About Universities Australia

Universities Australia is the national voice of Australia’s 38 universities. What we say, and do not say, carries weight for a sector that shapes the country.

We argue the sector’s case to government, to the parliament and to the public. We put whole-of-sector positions on the table, run campaigns on the issues that matter, and make sure the national conversation about higher education is better informed for our being in it.

Role overview

Australian higher education is the subject of sustained public argument: international students and migration, public funding, what happens on campus, research security, and whether a degree still earns its cost. These are contested questions of national policy, and Universities Australia is party to each of them.

Reporting to the Head of Strategic Communications, the Media Manager leads the day-to-day delivery of UA’s media strategy. The role builds UA’s standing in the press gallery and across the higher education rounds, shapes coverage that advances UA’s advocacy, and makes rapid judgements on emerging media issues.

It is a role for someone who reads the politics before the press release. You will work with the Head of Strategic Communications to set the line, prepare the Chief Executive Officer before a studio interview, reconcile the interests of 38 universities into something that can be said out loud, and judge when the strongest position is silence.

The job is to win the argument in public, not to manage the fallout from it.

UA is a small secretariat with national reach. You will work closely with the Head of Strategic Communications, who leads the team and is the creative underneath UA’s wider messaging strategy, and alongside the CEO, Advocacy and Government Relations, and the Digital Storyteller as UA strengthens its role as the national voice for the sector. The role begins on a two-year contract, with scope for the media function to grow around it.

The work takes you across the country. You will spend time on campus and with member universities, at sector gatherings and in the places where the arguments are actually had. For a senior operator from the gallery, a masthead or a minister’s office, it is the chance to argue a national case rather than report on one, in one of the few sectors that touches every part of Australian life.

If this sounds like your next move, we would rather have a conversation than read a cover letter. An informal call with the Head of Strategic Communications is welcome before you decide whether to apply.

Key responsibilities

Media strategy and engagement

- Lead UA’s media strategy and its execution, proactive and reactive, under the direction of the Head of Strategic Communications.




- Build and hold UA’s standing across the press gallery, the higher education rounds and national affairs writing, alongside the Head of Strategic Communications.
- Find and place the stories that advance UA’s advocacy, including the ones that have to be built rather than pitched.
- Lead UA’s reactive media response. Assess what to answer, what to correct and what to leave unanswered, escalating high-risk matters to the Head of Strategic Communications and CEO as required.
- Contribute to issues and crisis management by monitoring emerging risks, preparing rapid advice and coordinating media responses with senior leaders and relevant teams.

Content and counsel

- Prepare the CEO for interviews, doorstops and appearances, and write in the CEO’s voice.
- Draft releases, opinion pieces, talking points and Q&A; that survive contact with a hostile interviewer.
- Lead media planning for the set pieces: the Budget, elections, estimates, the Summit and major policy releases.

Working across UA and the sector

- Work with Advocacy and Government Relations to align media and political strategy, timing and messages.
- Work closely with the Digital Storyteller so UA’s channels pull in the same direction.
- Maintain the systems that support effective media engagement, including the media enquiry log, shared inbox, monitoring, distribution lists and daily media report.
- Represent UA with member universities across the country, including regular interstate travel.
- Work as one UA, supporting colleagues across policy, advocacy, governance and operations.

Capabilities and experience

Essential

- Substantial senior-level experience in the press gallery, a newsroom, a ministerial office or a comparable national media role, with a demonstrated record of shaping coverage on complex public policy issues.
- Political judgement: the ability to read a cycle, see where a story is heading and act before it arrives.
- Established, trusted relationships across national media, together with the credibility and judgement to build new relationships quickly.
- Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to produce accurate, concise material quickly and write convincingly in another person’s voice.
- The judgement and composure to hold a position under pressure, and to know when it needs to change.




- The ability to make a complex policy argument land in a sentence.
- The confidence to give clear advice to senior leaders, including when that advice is unwelcome.
- The ability to work generously and collaboratively across a small organisation, bringing colleagues with you when deadlines are tight and the stakes are high.
- The ability to build and lead a high-performing media function as it grows, including setting clear expectations, developing capability and maintaining quality under pressure.

Desirable

- Experience covering or working in higher education, research or education policy.
- Experience in a peak body, a ministerial office or a national campaign.

Measures of success
- UA is a trusted early source for journalists working on higher education and is regularly approached for authoritative comment and context.
- A growing share of relevant coverage reflects UA’s evidence, framing and policy priorities, rather than presenting UA only as a source of reactive comment.
- Media and political strategies are closely aligned in their objectives, timing and messages, with clear ownership of each function.
- The CEO and senior leaders receive timely, clear and trusted media advice, including preparation for high-risk interviews and emerging issues.
- Member universities experience UA’s media engagement as coordinated, responsive and aligned with agreed sector positions.
- Core media systems and reporting are accurate, current and consistently maintained.

REPORTS TO Head of Strategic Communications

DIRECT REPORTS Nil, with scope to grow

EMPLOYMENT TYPE Full-time – 2-year fixed-term contract

LOCATION Canberra, or other capital city by negotiation

What we offer:

- Market-competitive salary with options for 12%, 15.4% or 17% super depending on preference
- Flexible hybrid work model, including remote days and core-hours scheduling.
- Salary packaging options that can improve your take home pay
- Generous parental leave entitlements
- FREE annual flu vaccinations
- FREE parking
- Access to free guidance and counselling through our Employee Assistance Program
- A vibrant, inclusive culture.

Universities Australia welcomes people from all backgrounds and values the different experiences, perspectives and strengths each person brings. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, LGBTQIA+ people, people of all ages, neurodivergent people, people with disability, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Additional Information

Interstate residents will be considered for this role noting that travel will be expected from time to time.

Applications close Wednesday 7th October 2026 11:59pm.

📌 Media Manager (Canberra)
🏢 Universities Australia
📍 Canberra