Program Officer

APS 5 - $78,548 - $86,168 per annum plus superannuation
- Nature Positive Integration Division
- Adelaide, SA,Brisbane, QLD,Canberra, ACT,Darwin, NT,Hobart, TAS,Melbourne, VIC,Perth, WA,Sydney, NSW
- Be part of a growing team working across Australia to help protect Australia’s biodiversity and cultural values in partnership with Indigenous communities.
- The IPA program is a flagship program supporting Indigenous Land and Sea Management.
- DCCEEW supports teams working across Australia and has flexible working conditions.

**Identified position** - This position is an ‘Identified’ position which signifies that the role has a strong involvement in issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The successful applicant must have an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and an ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People.

**Who we are**
The Nature Positive Integration Division delivers strategic policy with a sole focus on the environment, providing governance, high-level policy oversight and program delivery by implementing the Nature Positive Plan as part of the EPBC Act reform. The Division consists of three branches including Regional Planning and Landscapes, Environmental Policy and National Heritage Trust.

The Regional Planning and Landscapes branch leads regional planning at a landscape scale, the administration of the National Reserve System (NRS) and the implementation of the Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) program. Day to day activities of the branch involve working with First Nations people, state governments, place managers and a broad range of stakeholders in the identification, assessment, protection, management and promotion of land and seascapes of natural and cultural significance.

The IPA Section manages, in collaboration with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), the implementation of the IPA program. IPAs are planned and managed independently by Indigenous communities across Australia, often with the support of Indigenous Ranger groups. IPAs contribute to over 50% of Australia’s National Reserve System. In implementing the IPA program, DCCEEW works in close collaboration with the NIAA central office and regional office staff across Australia.

The functions of the IPA Section include delivery and support for:

- grant rounds related to extending funding for existing IPA program projects and establishing new or expanded projects
- IPA management plan reviews
- analysis and development of policy related to protected area planning and operations
- communication with IPA providers, stakeholders, partners and jurisdictions
- liaison with NIAA and other Agency colleagues
- collaboration with DCCEEW key areas on IPA policies, programming and reporting (e.g. threatened species and communities, wetlands, Parks Australia)
- technical and material support to IPA development and operations
- occasional site visits to IPAs.

**The Job**
The work of a Program Officer within the IPA section is varied, and will include:

- representing the work area or Agency at meetings and other forums as required
- liaising with Agencies, specifically NIAA to support IPA contractual management arrangements
- building and maintaining good working relationships with First Nations groups involved in IPA management through regular communication
- contributing to IPA project and program delivery support for First Nations groups, including support for contract administration, risk management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, development of plans of management, mapping and data management
- undertaking administration requirements to implement all components of the IPA program, including grant management support, contract management (variations, financial acquittals, and payment processes), monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes, and support for IPA conferences and roundtables
- assisting in IPA site visits, including administrative requirements related to IPA dedication processes
- supporting the development of program advice including briefs, communications materials, policy and strategy within the IPA section
- carrying out other administrative and corporate activities where required.

**What we are looking for**

**Knowledge and experience**
Any combination of the following knowledge and experience would be an advantage:

- qualifications / experience in natural and cultural resource management-related disciplines, such as ecology, anthropology, community development, environmental science, cultural heritage etc
- First Nations engagement in land and sea management
- an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and an ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- policy and strategy implementation
- project management, including monitoring and evaluation.

**Skills a