aso7 senior policy officer

Office for Early Childhood Development

Job reference: 669171

Location: 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 government's behalf, and work in collaboration with the sector, to organise and connect the system to reduce developmental vulnerability.

This includes providing universal access to quality, teacher-led preschool from the age of 3, growing and sustaining a quality early childhood workforce, and greater supports and connected services for families in the 1000 days of a child's life.

About this role:

The Senior Policy Officer will play a crucial role in driving informed decision-making and effective planning to support local communities to access early childhood education and care (ECEC) and broader supports to give children a flying start.

This role will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to analyse data, track community developments, and translate local insights into practical, place-based policy solutions to support the implementation of significant reforms to benefit South Australian families.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Support the strategic response to complex policy matters relating to South Australian and Commonwealth early childhood education and care.
• Provide expert quantitative and qualitative data analysis of research relevant to policy and systemic provisioning of preschool and early childhood development services.
• Coordinate and formulate briefings, reports and papers, clearly articulating information and issues.
• Build and maintain key stakeholder relationships to ensure a detailed understanding of early childhood education and care needs.
• Lead and evaluate data and related reporting to maximise its value for the intended audience and promote continuous improvement.

About you:

You will bring extensive experience in developing policy, contributing to policy analysis, and providing expert advice, including the ability to apply policy analysis to research, data and compelling presentation.

Your conceptual and analytical ability will be critical to synthesising a range of complex information to understand and address policy and planning changes, and how these will impact early childhood education and care.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who brings:

• Strong background of contributing to policy analysis and complex advice, specifically for research, data analysis and compelling presentation.
• Proven ability to manage projects end-to-end including scoping and resourcing to timelines, risk and on budget delivery.
• Communication and interpersonal skills to build collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and develop written materials such as briefings and evidence-based reports to a high standard.
• Knowledge of the early childhood education and care sector, Commonwealth and South Australian reforms.

Role Benefits:

• A role with real influence and impact in government policy relating to early childhood education and care.
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth within the public sector
• Work with senior officials across government and early childhood sectors.
• Be part of an agency with a clear mission to improve the lives of South Australia's children and families.
• Access to flexible working arrangements.

Application Instructions and Information:

Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants must submit a CV, Pre-employment Declaration, and a cover letter outlining their suitability against the attached position description.

Remuneration:

ASO7 - $108,109 - $116, FTE) per annum, plus superannuation.

Additional Note:

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

Enquiries:

Enquiries can be directed to

Special Conditions:

For all other Special Conditions please refer to the attached position description.

Applications close: 09/09/2025 11:45 PM