Program Officer - Just Transition | Wellbeing Government

Centre for Policy Development; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 65,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work and flexible hours

Annual salary increase

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Centre for Policy Development is seeking a thoughtful and highly organized Program Officer to contribute to Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas, shaping fair and sustainable policy across Australia and Southeast Asia. The role supports cross-team coordination and events, with a commitment to flexible work arrangements.

You will join a close-knit team that values curiosity, initiative and respectful collaboration.

Qualifications

• Entry-level role suitable for early career or new graduates.
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects across teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication; adaptable to diverse audiences.
• Willingness to learn policy processes and government engagement.
• Commitment to inclusive and collaborative work culture.

Responsibilities

• Support project coordination across Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas.
• Help organise policy engagement events, roundtables and related activities.
• Assist with project planning, research, coordination and Focus Areas activities.
• Coordinate development and publication of outputs with communications and design teams.
• Support Policy Directors with meetings, grant applications and reports.

Skills

Project coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Policy research

Written communication

Job description

Centre for Policy Development – Sydney NSW

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is looking to hire a thoughtful and organised Program Officer to contribute to our work across our Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a fair, sustainable society and economy across Australia and Southeast Asia.

CPD’s Just Transition work develops policy for a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy that strengthens – rather than weakens – communities, workforces, and society. Our Wellbeing Government work promotes policy approaches that put people and the environment at the heart of decision-making. We advocate for values-driven, holistic and preventative approaches that support the wellbeing of current and future generations.

You’ll be joining a close-knit team that delivers real impact. We believe our people are central to our work and we are committed to recruiting and retaining talented, dedicated people who care about the work they do. We support flexible work and will consider either full-time or part-time work for the right candidate. We have a collaborative culture that invites curiosity and initiative, and values constructive, respectful working relationships.

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is looking to hire a thoughtful and organised Program Officer to contribute to our work across our Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a fair, sustainable society and economy across Australia and Southeast Asia.

CPD’s Just Transition work develops policy for a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy that strengthens – rather than weakens – communities, workforces, and society. Our Wellbeing Government work promotes policy approaches that put people and the environment at the heart of decision-making. We advocate for values-driven, holistic and preventative approaches that support the wellbeing of current and future generations.

You’ll be joining a close-knit team that delivers real impact. We believe our people are central to our work and we are committed to recruiting and retaining talented, dedicated people who care about the work they do. We support flexible work and will consider either full-time or part-time work for the right candidate. We have a collaborative culture that invites curiosity and initiative, and values constructive, respectful working relationships.

Diversity and Inclusion

We especially encourage the following people to apply for this role: people who are gender diverse, First Peoples, people of colour, people with lived experience of discrimination, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and people without a tertiary education.

If you need any adjustments or accommodations to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know on ***email_hidden*** and we’ll work with you to make the process accessible.

Salary

Starting at $72,000 + 12% superannuation, with salary negotiable depending on experience and skills, taking into account fairness and equity across the team.

Location

This position is based in either the Melbourne or Sydney office, with hybrid working.

Some Additional Benefits

• Hybrid work and flexible hours.
• A 6% annual increase to base salary, applied each year on 1 January (provided you’ve completed your first three months with CPD by then), with smaller increases applying to salaries over $100,000.
• An additional week of annual leave after 3 years of employment, and a paid 3-month sabbatical leave after 5 years employment.
• Additional end of year leave (between Christmas and New Year), study leave, birthday leave and wellbeing leave for all staff.
• CPD’s Parental leave: 14 weeks’ paid parental leave (after one year of service at the expected due date) + 12 months of unpaid parental leave. This is in addition to any government-funded Parental Leave Pay you may be eligible for.
• Floating Public Holidays: you can take public holidays on a day that is convenient for you.
• A collaborative culture that supports learning, development and broadening your experience.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll do

• Reporting to the Energy Transitions Lead, you will support project coordination across our Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas, working across teams, tracking progress and helping keep projects on track.
• Help organise major policy engagement activities within the Just Transition and Wellbeing Government Focus Areas, such as roundtables and other convening events, including coordinating invitations, agendas, logistics and virtual platforms.
• Support the Just Transition and Wellbeing Government teams with project planning, research, coordination and other Focus Areas activities.
• Coordinate the development and publication of outputs, working with the communications team, designers, typesetters and other colleagues.
• Support the Policy Directors with their portfolios of work, including scheduling internal and external meetings, contributing to grant applications, impact statements, funder reports and other Focus Areas documentation.

About you

This would be a great role for someone early in their career, or a new graduate looking for a breadth of experiences related to policymaking. Program Officer is CPD’s entry-level position.

You’ll be the right person for the job if:

• You’re organised and can coordinate projects with several moving parts.
• You build constructive working relationships with people from different backgrounds and perspectives.
• You can communicate clearly and thoughtfully in writing and conversation, and adapt your approach for different audiences.
• You can take initiative when faced with a blank page, while knowing when to ask for support.
• You’re comfortable working across several priorities and adapting when plans change.
• You’re curious about how policy and government can create positive change for people and communities.

About CPD

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is an independent, not-for-profit policy institute with staff in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Jakarta. Our vision is a fair, sustainable society and wellbeing economy that serves current and future generations in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Our mission is to help create transformative systems change through practical solutions to complex policy challenges. We tackle the hard questions, working towards change that is systemic and long-term.

Through our work, we aim to contribute to governments that are coordinated, collaborative, and effective, with an eye to both the near and longer term. We strive to build a social services system that helps people and communities to thrive now and in the future, and drive shifts in policy making practice with a focus on wellbeing and sustainability rather than primarily economic growth.

We acknowledge and celebrate Australia's First Peoples.

To learn more about our work check out our latest Impact Report.

How we shortlist

We’re reviewing applications and shortlisting candidates on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We expect applications to close at 6pm on 10 November 2026, but may close the advertisement earlier if we find the right person or extend the deadline if needed.

Our recruitment process is completely human-led from start to finish, with no AI or automated screening. We take the time to thoughtfully consider every application, which means our process can sometimes take a little longer than usual. Given the number of applications we receive, we’re only able to contact candidates who progress to the next stage. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Please note

• Applicants must have valid Australian work rights. CPD is not able to provide visa sponsorship.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We look forward to receiving your application!

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