Senior Policy Advisor

About the Department

The department provides a wide range of learning and development support and services.

The department provides policy leadership, plans for the future of education in Victoria and leads key cross-sector collaboration. The department plays an important system steward role by providing support, guidance, oversight and assurance across early childhood and school education systems, as well as directly providing school education and 50 new early learning centres.

About the Division

The Workforce Policy and Strategy Division (WPSD) leads the department's strategic approach to the management and development of Victoria's school education workforce. It does this by:

• Establishing and maintaining coherent system-level workforce strategies for school and regional-based education workforces
• Providing DE with a centralised strategic policy capability, with expertise in workforce issues
• Providing an authoritative voice for DE on education workforce supply, demand and quality at a state-wide and local area level
• Maintaining departmental expertise in qualitative and quantitative analysis of the school-based workforce to support investment, quality improvement, and
• regional/system-level workforce management decisions.
• Supporting strategic workforce planning though providing data and analysis on state-wide and local workforce trends
• Building coherence for the Department's workforce policy and initiatives.

About the Role

Working in the Workforce Systems and Structures (WSS) team, the Senior Policy officer will provide high quality contributions to developing schools workforce policy reforms, research, briefing and provide high-quality and timely advise to Senior Executives. This may include data analysis or interpretation and supporting the development of policy options of these options. This includes department's key strategic workforce and funding reforms.

The team also leads the Division's work on strategic policy reforms in the teacher housing space and equity workstream and the successful applicant will contribute to and lead policy reforms and/or workstreams under direction of the WSS Manager and senior Executive staff.

Attributes

To excel in this role, applicants should display:

• High-level problem-solving skills
• The ability to produce timely, concise and high-quality written advice tailored to different audiences
• Well-developed organisational and project management skills
• The capacity to develop and maintain strong stakeholder relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
• Flexibility to work on a range of tasks and content areas and be open to short-term stints working on or with other teams in the Division as required.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

A bachelor's degree in a relevant area is desirable, but not required. Experience in public sector policy and understanding of public sector processes is required. Experience in stakeholder engagement and project management are desirable. Data and analytics skills are not a requirement but will be well regarded.

Further Information

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Sakshi Swaroop - Acting Director, Workforce Funding and or

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on Thursday 11th September 2025.