About our team
The Government is committed to advancing gender equality as a national priority. On 7 March 2024, the Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher launched Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality outlining where Government will focus effort over the next decade to drive gender equality in Australia. The Office for Women is the central gender equality institution within the Australian Public Service (APS), responsible for providing quality gender advice and delivering effective policies and programs for the Minister for Women, the Prime Minister and the Assistant Minister for Women. 

The Office for Women is seeking highly motivated Policy Advisers who would like to drive action on five priority areas under Working for Women – gender-based violence, unpaid and paid care, economic equality and security, health, and leadership, representation and decision-making.

The Office for Women has three Branches:

• Women’s Economic Policy – provides policy advice to improve women’s economic security across a broad range of topics including early childhood education and care, employment services, housing and homelessness, social services, migration and future made in Australia. The Branch also works in collaboration with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to reduce the gender pay gap and improve gender balance in industries.
• Gender Equality Systems and Partnerships – drives gender equality outcomes by overseeing implementation of Working for Women, reporting on progress and contributing to building the evidence base. They deliver gender equality outcomes by implementing an effective gender responsive budgeting system including developing APS wide resources and guidance and administering the Working for Women Program, partnering with non-government organisations and experts to deliver grant projects and research.
• Gender Based Violence and Social Policy - leads OFW's approach on women’s safety, health, disability and justice policies. They also provide strategic advice and support to the Minister for Women to engage in multi-lateral and bilateral international engagements.

This merit round will fill existing vacancies across Womens’ Economic Policy and Gender Equality Systems and Partnerships Branches and future roles that emerge over the next 18 months. The division is high-performing, with a wellbeing-first culture. We welcome diverse views and backgrounds, including those with lived experience. We support flexible working arrangements, encourage learning and development, and support each other in delivering the many facets of our work. We operate in a highly collegiate manner, building strong relationships across the Department and relevant agencies.

Everyone is welcome in the Office for Women! Gender equality is a whole-of-society issue and benefits everyone – so we strongly encourage applications from men and gender diverse people at PM&C.

What you’ll be doing
 
Women’s Economic Policy Branch

The Workplace Gender Equality, Procurement and Leadership Section in the Women’s Economic Policy Branch has an exciting opportunity to work on policy and legislative development related to the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012). This includes working closely with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the statutory agency established under the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012), and liaising with other departments and agencies in the development of workplace and procurement policies and legislation that support gender equality. The Section also undertakes work on improving women’s representation on government boards and ensuring the Australian Honours system better reflects the contributions and achievements of Australian women. Experience working on legislation and legal qualifications would be highly desirable in this section.

The Employment and Social Services Section in the Women’s Economic Policy Branch has an exciting opportunity to provide policy advice on complex issues affecting women’s workforce participation and economic security, including on the topics of early childhood education and care, social security, employment services, and housing and homelessness. This includes supporting other departments and agencies in the design and implementation of evidence-based and gender-responsive policies that increase women’s economic security. This is an opportunity to join a team that works at the forefront of key Government priorities. The team is consistently involved in headline Government policies including the revised Stage 3 tax cuts, expanded Paid Parental Leave scheme, wage increase for early childhood education and care workers, and the abolition of ParentsNext. Experience working on economic policy and related qualifications is highly desirable in this section.

Gender Equality Systems and Partnerships Branch
 
The Gender Analysis Capability Section has an exciting opportunity to work across the Australian Public Service (APS) to support Government’s ambitious gender equality strategy. You will work with a dedicated team to build APS wide gender responsive policy capability, by developing and delivering targeted resources and training, and embedding gender equality accountability mechanisms in whole of government (WOG) reporting frameworks. The team works closely with the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), APS Academy and government departments to drive gender analysis capability uplift, as well as supporting broader APS reform and government gender equality priorities. This role will focus on developing a WOG gender equality corporate reporting mechanism and will work closely with the Department of Finance and other government departments. The work requires strong consultation and collaboration capabilities. Experience delivering WOG of government projects or corporate reporting measures is highly desirable.
 
Why you’re the ideal candidate

Our ideal candidate will:

• have an interest in working on policy to achieve gender equality in Australia
• have experience in contributing to policy, program and/or legislative outcomes with an ability to harness information quickly and contribute to complex projects
• have strong communication skills and capacity to prepare complex briefing documents for a range of audiences and purposes (ministerial briefs, ministerial correspondence, secretariat)
• have strong stakeholder engagement skills, including capacity to influence and collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders with cultural sensitivity and professionalism
• be able to manage competing priorities, identify and effectively manage risks and mitigation strategies, commits to action and displays resilience under tight timeframes.

Prior experience working in government and/or on social policy, economic policy, or legal experience is desirable but not essential.

We value a broad range of experience from public and private sector and the diverse perspectives varied experience can bring.

 

Affirmative Measure - Indigenous Position
 
This vacancy is an affirmative measure - Indigenous position, which is only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
 
For the purpose of this particular recruitment, all candidates will be required to provide confirmation of heritage documentation. This is a mandatory requirement in order to demonstrate that the eligibility criteria is met.
 

Please refer to the What you need to know - applying for jobs at PM&C document which outlines the acceptable confirmation of heritage documentation to be provided for this merit-based process.   Flexibility arrangements   At PM&C we recognise the broad benefits of offering flexibility in how, when and where work is performed. We consider flexibility first from a starting position of ‘how can we make this work?’ and consider individual circumstances and operational requirements in making genuine attempts to establish mutually beneficial arrangements. Please reach out to the contact officer if you would like to explore what flexibility might look like for you, such as part time work, variable start and finish times or working from home.   Eligibility

• 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.

To be eligible for this position you must be an Australian Citizen. The occupant must be able to obtain and maintain a Baseline Vetting (Protected) level security clearance, or hold a current security clearance of an appropriate level.  The successful candidate will be required to be assessed through our pre-employment screening checks, such as an Australian Criminal History Check How to apply   If this sounds like the opportunity you are looking for, we want to hear from you!  Submit an online application through the Apply link by 14 August 2024 at 11:30pm AEST.

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