Manager, Ministerial Services

Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 143,000 - 191,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions is seeking a Manager, Ministerial Services to lead the Departmental Liaison Officers and support ministerial offices across portfolios. Based in Melbourne, the role focuses on people management, workforce planning, training, and developing a relief pool to maintain continuity of ministerial support.

Reporting to the Director, Government and Parliamentary Services, you will drive policy approaches, recruitment oversight and backfill

Qualifications

• Experienced people leader who models ethical leadership and fosters a high-performing, accountable team culture.
• Understands political and organisational government context and uses knowledge of government processes to anticipate issues.
• Excellent communication, judgement and ability to build collaborative relationships to develop practical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Develops service delivery models within business plans and objectives.
• Initiates and manages negotiations with internal and external peers to gain commitment to projects and deliver activities within agreed timelines.
• Provides and receives highly complex, contentious or sensitive information, requiring strong negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Identifies and responds to new and emerging strategic issues impacting on the operating environment.
• Contributes to strategic corporate initiatives and is responsible for implementation.

Job description

The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions is focused on growing Victoria’s prosperity, building the productive capacity of our economy and increasing participation – by creating more opportunities for people through skills and jobs; helping businesses and industries to thrive; and building vibrant communities and regions. For more information, see the DJSIR Strategic Plan 2023-2027. Our work spans numerous portfolios, supporting departmental ministers and operating across metropolitan, regional and international offices. The Department welcomes and encourages applications from diverse applicants, including First Peoples, refugees or asylum seekers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, LGBTIQ+ people and people with disability. All roles at DJSIR can be worked flexibly and we offer reasonable adjustments for applicants with disabilities.

Manager, Ministerial Services Salary: $142,790 – $191,084 plus superannuation Work Type: Ongoing Usual hours of work: Full time (flexibility may be available) Usual work location: 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne (flexibility may be available)

The Role

The Manager, Ministerial Services is a newly established VPS 6 leadership role within the Corporate Services Group, responsible for leading the department's Departmental Liaison Officers (DLOs) and Departmental Liaison Assistants (DLAs) across all DJSIR ministerial offices. Reporting to the Director, Government and Parliamentary Services, you will drive consistent, high-quality ministerial office support through effective people management, workforce planning, structured training and development, and the establishment and maintenance of a DLO relief pool. You will oversee recruitment, performance and stakeholder engagement, develop policies and service delivery approaches, and manage backfill arrangements to maintain continuity of service. This role will suit an experienced leader with strong political acumen, sound knowledge of government processes, and the ability to build collaborative relationships and develop innovative solutions to complex operational challenges.

Main Accountabilities

• Develops service delivery models within business plans and objectives.
• Initiates and manages negotiations with internal and external peers to gain commitment to projects and deliver activities within agreed timelines.
• Provides and receives highly complex, contentious or sensitive information, requiring strong negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Identifies and responds to new and emerging strategic issues impacting on the operating environment.
• Contributes to strategic corporate initiatives and is responsible for implementation.

The Team

The position of Manager, Ministerial Services forms part of the Strategy, Performance and Governance Branch within the Corporate Services Group. The Corporate Services Group provides specialist functions that enable the department to operate efficiently and effectively, supporting the Secretary and Ministers to meet legislative obligations and responsibilities. The Strategy, Performance and Governance Branch drives initiatives to improve departmental efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and compliance. It also coordinates the department's engagement with ministers' offices and ministerial processes, supports strategic and business planning, and facilitates informed decision-making across the department.

About You

You are an experienced people leader who models ethical leadership, fosters a high-performing and accountable team culture, and supports employees to achieve organisational objectives. You understand the political and organisational context in which government operates and use strategic relationships and knowledge of government processes to anticipate emerging issues and respond to changing stakeholder needs. You communicate with impact, exercise sound judgement when managing sensitive and complex matters, and build collaborative relationships to develop practical, innovative and sustainable solutions. Experience working as a Departmental Liaison Officer or managing departmental liaison staff, together with an understanding of one or more DJSIR portfolios, will be highly regarded.

Further Information

For a confidential discussion, please contact Mardi Solomon, Director, Government and Parliamentary Services, at [email protected] or on 0429 293 503. The Department is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation. We have zero tolerance of child abuse and ar e committed to taking the necessary steps to protect children from harm by adopting a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety in accordance with the Child Safe Standards . Successful candidates will be required to undergo a National Police Records Check prior to commencing employment with the Department. For further information on the position, please refer to the attached position description. Please note: We are committed to inclusive recruitment. If you require an adjustment to participate in any stage of the recruitment process or have a particular requirement to be communicated with by either telephone or email only, please notify the DJSIR Talent Acquisition Team on 0472 875 685, or via email at [email protected] with the position number in the subject line.