Senior Partnerships Officer (Identified)

New South Wales Premier's Department; Tamworth; On-site; AUD 133,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Career development

Work-life balance

Wellbeing program

Inclusive culture

Job summary

The Senior Partnerships Officer role with New South Wales Premier's Department in Tamworth NSW focuses on driving community-led initiatives and strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal communities across the New England & North-West region. The role involves leading diverse projects, managing community engagement, grants and strategic delivery to deliver long-term social, cultural and economic outcomes.

The position requires strong stakeholder engagement, leadership, and governance

Qualifications

• Proven experience engaging respectfully with Aboriginal communities and building trusted relationships across a region.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with government agencies, NGOs and community leaders.
• Ability to lead and coordinate project teams ensuring governance and milestones are met.
• Experience managing complex projects including planning, resourcing, budgets, reporting and quality assurance.
• Ability to provide evidence-based advice and practical recommendations for decision-making.
• Experience reviewing grants or administering funding initiatives is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead community-led initiatives and strengthen partnerships with Aboriginal communities across the region.
• Oversee community engagement activities, partnership development and grants administration.
• Manage complex projects from planning through evaluation to achieve outcomes on time and within scope.
• Coordinate governance, quality standards and milestones across diverse stakeholders and partner organisations.
• Provide clear, evidence-based advice and develop practical recommendations for decision-making.

Skills

Aboriginal Community Engagement

Partnerships, Influence & Collaboratio

Leadership & Collaboration

Project Management & Delivery

Research & Advisory Capability

Grants & Program Administration

Job description

Senior Partnerships Officer (Identified)

New South Wales Premier's Department – Tamworth NSW

Senior Partnerships Officer (Identified)

You. At the centre of big ideas.

• Drive community-led initiatives and strengthen partnerships with Aboriginal communities across the New England & North-West region, delivering meaningful and lasting outcomes.
• Build trusted partnerships and work directly with communities on key projects.
• Temporary, Clerk Grade 9/10 ($133,348 - $146,945) opportunity up to June 2028 with potential to extend or convert to ongoing.

Premier's Department

About the Role

The Senior Partnerships Officer plays a pivotal role in strengthening outcomes with and for Aboriginal communities across the New England & North-West region. The role leads initiatives informed by community priorities, cultural knowledge and lived experience, working in partnership with Aboriginal communities, organisations and government stakeholders to deliver sustainable, community-led outcomes.

Managing a diverse portfolio of projects, the position oversees community engagement activities, partnership development, grants administration and strategic project delivery that contribute to long-term social, cultural and economic outcomes for Aboriginal people. In this role, you will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of complex projects, ensuring outcomes are achieved through effective collaboration, stakeholder engagement and evidence-based decision-making.

To learn more about the role, please review the Role Description.

We're Looking For

• Aboriginal Community Engagement: Demonstrated experience working respectfully and effectively with Aboriginal communities, maintaining cultural awareness and understanding community priorities, protocols, community sentiment and local ways of working. The ability to build trusted relationships and maintain strong community connections across the New England & North-West region is essential.
• Partnerships, Influence & Collaboration: Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build productive relationships and work collaboratively with Aboriginal communities, government agencies, non-government organisations and community leaders to achieve shared outcomes.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Ability to lead and coordinate project teams, ensuring governance, quality standards and milestones are met while working effectively across a range of stakeholders, operational areas and partner organisations.
• Project Management & Delivery: Proven experience managing complex projects, including planning, resourcing, budget management, reporting and quality assurance to achieve outcomes on time and within scope. Experience navigating government processes and frameworks is highly regarded.
• Research & Advisory Capability: Strong research, analytical and written communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, evidence-based advice, identify emerging issues and develop practical recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Grants & Program Administration: Experience reviewing grant applications, managing grants programs or administering funding initiatives is desirable but not essential. We are particularly interested in candidates who bring strong community partnership experience and demonstrated commitment to community-led outcomes.

We value diverse experiences. Even if you're not sure you meet all requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Essential Requirements:

This is an Identified role under the Section 14d of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 and as such Aboriginality is an essential requirement of the role.

Aboriginal identified positions are developed where Aboriginal identity, cultural knowledge or connections are a genuine aspect of the role. Positions are specifically noted under the provisions of the NSW Anti-discrimination Act (1977) for Aboriginal people who meet the following criteria:

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

Travel:
Applicants must hold a current valid NSW Drivers Licence, and be willing to regularly travel across the region.

Why Join Us?

• Flexible Working: Broad range of flexible working arrangements
• Career Development: Ongoing learning through expert-led sessions, online training, and professional development opportunities
• Work-Life Balance: Flex time accrual for extra hours worked (for non-executive roles) based on a 35-hour standard week
• Wellbeing Support: Access to employee assistance program, fitness passport program, and wellbeing initiatives
• Inclusive Culture: Staff-led networks including Aboriginal Staff Advisory Committee, Diversity & Inclusion Network, and Young Professionals Network

Closing Date: Wednesday, 4 November 2026 (23:59PM)

Salary: Clerk Grade 9/10. Package includes base salary ($133,348 - $146,945) plus superannuation (12%) and leave loading.

Hiring Manager: Gemma-Lea Tolmie, New England/North-West Regional Manager via ***************@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au

About the Premier's Department

Connecting to Deliver from the Heart of Government

The Premier's Department leads the state's 430,000 public servants, driving collaboration and the delivery of whole-of-government priorities. Learn more about the department and a career at Premier's Department.

Our Commitment

We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disability, people with caring responsibilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans and other diverse communities.

The Premier's Department acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work and live. We pay respect to Ancestors and Elders past and present. We recognise and learn from the strengths of First Nations peoples of New South Wales and their continuing connection to, and unique cultural and spiritual relationship with, Country.

Additional Information Reasonable Adjustments:

The selection process will include assessment techniques to determine your suitability. You can request reasonable adjustments at any stage by indicating in pre-screening questions, contacting the Talent Team at ***@premiersdepartment.nsw.gov.au, or reaching out to the hiring manager.

Talent Pool:

A talent pool may be created from this recruitment process. If eligible, you may be contacted for ongoing and temporary opportunities in the same role or grade that become available over an 18-month period.