About the Institute

The McKell Institute is a leading progressive public policy think tank. Headquartered in Sydney, the Institute has offices in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. It works closely with stakeholders in government, civil society, corporate Australia, and the trade union movement to advance practical, progressive public policy reforms.

The McKell Institute has played critical role in major reforms in recent years, including the introduction of a minimum wage in horticulture, the rollout of community batteries and Free TAFE policies, and more. In addition to its comprehensive research and advocacy program, McKell hosts a suite of events throughout the year featuring speakers across Federal and State Governments, senior business figures, international dignitaries and other policy thought leaders. The Institute is a modest size non-profit with a small, dynamic team spread across four states.

About the Role

The McKell Institute is seeking a Policy Analyst, based in in Sydney. Location open to flexibility.

The position will focus primarily on authoring research reports covering a broad range of policy areas and advocating for the Institute’s research in public forums and media. The position will be well suited to candidates who are progressive, motivated and quantitatively trained.

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record of data analysis, economic modelling, public policy research, and will be a confident writer, and will be highly motivated to work independently.

This is a full-time position, though part-time may be considered for suitable candidates. Flexible work arrangements and work from home are available.

Key Responsibilities

• Envisage, scope and deliver research reports in response to emerging issues and stakeholder engagements
• Perform data analysis and data visualisation to communicate complex policy proposals to diverse audiences
• Provide research assistance to the CEO, and work collaboratively with other research staff across a range of projects
• Contribute to the Institute’s online presence by communicating key research findings in a shareable, digestible manner

Essential Attributes

• A good degree, at least to an undergraduate level in economic, public policy, law or a related discipline
• Strong data analysis skills including the ability to access, interpret, and utilise primary information sources such as Australian Bureau of Statistics data
• Project management skills including the ability to envisage, scope and deliver projects
• A capacity to manage multiple projects on tight timeframes
• Highly personable, independent and motivated

Desired Attributes

• Demonstrable history of statistical and economic modelling
• Familiarity with statistics software, e.g. Microsoft Excel, R, Stata, GIS, DataWrapper, Tableau or Python
• A passion for and familiarity with public policy and Australian state and federal politics
• A familiarity with blogging, writing short articles and briefing papers
• A portfolio of work demonstrating the above attributes

Equal Opportunity Employer

The McKell Institute recognises that our work benefits greatly from the unique skills and expertise of individuals of diverse experiences and aims to create a culture that is respectful and inclusive. First Nations peoples, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and members of the LGBTQIA+ community are encouraged to apply.

For more information on the role, please contact Ed Cavanough via [email protected], using the subject line: Policy Analyst enquiry via EthicalJobs.