Working as a member of the Strategy team, the Engagement Manager is responsible for leading place-based engagement with Aboriginal communities, Traditional Owners and Land Councils, and supporting the development of a strong, culturally grounded network of supports for Aboriginal communities and businesses across the Northern Territory.

The role ensures that community voices and cultural perspectives are embedded in all activities of Aboriginal Investment NT. It provides strategic advice and coordination to enable effective, self-determined participation by Aboriginal Territorians in economic and community development and decision-making.

This role requires strong cultural knowledge, strategic thinking, and collaboration and communication skills. It involves leading community engagement design, planning and execution, and managing a team of Engagement Advisors to effectively deliver key messaging and information to community while maintaining culturally grounded, regionally responsive relationships.

It also involves providing advice to the General Manager – Strategy to ensure that Aboriginal Investment NT’s activities remain aligned with and responsive to community feedback

Purpose of the Position

Working as a member of the Strategy team, the Engagement Manager is responsible for leading place-based engagement with Aboriginal communities, Traditional Owners and Land Councils, and supporting the development of a strong, culturally grounded network of supports for Aboriginal communities and businesses across the Northern Territory.

The role ensures that community voices and cultural perspectives are embedded in all activities of Aboriginal Investment NT. It provides strategic advice and coordination to enable effective, self-determined participation by Aboriginal Territorians in economic and community development and decision-making.

This role requires robust cultural knowledge, strategic thinking, and collaboration and communication skills. It involves leading community engagement design, planning and execution, and managing a team of Engagement Advisors to effectively deliver key messaging and information to community while maintaining culturally grounded, regionally responsive relationships.

It also involves providing advice to the General Manager – Strategy to ensure that Aboriginal Investment NT’s activities remain aligned with and responsive to community feedback

The key duties of the position include:

- Provide strategic and high-level advice on culturally responsive engagement approaches, ensuring Aboriginal voices and self-determination principles are embedded across Aboriginal Investment NT programs, policies, and activities.
- Lead the design and implementation of regionally tailored engagement strategies that foster trusted relationships with Aboriginal communities, Traditional Owners, Land Councils, and other key stakeholders.




- Support free, prior and informed consultation processes with Aboriginal communities, ensuring community engagement is aligned with self-determination principles.
- Lead two-way information sharing between Aboriginal Territorians and Aboriginal Investment NT, ensuring community feedback is respectfully captured, analysed, and translated into actionable insights that inform program design, policy development, and strategic decision-making, while effectively communicating key messaging and information to Aboriginal Territorians.
- Shape and guide the organisation’s role in strengthening the network of supports for Aboriginal communities and businesses, including identifying system gaps, coordinating with service providers, promoting culturally appropriate services, and supporting education and development pathways that empower Aboriginal communities and businesses to succeed and thrive.
- Coordinate urban, regional and rural community grant and/or investment forums, workshops and information sessions.
- Collaborate with internal teams to ensure grants, investments, and other activities are informed by on-the-ground insights and community feedback.
- Lead the day-to-day management and direction of Engagement Advisors across Darwin, regional and remote locations, providing clear direction, mentoring, and oversight to ensure consistent, culturally safe engagement practices and alignment with organisational priorities.
- Provide cultural leadership across the organisation, supporting staff and executive decision-making with nuanced understanding of Aboriginal community dynamics, priorities, and protocols.
- Represent Aboriginal Investment NT in strategic partnerships, working groups, events/forums and networks to influence policy and drive coordinated support for Aboriginal business and community development.
- Contribute to continuous improvement by evaluating engagement and support models, capturing lessons learned, and recommending refinements based on evidence and cultural insight.

Eligibility

- Strong cultural knowledge and strategic thinking.
- Demonstrated experience in leading, planning, coordinating and operationalising community engagement strategies, including the ability to build trusted relationships with Aboriginal communities, Traditional Owners, Land Councils, businesses and other key stakeholders.
- Excellent organisational, time management and team management skills, including demonstrated ability to plan, deliver and participate in forums, workshops,



information sessions, and other events.
- Highly developed communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively across cultures and with diverse stakeholders.
- Experience in contributing to policy development, program improvement, or system-level advocacy informed by community insight and lived experience.
- Ability to lead and manage teams in regional and remote contexts and coordinate multiple streams of work across the organisation.

Notes

Identified Role. Confirmation of Aboriginality required

Getting to know the Aboriginal Investment NT

Aboriginal Investment NT is the first of its kind: an investor, enabler, catalyst and advocate, designed by Aboriginal people to enable Aboriginal led investment and deployment of capital aligned with Aboriginal development priorities. Aboriginal Investment NT was established as the Northern Territory Aboriginal Investment Corporation (NTAIC), a corporate Commonwealth entity under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Land Rights Act).
The NTAIC Rules allow NTAIC to be known as Aboriginal Investment NT, a name which we have now formally adopted. Ourstatutory purpose is to make grants, provide financial assistance and invest to promote the self-management, economic self-sufficiency and social and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal people living in the NT. Aboriginal Investment NT understands and operationalises this legislative purpose through the prism of Aboriginal self-determination.
We view self management and economic self-sufficiency as key elements of Aboriginalself-determination which is, in turn, the key mechanism through which Aboriginal wellbeing is achieved. Understanding our legislative purpose through this prism of Aboriginal self-determination provides a holistic,integrated, rights-based and evidence-backed framework for achieving ourpurpose. Our long-term vision is for Aboriginal Territorians to have the agency andresources to make choices and negotiate opportunities to self-determine their own economic, social and cultural needs, and to live well according to their own values and measures of success. Our capital of $680 million is drawn from the Aboriginal Benefits Account -a Commonwealth Special Account established under the Land Rights Act to receive royalty equivalents from mining on Aboriginal owned and controlled land in the NT.

Through Aboriginal Investment NT, this Aboriginal money is now in Aboriginal hands. With best-practice governance and broad-ranging powers – including to borrow money, make loans, give guarantees, act as trustee, formcompanies and enter into joint ventures and arrangements – we are well positioned to demonstrate the power and impact of Aboriginal-led investment and deployment of capital in the NT.

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📌 Engagement Manager (Darwin)
🏢 Aboriginal Investment NT
📍 Darwin