ABOUT THE ROLE

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe is seeking a passionate and engaged person to join her team in the role of part-time Parliamentary Adviser based at her Canberra office. The Parliamentary Adviser is a dynamic and varied role, including (but not limited to) coordination of the Senator’s parliamentary business, engaging in policy development, analysis and advice, developing and managing stakeholder relationships, writing speeches, briefs and reports, and undertaking research.

PAY AND CONDITIONS

The position is offered under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, and employment conditions are outlined in the Commonwealth Members of Parliament Staff Enterprise Agreement 2020-2023.

The position is part-time at 0.6 EFT with a core focus on Parliamentary sitting weeks. A flexible work pattern is available. It is offered at an Electorate Officer B classification with a salary range of $74,771 to $80,757 per annum, depending on experience.

This salary is applied pro rata, and the role attracts 15% superannuation in addition to salary. The role attracts an additional Electorate Staff Allowance of $12,531 per annum, in recognition of reasonable additional hours of work and travel outside of business hours.

Ad-hoc training and ongoing professional development is available as part of the Enterprise Agreement and is actively encouraged. This position is a non-ongoing, part time contract from commencement to 28 February 2023, with the potential for extension.

KEY WORK AREAS

• Coordination of the Senator’s parliamentary business and legislation under her portfolio areas of First Nations, Republic and Sport
• Coordination of the Senator’s work with parliamentary committees, inquiries, and senate estimates
• Speechwriting
• Strategy, policy and initiative development and research
• Stakeholder relationships

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Flexibility, creativity, empathy and initiative
• Enthusiasm and self-direction
• Ability to work effectively and amicably under pressure
• Ability to take initiative direction from the senator and turn it into policy
• A respect for sensitive and confidential information

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Strategic, analytical and conceptual skills, including an ability to understand the political, social and organisational environment in which the senator’s office operates
• High level written and research skills, including data analysis and presentation
• An understanding of the Australian political context and parliamentary procedures and processes
• Strong organisation, prioritisation and time management skills
• Demonstrated ability to work at a policy level with stakeholders, be they organisations or individuals
• Demonstrated high level interpersonal, communication and liaison skills, including experience in consultation and negotiation
• Experience in interrogating existing policy performance and developing improvements
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a small team under time constraints, competing priorities and other pressures
• Experience working in a political, community or campaigning organisation
• Commitment to the Australian Greens’ principles and Charter

Desirable

An understanding of the context of First Nations rights and interests within Australian society and culture (Note, responsibility for our First Nations portfolio and policy work sits with another member of staff)

If you feel you meet most, but not all, of the selection criteria, please don’t be discouraged from applying.

Interviews are scheduled to take place Thursday 1 September.

For more information or a confidential discussion, please contact [email protected] using the subject line: Parliamentary Adviser enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Please note all employees are expected to sign a confidentiality and code of conduct agreement prior to the commencement of their employment. A probationary period of 2 months will apply.

The Australian Greens encourage applications from any interested and qualified people. First Nations people are strongly encouraged to apply.

We don’t discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. We welcome people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to apply for all our roles.

A position description is attached.