Position Details

Primary location: Higgins campaign office (Prahran) & Victorian Greens State Office (CBD)

Status: Fixed contract to 31 of May or 2 weeks after the Federal election, whichever is sooner.

Remuneration: $69,002 - $75,901 with per annum plus 10% super

Primary hours: Full-time, regular weekend and out of hours work will be required.

Reports to: Head of Campaigns

Position begins: February 2019

About the Role

Are you passionate about shaping the political debate this election? We are looking for a Higgins Communications Manager – someone who can execute a powerful communications strategy to inspire and influence voters in Higgins, giving them compelling reasons why to vote Green at the 2019 Federal Election. You’ll manage the campaigns digital communications, adapt our communications platform for the local campaign, identify media opportunities and support and train the candidate and core team leaders in our core message. You’ll be the first port of call for anyone wanting to discuss media or communications matters with the campaigns.

This isn’t your average job: you’ll often work weekends and evenings instead of weekdays, and you’ll need to be self-motivated and flexible – but you’ll meet amazing Greens members from all walks of life, and make a real difference to growing the political party that stands up for what matters. If you enjoy working with people and are passionate about building a progressive Australia, you’ll love this job.

The Federal election presents a huge opportunity for the Greens, especially in Higgins where incumbent MP Kelly O’Dwyer has recently announced she will not recontest the seat. You’ll be working in the most marginal Liberal-Green electorate in the country, and turning Higgins Green will not only send a powerful message about the values our communities stand for, but will also dramatically transform our parliaments and politics in this country.

About the Victorian Greens

We’re working towards a huge campaign during the upcoming 2019 federal elections. Since our record-breaking increases in representation at the 2014 state election, 2016 federal election and 2016 local government elections, we’ve also had success in by-elections like state Northcote and Geelong City Council.

The Greens have a proud history of standing up for what is right, not just what is easy or what polls well. Over the course of the last four decades, the Greens have become the third force in Australian politics. Across Australia there are currently Greens representing you at every level of government.

The Greens are much more than an environmental party. While promoting meaningful and common sense solutions to ensure future generations of Australians have clean air, clean water and clean soil, The Greens are also working in many other areas to champion integrity, decency and fairness. As well as representing constituents, the Greens speak on behalf of those who wouldn’t otherwise get much of a say inside parliament: children, refugees, students, individuals and families living in poverty and, of course, our natural environment.

Core Responsibilities:

1. Manage the adaptation and execution of Federal messaging and communication strategy and resources for use in Higgins.
2. Support the candidate with communications advice, speech preparation, calendar management, training and media coordination.
3. Identify reactive communications opportunities for the campaign, and work with the Federal Media Team to quickly coordinate a local response to the political news cycle.
4. Coordinate the copywriting and content production of key campaign materials including digital communications, print materials, outdoor advertising and direct mail for the Higgins campaign.
5. Manage the campaign’s digital assets including: email scheduling and copywriting, website management, SMS social media coordination across multiple platforms.
6. Support delivery of communications training for a team of volunteers on persuasive communications, storytelling and localised state and national messaging.
7. Support timely correspondence with supporters and voters in Higgins, making the campaign approachable and providing timely responses to large numbers of campaign queries.

Desirable Experience:

1. Experience in a key campaign role on an Australian state or federal electorate-based campaign.
2. A strong understanding of local communities & issues within the electorate of Higgins or in neighbouring and demographically similar communities to the Higgins electorate.

Selection Criteria:

1. Commitment to the Greens’ charter and policies and understanding of the Australian political landscape.
2. Strong persuasive communication skills. You’ll be able to inspire people to volunteer, work on rapid response and crisis communications and help craft strong written campaign messaging, for print, social media and other platforms.
3. Experience in digital campaigning using key tools including a campaigning CRM (NationBuilder desirable, but not required), social media, email mobilisation or peer-to-peer SMS.
4. Strong rapport-building and relationship skills. You can quickly build and maintain relationships of trust in a local group, neighbouring campaigns and broader Greens community.
5. Experience in managing volunteers, including the ability to build and supervise teams, develop volunteer skills and bring out the best in each individual team member. Experience delivering training would also be highly valued.
6. Outstanding organisational skills, experience in managing people and logistics to tight deadlines, you thrive in a fast paced environment.

A full position description is available below.