Racing Community Support Officer

OnTrack Racing Ltd is a newly created (start-up) charity that delivers a workplace mental health and suicide prevention programme across the racing community (thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing). Work with a small group of like-minded individuals who have previously managed a similar successful start-up. 

Industry is backing and funding this initiative and we’re off! As an OnTrack Racing Community Support Officer your role is hands-on and is vital in ensuring widespread awareness, engagement, and support across the racing workforce. Your role will involve extensive engagement with industry participants, necessitating your presence at race meetings, visits to stables/kennels during trials, and attendance at stakeholder events. Through these interactions, you will actively support and advocate for the mental health needs of individuals within the racing industry.

Building relationships is key as the role walks alongside individuals to engage and build trust, to initiate conversation, and to identify and address concerns relating to mental health and/or suicide thoughts or suicide grief. In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a significant difference in people’s lives. It is both rewarding and challenging.

Role Accountabilities 

The OnTrack Racing Community Support Officer role includes: 

• Promote the OnTrack programme within the racing industry
• Deliver all aspects of the OnTrack education and support programme
• Creating content for training, facilitation and organising and promoting sessions. 
• Build and support volunteer networks 
• Frequently attend race days, trials, jump outs, apprentice/cadet training programmes across NZ
• Create detailed reports 
• Maintain the engagement log 
• Build ongoing trusting relationships 
• Provide support to workers who are struggling and connect them to appropriate supports 
• Work collaboratively as a dedicated member of a small national team
• Monitor the quality, responsiveness and availability of relevant services provided by third parties (counselling, financial counselling etc.) 
• Follow up with participants across the codes who have attended training and those who have asked for assistance or support. 
   

About you: 

You will display leadership, drive, cultural awareness and business acumen. You will possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to effectively manage your own time around the requirements of the racing industry. This role requires frequent travel around New Zealand. You can work a hybrid of your home office, and our Ponsonby based offices. 

You will also have: 

• Strong Microsoft skills
• Proven relationship building skills. 
• Livingworks ASIST or SafeTALK training is a bonus but will be provided. 
• Experience delivering training
• A background or qualification in social work or mental health beneficial. 
• An awareness of working in a charitable environment
• An adaptability to enable you to roll your sleeves up as this is a start-up.
• A current driver’s license and a willingness to travel frequently within NZ. 
• An interest in the racing industry would be preferred but not required. 
   

What we offer:

• A competitive remuneration package
• A company vehicle
• Monthly counselling (similar to supervision)
• Flexible working arrangements
   

The role will entail working outside normal business hours (Racing hours) with significant national and occasional international travel. This will require sound time management skills and flexibility in how you structure your working day/week. The preferred applicant will be required to complete a New Zealand Police National Police Check application form and must already hold a valid work visa or be a permanent resident/citizen of NZ. 

Check out the organisation's website at https://ontrack.org.nz/

This role is being recruited by Highline HR on behalf of OnTrack. Please apply directly through Seek only.