Manager Aboriginal Strategy

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Parramatta; On-site; AUD 154,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible, autonomous work environment

Training and development opportunities

Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assist

Competitive pay and conditions

Job summary

Department of Communities and Justice in Parramatta, NSW, seeks a Manager Aboriginal Strategy to lead complex policy and reform initiatives for Aboriginal outcomes within housing and homelessness services. You will provide high‑level advice to senior leaders, manage resources and coach a team to deliver strategic objectives.

The role requires deep understanding of Aboriginal communities, strong policy skills, and proven capability to influence government and sector partners.

Qualifications

• Experience leading policy reform in housing, homelessness or related service systems.
• Strong understanding of Aboriginal policy, history and community needs.
• Ability to influence diverse stakeholders and senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex policy, strategy and reform initiatives for Aboriginal outcomes.
• Manage resources and team performance, with work planning and coaching.
• Provide high‑level advice to senior leaders to meet strategic objectives.
• Drive alignment of resources to deliver priorities within Homes NSW.

Skills

Policy leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Team management

Job description

Department/Agency: Department of Communities and Justice

Location: Parramatta, NSW, AU, 2150

Manager Aboriginal Strategy

Employment type – Ongoing Fulltime, 35 hours per week

Salary – Grade 11/12 ($154,231 - $178,369) plus employer's contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading

This position is open to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Your role

The Manager Aboriginal Strategy in Homes NSW leads complex policy, strategy and reform initiatives that drive enhanced outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities being supported through the social housing and homelessness service system.

What you’ll do

As part of the Housing, Strategy and policy team you will provide high-level authoritative advice to senior leaders, manages resources and team members, and influences stakeholder outcomes to achieve Homes NSW strategic objectives.

You’ll lead and drive team management, work planning, coaching and professional development initiatives to align resources and deliver priorities.

What we’re looking for

• Implement key reform directions under the long-term homelessness and housing strategies, including delivering reform projects to support Homes NSW, DCJ and sector partners to respond better to Aboriginal people and community needs.
• Have a demonstrated strong understanding of Aboriginal people, lived experience, culture, communities, organisations, ways of working and history.
• Strong understanding of, and ability to apply, policy and system-level thinking within housing, homelessness or related service systems, or demonstrated transferable experience in similarly complex policy or reform contexts.
• Demonstrated experience engaging and influencing diverse stakeholders, including government, delivery partners and/or sector representatives, to achieve strategic outcomes.

As an Identified role, this role is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons, Australia’s First Nations people.

Where a position is identified, an applicant’s race is a genuine occupational qualification under the exception in Section 14(d) of Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.

Either will be accepted:

Confirmation of Aboriginality form

or

Written confirmation from 2-3 Aboriginal organisations within the community in which you live/work, which addresses the three criteria listed below:

• is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, and
• identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, and
• is accepted as a such by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

Provide an example of a complex issue you have addressed in an Aboriginal strategy, policy, program or community context. How did you analyse the issue, consider different perspectives and broader impacts, and develop a practical solution?

Applications close Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 11:59pm AEDT.

For more information about the role or what it’s like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Renee Wirth at [e-mail] .

If you’ve got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application) , please call Maren Heldt | Talent Acquisition Officer, via 0447 682 014 or [e-mail] .

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience, and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers, and other diversity groups.

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website (for all roles except Aboriginal Identified).

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

The Welcome Experience

Thinking about moving to regional NSW? Get free, personalised support with housing, schools, jobs, and settling in. Learn more: www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience