APS5 - Program & Policy Officers, Regional Development, Northern Australia and Local Government, Affirmative Measures, First Nations

Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts; Cairns Regional; On-site; AUD 89,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of Northern Australia is seeking motivated, highly organised APS5 Program and Policy Officers to join our Cairns division. You will provide essential programmatic support across governance, economic and social policy, and strategic engagement streams in a collaborative team.

Salary is AU$89,225–AU$96,829 per year. The role will involve policy development, research, secretariat tasks and event support, with a focus on embedding First Nations perspectives across infrastructure policy.

Qualifications

• APS5 level experience in policy/program delivery.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise workflows and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to learn new systems and improve processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide programmatic and policy support across governance, economic and social policy streams.
• Assist with secretariat tasks, meeting papers and event coordination for NAMF and external events.
• Manage central intake and ministerial/workflow tracking to ensure accurate records.

Skills

Program & policy support

Research & analysis

Secretariat assistance

Event coordination

Job description

APS5 - Program & Policy Officers, Regional Development, Northern Australia and Local Government, affirmative Measures, First Nations

Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts – Cairns QLD

$89,225 - $96,829 a year

The Office of Northern Australia is a multi-disciplinary branch driving the economic and social advancement of Northern Australia. We oversee the Government’s $7 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) special investment vehicle, coordinate cross-jurisdictional frameworks, and deliver the Northern Australia Action Plan. We are seeking motivated, highly organised APS5 Program and Policy Officers to join our division. These roles provide essential programmatic support across our governance, economic policy, social policy, and strategic engagement streams. Working with us offers a clear pathway to develop your professional public service skills within a supportive team that values growth and collaboration.

The opportunity we have available

The Office of Northern Australia is a multi-disciplinary branch driving the economic and social advancement of Northern Australia. We oversee the Government’s $7 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) special investment vehicle, coordinate cross-jurisdictional frameworks, and deliver the Northern Australia Action Plan. We are seeking motivated, highly organised APS5 Program and Policy Officers to join our division. These roles provide essential programmatic support across our governance, economic policy, social policy, and strategic engagement streams. Working with us offers a clear pathway to develop your professional public service skills within a supportive team that values growth and collaboration.

The key duties of the position include:

What you will do

As an APS5 Officer, you will perform varied tasks under general direction to support the delivery of key branch activities. Typical duties include:

• Program and financial support: Assisting with the processing of documentation, tracking financial administration tasks for the NAIF special appropriation, and maintaining risk registers.
• Research and analysis assistance: Gathering data and conducting initial research and analysis to support broader economic, social policy, and IRG initiatives.
• Secretariat and event assistance: Helping coordinate logistics, collate agenda papers, and distribute materials for the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum (NAMF) or external engagement events.
• Workflow coordination: Managing central intake mailboxes, tracking ministerial and parliamentary workflows, and ensuring accurate corporate records management.

Inherent requirements for the role

The inherent requirements for this role include:

• The successful candidate for this position will be able to demonstrate their capability against the APS5 Work level standards.
• Support the department’s commitments to the National Closing the Gap Agreement and the Our Stories on Country Agreement by embedding First Nations perspectives into infrastructure policy, program delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to prioritise everyday workflows, work effectively within a small team, and meet scheduled deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to draft correspondence and interact professionally with a wide network of stakeholders.
• A proactive mindset with a willingness to learn new systems quickly and look for process improvements.

Cultural capability requirement

The department believes every role contributes to cultural safety and that building staff cultural capability helps us deliver better policies, programs and services for First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their willingness to develop their cultural capability as part of the assessment process. In making it a requirement across all roles in our department, we are taking a practical step in delivering our commitments under the Our Stories on Country Agreement and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025–28.

• Consider the cultural context and implications of work area outcomes.
• Engage respectfully with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, building trusted relationships.
• Communicate respectfully and seeks appropriate cultural input to inform decisions.

Eligibility

This is an affirmative measure vacancy – This vacancy is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

This is an affirmative measures – First Nations applicants only position. The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To be eligible to apply under the affirmative measures initiative, applicants must:

• be an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person
• identify as an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person, and
• be accepted by their community as being an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person

For more information please visit - affirmative measure for recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A guide for applicants

Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:

• Citizenship: candidates must be an Australian citizen at the time of submitting your application.
• Health Assessment: The preferred candidate may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
• Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website.
• Police check: The successful candidate must complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.
• Integrity and Performance check: The successful candidate must satisfy the requirements in an Integrity and Performance check which is completed by your most recent employer.

Getting to know the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Our work connects and enriches every Australian community, underpins our economy and society, and empowers our regions. We provide policy advice and deliver programs, projects and services in the infrastructure, transport, communications, sport and arts sectors, supporting our regions, cities and territories. Our staff have the opportunity to work on high profile and diverse national projects that have a meaningful impact on the lives of all Australians. We seek people with a wide range of skills and competencies. Whether you write policy, deliver programs, projects or corporate services, or have experience in research, data or technology, we look for employees who are innovative, respectful and professional. We are an inclusive employer and promote, value and support diversity among our employees with the aim of ensuring our workforce reflects, respects and benefits from diverse communities including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with cultural and linguistic diversity, people with disability and LGBTQI+ people. We are committed to achieving gender equality and, in particular, supporting women’s progression into senior leadership.