APS6 - Senior Program & Policy Officers, Regional Development, Northern Australia & Local Government, Affirmative Measures, First Nations

Title:

APS6 - Senior Program & Policy Officers, Regional Development, Northern Australia & Local Government, Affirmative Measures, First Nations

Classification(s):

APS Level 6

Employment Type:

Ongoing/Non-Ongoing, Full Time/Part Time

Salary:

$99,733 - $118,084 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation

Business Division:

Regional Development, Northern Australia & Local Government

Branch / Section:

Office of Northern Australia

Location:

We want to recruit the best people to our department. Our roles support flexible work arrangements including the opportunity to work from one of our departmental offices and hybrid (mixture of office and home-based work).

These roles are located in Cairns; Darwin; Perth; Townsville.

A merit pool may be formed and used to fill future similar vacancies in these locations and other locations within the same metropolitan area.

Security Clearance:

Baseline Vetting

Job Reference No:

48311

Contact Officer:

Conor Johnson, [email protected],

02 6136 6679

Closing Date:

11.59pm AEDT, Sunday 22 November 2026

The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the 'Racial Discrimination Act 1975'. This vacancy is only available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait people.

The prospect we have available

The Office of Northern Australia is a multi-disciplinary branch driving the economic and social advancement of Northern Australia. We oversee the Government’s $7 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) special investment vehicle, coordinate cross-jurisdictional frameworks, and deliver the Northern Australia Action Plan. We are seeking agile, collaborative APS6 Senior Program and Policy Officers. We work in a fast-paced setting across cross-government portfolios to manage infrastructure financing governance, economic policy advocacy, First Nations co-design advice, and intergovernmental forums. We offer a supportive, collaborative environment that values excellence and kindness.

What you will do

As an APS6 Senior Officer, you will work with a high degree of independence to deliver complex operational and policy outcomes. Typical duties include:

- Financial and governance administration: Managing the administration of the $7B NAIF special appropriation, authorising proponent payments, and monitoring the shared risk register.
- Policy analysis and advice: Reviewing proposed infrastructure projects against government priorities, drafting legislative updates, and conducting research for the Northern Australia Indigenous Reference Group (IRG).
- Intergovernmental engagement: Providing secretariat and relationship coordination for the Northern Australia Working Group (NAWG) and jurisdictions.
- Reporting and coordination: Drafting whole-of-government inputs for the Northern Australia Action Plan Annual Progress Report and triaging complex ministerial correspondence.

Inherent requirements for the role

The inherent requirements for this role include:

- The successful candidate for this position will be able to demonstrate their capability against the APS6 Work level standards.
- Support the department’s commitments to the National Closing the Gap Agreement and the Our Stories on Country Agreement by embedding First Nations perspectives into infrastructure policy, program delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
- Demonstrated initiative to manage multiple shifting priorities and deliver high-quality outputs under tight timeframes.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills to collaborate across diverse teams, engage senior leaders, and find common ground.
- Strong capability to evaluate complex information from varied sources to draft clear, persuasive briefs and documentation.

RecruitAbility

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications,



Sport and the Arts is committed to supporting the employment and career development of people with disability. Our participation in APS RecruitAbility means we will progress an applicant with disability to a further stage in the recruitment process, where they opt into RecruitAbility and meet the minimum requirements for the vacancy.

The RecruitAbility minimum requirements are listed above under ‘inherent requirements for the role’.

You will be asked to indicate if you wish to opt into RecruitAbility in the application form. You must tick the 'opt in' box to participate in RecruitAbility. Simply declaring that you have a disability will not automatically include you.

We provide reasonable adjustments such as access, equipment or other practical support at relevant stages of the recruitment process. Please advise in the application form or get in touch with the contact officer if you need any adjustments made.

More information can be found at RecruitAbility scheme: A guide for applicants | Australian Public Service Commission.

