The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) is focused on growing Victoria’s prosperity, building the productive capacity of our economy and increasing participation – by creating more opportunities for people through skills and jobs; helping businesses and industries to thrive; and building vibrant communities and regions. For more information, see the DJSIR Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
Established on 1 January 2023, our work spans numerous portfolios, supporting departmental ministers and operating across metropolitan, regional and international offices. We oversee various public entities, including public corporations, regulatory authorities and specialist boards.
The Department strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and offers reasonable adjustments for applicants with disabilities.
Our values are accountability, integrity and respect, and underpin everything we do.
Manager, Policy
- Salary: $138,631 - $185,518 (Plus Superannuation)
- Full time (flexibility may be available)
- Fixed Term role to 5 June 2026
- Usual work location: 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne 3000 (flexibility may be available)
This is a prioritised position for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in accordance with the Special Measures provision of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply and will be given priority consideration for this role.
For the purpose of employment in Aboriginal Designated or Aboriginal Prioritised positions within the Victorian public sector, candidates will be asked to provide Confirmation of Aboriginality. This can be confirmed by a Confirmation of Aboriginality form signed by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation and affixed with the common seal of that organisation. Recognising that access to formal Confirmation of Aboriginality documents can occasionally be problematic, an alternative process can be discussed.
The Role
As a Manager, Policy you will be responsible for providing strategic advice to strengthen Aboriginal economic development and industry engagement. The Manager, Policy will also support the strategic implementation of the Culture, Wealth Creation and Accountability pillars under the Yuma Yirramboi Strategy, identifying economic development opportunities with a range of Aboriginal interest groups, government stakeholders and key industry groups.
Working across the regions, with Traditional Owner groups and Treaty related structures (when developed), the Manager, Policy will provide strategic and policy advice to the Department to harness the State's levers to drive economic development, participation, and prosperity for the Victorian Aboriginal community.
Key accountabilities include:
- Working closely with the Aboriginal Economic Development Branch Executive, manage and promote strategic directions from the Yuma Yirramboi Council, its working groups and more broadly across the department to support program and policy development for the implementation of the Yuma Yirramboi Strategy.
- Lead projects, developing evidence-based advice and directions that prioritise wealth creation that has an impact for all Aboriginal Victorians. Ensuring projects are delivered in a culturally appropriate manner, with adherence to, and recognition of, changes occurring as part of the Treaty negotiations process.
- Develop and maintain highly effective collaborative working relationships across the Group, sectors, portfolios, government (including local, state and Commonwealth) and Aboriginal stakeholder groups to strategically connect programs and initiatives to support Aboriginal Victorians' employment and economic development opportunities.
- Liaise, negotiate, influence and communicate with senior management in both the public and private sector, representing the AED Branch and Department in negotiating economic outcomes for the Victorian Aboriginal community.
- Actively drive continuous improvement approaches to existing economic development levers, strategic frameworks and processes across the Department and more broadly across government in order to drive quality outcomes for the Victorian Aboriginal community.
The Team
The position of Manager, Policy forms a part of Aboriginal Economic Development (AED) branch and works across Economic Policy, Projects and Coordination group.
About You
To be successful in the role, you will have:
- Relationship Building: demonstrated experience in building and maintaining relationships with the Victorian Ab
original community and demonstrated experience in successfully forging partnerships with Aboriginal stakeholders in order to support Aboriginal economic development.
- Demonstrated specialist knowledge: experience and understanding of the Victorian Aboriginal community and impacting issues on society and culture.
- Policy Skills: Prepares and communicates public policy options and recommendations; monitors a broad range of contemporary issues and reviews the relevance and implications for policy development and program delivery; liaises with key stakeholders and is open to new ways to improve practice and outcomes for the Aboriginal community.
- Influence and Negotiation: highly developed stakeholder relationship skills at senior levels, including public, Aboriginal community, industry and private sector groups, in order to create linkages within and across sectors to develop shared solutions and innovative approaches.
- Conceptual and Analytical Ability: demonstrated experience in effectively researching, reviewing, developing, formulating, implementing and evaluating policies and programs and strategies based on good corporate knowledge and with an understanding of current issues, especially in relation to Aboriginal economic development programs or similar initiatives.
Further Information
For a confidential discussion, please contact Zach Martin-Dennis - Director, Treaty, Truth and Self-Determination on 0459 923 441 or [email protected].
The department is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation. We have zero tolerance of child abuse and are committed to taking the necessary steps to protect children from harm by adopting a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety in accordance with the Child Safe Standards.
Successful candidates will be required to undergo a National Police Records Check prior to commencing employment with the Department. For further information on the position, please refer to the attached position description.
Please note: We are accredited as a Disability Confident Recruitment (DCR) organisation and committed to inclusive recruitment. If you require an adjustment to participate in any stage of the recruitment process or have a particular requirement to be communicated with by either telephone or email only, please notify the DJSIR Recruitment Team on 0472875685, or via email at [email protected] with the position number in the subject line. For additional contact details for our team please review the attached Position Description, located under Job Attachments in the right hand menu.
How to Apply
Please click the ‘Apply Now' button. As part of the application process, you will need to provide a copy of your resume and a cover letter.
Applications close at 23:59pm on Wednesday, 2 July 2025.