Are you a highly organised and proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced executive environment? The Australian Institute of Family Studies is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide trusted, high-quality support to senior leaders, coordinate competing priorities and help keep critical business and governance processes running smoothly.

The successful candidate will be an excellent team player who can bring your skills and experience to work in an agile, supportive and dynamic team setting. You will need to think logically, be flexible, maintain confidences, and demonstrate a high level of initiative. This is an opportunity to use your judgement, discretion and stakeholder skills in a collaborative, purpose-driven organisation whose work makes a meaningful difference to Australian families.

About us

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS, or ‘the Institute’) is the Australian Government's key research body in the area of family wellbeing. It is an independent statutory authority established in 1980 under the Family Law Act 1975. It is also home to the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), established under the Gambling Measure Act 2012 which builds the evidence base on gambling-related harm. The Institute is an agency within the portfolio of the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Our mission is to conduct high-quality, impartial research into the wellbeing of Australian families, to inform government policy and promote evidence-based practice in the family services sector. We conduct research, provide independent advice and communicate findings to government policymakers, service providers, researchers and the community about factors affecting family wellbeing. Through our research,



we contribute to developing policy and practice to promote the wellbeing of families in Australia.

Our team

The Executive Support team provide a range of professional executive support services to the Institute’s Executives, including the Director, Chief Operating Officer, Group Heads and other senior staff as required, to facilitate the delivery of business operations and to support the achievement of organisational objectives.

Position Requirements

- Demonstrated experience providing executive and administrative support in a busy office environment, including managing diaries, emails, meetings, travel, records, approvals and follow-up actions with accuracy, discretion and attention to detail.
- Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, monitor workflows, meet deadlines and use initiative to support the effective operation of SES Group Heads’ offices.
- Sound judgement and problem-solving skills, including the ability to anticipate routine issues, identify matters requiring escalation and support timely responses to priorities, correspondence, approvals and meeting outcomes.
- Well-developed written communication skills, with the ability to draft, proofread and quality check clear and accurate correspondence, meeting papers, minutes, briefs, reports, agendas and other documents for senior stakeholders.




- Strong verbal communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to liaise professionally with internal and external stakeholders, respond to enquiries, coordinate information and represent the Group Heads’ offices in a professional and service-focused manner.
- Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information appropriately, including exercising discretion, maintaining accurate records and working in line with relevant legislation, policies, delegations, procedures and APS requirements.
- Knowledge of, or ability to quickly develop knowledge of, Australian Government and APS processes, including ministerial, parliamentary, Senate Estimates, correspondence, governance, procurement and recordkeeping requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to support meetings, committees and executive governance processes, including scheduling, preparing agendas and papers, taking minutes or action notes, tracking decisions and coordinating follow-up actions.
- Ability to support business improvement and consistent executive support practices, including contributing to administrative systems, templates, procedures and ways of working that improve accuracy, responsiveness, information flow and service quality.
- Commitment to the APS and AIFS Values, inclusion and ethical public administration, with the ability to work collaboratively, model professionalism and contribute to a respectful, inclusive and high-performing Executive Support function.
- Manage the Group Heads’ administration requirements efficiently and discreetly including diary, call and email management, and coordination of approval processes using initiative and discretion to prioritise and action under limited guidance.
- Liaise with execut

📌 Executive Assistant (Melbourne)
🏢 NIT
📍 Melbourne