Cultural capability requirement

The department believes every role contributes to cultural safety and that building staff cultural capability helps us deliver better policies, programs and services for First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their willingness to develop their cultural capability as part of the assessment process. In making it a requirement across all roles in our department, we are taking a practical step in delivering our commitments under the Our Stories on Country Agreement and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025–28.

As an APS6 you will be expected to:

- Consider the cultural context and implications of work area outcomes.
- Engage respectfully with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, building trusted relationships.
- Communicate respectfully and seeks appropriate cultural input to inform decisions.

What else can we offer?

We are dedicated to fostering personal and professional development, empowering individuals to set goals, acquire new skills, and cultivate unique qualities that define who they are. Some of the benefits we offer include:

- Access to our Study Assistance Program providing paid leave and financial support for courses relevant to our work.
- Diverse career pathways, learning and development investments, and a positive performance culture.
- Professional Coaching Schemes and tailored leadership opportunities.
- Flexible working opportunities, including part time hours, home-based work, and job sharing.
- Generous leave entitlements of 20 days personal circumstances leave per year and 150 hours of paid annual leave.

Eligibility requirements

This is an Affirmative measure vacancy – This vacancy is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

This is an Affirmative Measures – First Nations applicants only position. The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an Affirmative Measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To be eligible to apply under the Affirmative Measures initiative, applicants must:

- be an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person
- identify as an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person, and
- be accepted by their community as being an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person

For more information please visit - Affirmative measure for recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A guide for applicants

Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development,



Communications, Sport and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:

- Citizenship: candidates must be an Australian citizen at the time of submitting your application.
- Health Assessment: The preferred candidate may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
- Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website.
- Police check: The successful candidate must complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.
- Integrity and Performance check: The successful candidate must satisfy the requirements in an Integrity and Performance check which is completed by your most recent employer.

How to apply

Applications for this opportunity close at 11.59pm AEDT, Sunday, 22 November 2026.

Prior to preparing your application for the department, please read our Artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment at the department principles. The principles aim to help you use AI in a way that supports your application and maintains fairness and transparency while maintaining your integrity as a candidate. They outline what is and isn’t acceptable use of AI in APS recruitment.

In applying for this position, you are not required to address individual selection criteria. Rather, you should provide in a PDF document a statement of no more than 2 pages outlining your background, capabilities and experiences and how these align with the advertised role.

You should also provide a tailored CV in PDF, no more than 3 pages. The capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role are identified in the ‘inherent requirements for the role’ section.

Your application should be received through the department’s online recruitment system prior to the closing date and time to be considered.

If you experience any issues with the system, please contact the recruitment team on 02 6136 8989 or via email at [email protected] to discuss an alternative way to submit your application.

Please advise the contact officer if you require adjustments during the recruitment process. We recognise and value diversity as our strength and promote a culture of inclusion to enhance our work performance and the wellbeing of our employees. We are committed to systems that are accessible, inclusive and safe for all. If you need any further information about accessibility and inclusion at our department, please contact [email protected].

Timeline and assessment

A selection panel will be established to assess your suitability against the advertised role.

If a merit pool is established, it will be valid for 18 months from date it first appeared in the APS Gazette.

Applications open: 6 November 2026

Applications close: 22 November 2026

Application shortlisting: 27 November 2026

Further assessments: 4 December 2026

Selection report finalised: Week starting 14 December 2026

Offers and announcements: Week starting 21 December 2026

The above is indicative only, please reach out to the contact person if you have any questions on the recruitment process or timeframes.

Your application will be assessed against the inherent requirements of the role, the Work level standards and in comparison, to other candidates who applied. Once the entire applicant pool has been assessed, the panel will create a shortlist of applicants. If your application is shortlisted, you may be asked to undertake further assessment, this may include interviews and reference checks.

Work with us. Apply now!

📌 Senior Program & Policy Officers, Affirmative Measures, First Nations (Perth)
🏢 Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
📍 Perth