Nowra
Community Development in Nowra involves the same work as it does anywhere in Australia, but who employs you, and under which registration or clearance, is local. Nowra's largest employing industries are Health care and social assistance, Retail trade and Public administration and safety, which shapes both where the work is and how steady it tends to be. Licensing is set by New South Wales, not nationally — the requirements below are the ones that apply here.
Vacancies
Current community development vacancies in Nowra
No community development roles are advertised in Nowra right now. Licensing and who hires locally still apply — this page updates when a matching role appears.
Licensing
Licensing for community development in NSW
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.
- New South Wales
- Working With Children Check (WWCC) clearance from the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian for child-related roles, verified online by the employer. Community programs delivering NDIS supports also need an NDIS Worker Check from the same body.
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 Nowra
Two employers dominate and neither is typical of a coastal town: HMAS Albatross, the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet Air Arm base, and Manildra Group's Shoalhaven Starches at Bomaderry — the world's largest wheat gluten and starch plant, with roughly 510 staff plus 400 contractors, making it the South Coast's biggest private employer.
Manildra Group (Shoalhaven Starches), Royal Australian Navy (HMAS Albatross), Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and Shoalhaven City Council are among the largest employers in Nowra. 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
111,755 people (Shoalhaven City Council area (Local Government Area, the council covering Nowra-Bomaderry and the wider Shoalhaven), ABS Estimated Resident Population at 30 June 2025 (preliminary). The Nowra-Bomaderry 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 Nowra — licensing, hiring and what employers look for.
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Also covered for community development
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)
- Nowra — 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; Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District https://www.islhd.health.nsw.gov.au/; Shoalhaven City Council https://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/
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