Aso8 Principal Advisor, Empowering Aboriginal

**Office for Early Childhood Development**
**Job reference**: 624194
**Location**: 5000 - ADELAIDE
**Job status**: Long Term Contract
**Eligibility**: Open to Everyone

**Why work with us**:
The Office for Early Childhood Development has been formed with a clear mandate. To create a fairer and better future for all children in South Australia by implementing the accepted recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.

As the steward of the early childhood development system, the Office will act on the government's behalf, and work in collaboration with the sector, to organise and connect the system to reduce developmental vulnerability.

This includes strategy for the provision of quality preschool for all 3 and 4-year-olds, supporting families in the first 1000 days of a child’s life and implementing a workforce strategy.

**About the Role**:
The Senior Advisor, Empowering Aboriginal Children is responsible for leading, contributing to, and coordinating Aboriginal cultural input into the strategies and objectives of the OECD. These include Early Childhood Reform priorities and Closing the Gap.

The role will provide high-quality stakeholder engagement on behalf of the OECD and will engage widely with Aboriginal people and communities, government agencies, and critical stakeholders to identify emerging issues impacting on Aboriginal children and provide an Aboriginal cultural perspective on strategies and programs in the early years.

The incumbent will be responsible for researching, planning, implementation and change management to support new and improved strategies and objectives for Aboriginal early childhood education and care.

In this role, you will:

- Lead and provide policy and portfolio advice in relation to issues relevant to Aboriginal people in the development of strategic policies and strategies.
- Ensure that strategy priorities are in line with existing and emerging whole of government objectives relating to Aboriginal people and their interaction with early years services.
- Lead and manage processes to support the development and implementation of policies, frameworks and initiatives supporting the rights, development, cultural identity, safety, and wellbeing of Aboriginal children.
- Develop complex, confidential and/or politically sensitive strategic policies and strategies and the supporting ministerial briefings, submissions, parliamentary briefings, communications, and other relevant correspondence, particularly in relation to Closing the Gap.
- Lead the development of high-quality intergovernmental briefing and strategic policy advice to support executive leaders in the range of state and national fora progressing Closing the Gap priorities and commitments.

**About You**:
You will bring extensive experience working with Aboriginal children and communities, coupled with a strong understanding of the social and economic challenges impacting Aboriginal families in South Australia and their engagement with early childhood services. Your ability to build meaningful stakeholder relationships will enhance collaboration and drive co-design. Drawing on your strategic policy expertise, you will be confident to provide high-quality advice, lead the development of policies and initiatives in relation to Aboriginal children and under the framework of Closing the Gap. Your leadership will ensure the successful implementation of initiatives aligned to support the cultural identity, rights, and wellbeing of Aboriginal children in South Australia.

To be successful in this roles, you'll bring:

- Extensive experience in working with Aboriginal children and communities, and knowledge and understanding of the early childhood services.
- Ability to work with various internal and external stakeholders in various locations to identify and co-design potential improvements.
- Understanding and knowledge of social and economic environment and issues in South Australia affecting Aboriginal children.

**Application Instructions and Information**:
Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants must submit a CV and a cover letter outlining their suitability against the key selection criteria in the attached position description.

**Additional Note**:
This is a full-time 2-year long term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.

**Remuneration**:
ASO8 $121,107 - 125,679 (1.0 FTE), plus superannuation.

**Enquiries**:
**Special Conditions**:
The successful applicant is required to gain a Department for Human Services (DHS) working with children check (WWCC) prior to being employed which is required to be renewed every five years before expiry. The incumbent will be required to undertake RRHAN -EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) Facilitator Lead (Masterclass) extended course or the online (Fundamentals) course which will be required to be updated every three years.

For all other Special Conditions pl