Gazetted Vacancy

Ongoing & Non-ongoing National Office, Tuggeranong
- Executive Level 1 $110,255 - $125,152
- Tasma Vyver 02 6146 2904

**About the Stream, Group or Branch**:
The Department of Social Services’ mission is to improve the wellbeing of individuals and families in Australian communities. The department works in partnership with government and non-government organisations to achieve this mission through the effective development, management and delivery of payments, policies, programs and services.

The Families and Communities stream is responsible for family programs, the National Redress Scheme, problem gambling and financial wellbeing among other initiatives.

The Community Cohesion Branch is part of the Families and Communities stream and manages programs which test outcomes-based approaches to social policy issues, aim to improve social and economic participation, help build inclusive, connected and resilient communities, and support volunteering. The Branch is seeking motivated people with relevant skills and experience to join the Branch and fill vacant roles at the EL1 level.

**Position Description**:
The key duties and Responsibilities of the **Getting Better Outcomes (GBO) Team **are:

- facilitate and lead teams to explore, and develop and implement solutions to, complex social policy issues, taking into account the perspectives of internal and external stakeholders and drawing attention to untested assumptions
- facilitate and lead teams to develop theories of change to underpin policy and program development
- design and facilitate collaborative workshops, training and awareness raising sessions to embed systems thinking, human-centred design, and other methods and approaches across the department
- develop briefs and minutes to seek decisions and provide advice to the Minister and Senior Executives.
- substantial knowledge of design thinking and human-centred design and practice
- aptitude for being a skilled facilitator, with strong collaboration skills and ability to embrace diversity
- high level written and oral communication skills and internal and external stakeholder liaison skills
- ability to work independently and as part of a team.

The key duties and responsibilities of the
**Strong and Resilient Communities (SARC) Team** are:

- work with relevant areas of the Department to facilitate annual grant rounds for SARC, including preparing relevant documentation, briefings and grants material, and coordinating the assessment process
- prepare a range of documentation including Minutes, briefings, senate estimates and correspondence related to the SARC program and a range of other community programs and policy matters as they relate to the Branch
- provide advice on program risks, and evaluate policies or other grant related matters
- conduct analysis of SARC programs outcomes data and make program and policy adjustments between grant rounds as required
- oversee an annual SARC program evaluation
- manage the SARC administered appropriation, including assessment of new funding proposals outside the annual grant round and monitoring expenditure
- work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to support relevant policies and projects.
- demonstrated experience in program management, secretariat duties and/ or policy development
- strong written and oral communication skills, including brief and report writing
- sound research and analysis skills
- the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment
- the ability to exercise good judgement and sound decision-making, including to produce accurate advice and quality outputs for a range of audiences
- a general understanding of Commonwealth grants and the needs of its key stakeholders across the department’s areas of responsibility, especially in the area of communities and vulnerable people, would be well regarded.

**Eligibility / Additional Requirements**:
This recruitment process is being used to fill current and future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies. A merit pool of suitable applicants will be created which may be used to fill future vacancies should they become available over the next 18 months.

Non-ongoing vacancies will be offered for a period of up to 18 months with the possibility of extension (up to a total period of 3 years). Some of these non-ongoing vacancies may become ongoing in the next 18 months.

Should a position become ongoing then the merit pool established through this selection process may be used to fill the vacancy on an ongoing basis.To be eligible for employment with Department of Social Services (the department), you must be an Australian citizen. An applicant's suitability for employment with the Department will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This will include an identity and criminal history background check.

**Eligibility to obtain an Australian Government Security Clearance**:
The suitable applicant must also obtain and maintain a security clearance c