Unions NSW is the peak council of trade unions in NSW representing over 600,000 members and 60 affiliated unions and trades and labor councils and is part of the broader trade union movement.

Job Role

The Research and Policy Officer position is a full-time position working under the direction of the Director of Campaigns & Strategy to identify, coordinate and manage research and policy related tasks to implement Unions NSW strategic plan. These tasks will range from preparing briefing notes on areas of policy, researching and drafting submissions to consultations and parliamentary inquiries, and the monitoring of parliamentary business.

Key Responsibilities:

Under the direction of the Secretary and the Director of Campaigns & Strategy to work to develop and implement Unions NSW campaigning goals by undertaking the following activities:

• Conduct industry and political research.
• Preparation of briefing papers and reports on key issues for the organisation
• Draft submissions for NSW and Federal Parliamentary inquiries
• Monitoring parliamentary business e.g. parliamentary inquiries, progress on legislation etc
• Coordinate and manage research projects.
• Liaise with external research organisations on areas of shared interest.
• Work with media consultants to identify issues and assist with background research.
• Communicate and collaborate professionally with internal and external peers, stakeholders, and clients to promote Unions NSW
• Where directed, provide research support for the campaigns, communications, and industrial teams.
• Where directed, assist affiliates with their research and policy work.
• Assist with other activities as directed by the Secretary and the Director of Campaigns & Strategy

Professional and lived experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g. political science, economics, public policy, law).
• Participation in union, political and/or community campaigns

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

1. Demonstrated commitment to the principles of the trade union movement.
2. Demonstrated experience in policy development, legislative advocacy or research roles.
3. Excellent qualitative and quantitative research and analytical skills, including the ability to gather and interpret data from multiple sources and apply it to policy recommendations.
4. Demonstrated understanding of state and federal government decision making and consultative processes.
5. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information for diverse audiences.
6. Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision to complete allocated tasks.
7. Demonstrated ability to manage a high-volume workload, multi-task and meet deadlines.

Desirable Requirements:

• Bi-lingual or Multi-lingual
• Masters level qualification in relevant field

Conditions and Entitlements

An attractive remuneration package will be offered to the successful applicant, which includes:

• Personal Leave: 10 days per annum (accumulative).
• Annual Leave: 5 weeks annual leave with 17.5% leave loading.
• Long Service Leave: 2 months after 10 years’ service.
• Superannuation: SG employer contributions; extra 2% for female staff.
• Parental Leave: 22 weeks paid parental leave for primary carer

Salary will be commensurate with demonstrated skills and experience of the successful candidate.

Hours of work

35 hours per week which may include some out of hours work and reasonable overtime during peak campaigning periods.

For inquiries, please contact Unions NSW on (02) 9881 5999.

Please click Apply Now to submit your application.