Researcher (Defence)

**Employment Type**:Ongoing

**Classification**: Parliamentary Service Level 6

**Closing Date**: 11:30pm AEDT, 3 March 2025

**The Opportunity**:
The Department of Parliamentary Services is recruiting to fill a Researcher position in the Foreign Affairs, Defence & Security (FADS) section of the Parliamentary Library Research Branch.

The Parliamentary Library supports Australia's democracy by providing high-quality, impartial and confidential information, analysis and advice to parliamentarians and their staff. By providing high-quality responses to clients, the Parliamentary Library supports informed policy debates and decisions. The work is diverse and challenging and includes writing publications with analysis of policy, budgets and legislation, often within tight deadlines.

The FADS section works across a wide range of policy areas including defence, foreign affairs, emergency services, policing and national security, disaster management and foreign aid.

**Who we are looking for**:
Researchers need excellent information research and analytical skills. You need to be able to write clearly and succinctly to accurately summarise and explain complex topics in a clear, non-technical manner.

You must be able to quickly find and provide accurate and relevant information in an impartial manner to parliamentary clients. You must possess a strong client service ethic, be well-informed, motivated and fast to learn. Communication skills, both oral and written, must be of a high order.

You will need to be able to work across a range of defence-related issues relevant to Parliament, including strategy and alliances; operations and deployments; procurement and sustainment of military equipment; peacekeeping and other international cooperation; personnel and budgetary issues; force structure; military history; and reforms. At times, you may be helping the work of Senior Researchers, or working independently and under limited supervision in a collaborative environment.

You must possess tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline and be able and willing to work on topics outside your area of specialisation or interest. Ideally, you should have current or recent experience working in a role dealing with defence-related issues, but also possess a general knowledge of broader topics relevant to the section, including an awareness of current affairs and parliamentary processes.

This is an ongoing role. Any merit pool created from this recruitment process may be used to fill ongoing or non-ongoing positions that arise over the next 18 months.

**Job Specific Requirements**:

- Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline are essential.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of contemporary defence policy and strategy (domestic and international), the Australian Defence organisation, and the Australian Defence Force.
- The successful applicant will be required to obtain and maintain a Baseline Vetting (Protected/Restricted) security clearance.

**Duty Statement**:
**Classification**:Parliamentary Service Level 6

**Branch**:Research

**Section**:Foreign Affairs Defence

**Immediate supervisor**:Director, FADS

The Parliamentary Librarian is required by the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 to, among other things:
“provide high quality information, analysis and advice to Senators and Members of the House of Representatives in support of their parliamentary and representational roles.”

The Act requires the Parliamentary Librarian to perform this function:

- in a timely, impartial and confidential manner; and
- maintaining the highest standards of scholarship and integrity; and
- on the basis of equality of access for all Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, parliamentary committees and staff acting on behalf of Senators, Members or parliamentary committees; and
- having regard to the independence of Parliament from the Executive Government of the Commonwealth.

Against this background, Researchers undertake, under broad direction, duties in accordance with the agreed standards for a Parliamentary Service Level 6.

The duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Providing high quality, professional research on complex issues (including the retrieval, analysis and synthesis of information from diverse sources) for parliamentary clients and internal stakeholders

3. Writing, co-writing and/or reviewing publications and information resources on a range of matters to inform parliamentary clients and other stakeholders, and that maintain the Library’s high standards of scholarship and integrity

4. Developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships across the organisation, with other organisations, and with clients and stakeholders

5. Contributing to team and organisational activities, and providing assistance and support to senior staff in the section and the branch as required.
- Employees of DPS are required to be able, and to be seen to be able, to provide profession