Principal Evaluation Officer

**Lead the delivery of complex evaluations and reviews of the departments.**:

- **Ongoing, Full-Time opportunity to work with a high-performing and passionate team.**:

- **VPS Grade 6: $138,631 - $185,518 plus superannuation.**

The Department of Justice and Community Safety, Office of the Associate Secretary, is seeking a **Principal Evaluation Officer** to provide a critical role within Operational Perform and Cultural Reform.

**About the Business Unit**

The Office of the Associate Secretary (Office) supports the Secretary to lead and manage the responsibilities and statutory requirements of the department. The Office leads key whole of department functions, including corporate functions, delivery of the department's data insights, analytics and modelling function, savings and organisational transformation, and overseeing the department's response to the Corrections Cultural Review of the adult custodial corrections system. It also provides oversight of the department's strategic and operational performance, with a focus on using data to inform system strategy, advice to Government and operational oversight.

Operational Performance and Cultural Reform (OPCR) is tasked with supporting the Associate Secretary in leading the department's agenda in the delivery of justice and community safety services in Victoria by providing advice to the Secretary, the Board of Management and Ministers regarding the department's strategic and operational performance and efficiency. OPCR takes a strategic approach to coordinating and leading reform work to improve the operation of the department and enable the organisation to deliver on its core functions for the Victorian community.

**About the Role**

The Principal Evaluation Officer supports the strategic direction of the department by developing, leading and implementing complex evaluations and research projects. The role provides advice to embed evaluation thinking in policies and programs, leading stakeholder consultations, preparing and overseeing the development of complex reports for diverse audiences, and providing robust findings and practical recommendations.

The Principal Evaluation Officer may be required to manage a project delivery team for time-limited evaluations.

Some of your duties will include:

- Proactively manage the development and implementation of a range of complex projects, reviews and evaluations.
- Identify, analyse, develop responses to and provide advice on new, emerging and current strategic issues that impact on the department's portfolios.
- Lead stakeholder consultations, navigate complex data environments, conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis, and provide professional advice and recommendations on future actions.

To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.

**About you**

To be successful in this role, you will have:

- Demonstrated ability to analyse and triangulate a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative data sources to elicit evaluation findings and recommendations that inform decision makers and support continuous improvement.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills including the ability to develop fit for purpose outputs that effectively communicate with intended audiences.
- Experience navigating governance structures within the authorising environments to support evaluations.
- Knowledge of the justice system and contemporary research in crime and justice is desirable.

**Qualifications/requirements**
- A relevant qualification in evaluation, social science research and/or criminology is desirable.

**How to Apply**

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION**:
**CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT**:
The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.