Agency Purpose
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent statutory authority established by the Australian Government to maintain an impartial and independent electoral system for eligible voters through active electoral roll management, efficient delivery of polling services, and targeted education and public awareness programs.
The AEC’s values and commitments
The AEC values and commitments are an essential component of our operating environment and frame how AEC staff work. The AEC's focus is on electoral integrity through the values of quality, agility and professionalism.
About the Team
The Communication, Education and Engagement Branch is a specialist team of skilled practitioners in the field with extensive electoral experience. The Branch is responsible for the delivery of communication, education and community engagement products and activities that are engaging, accurate and inclusive.
The Opportunity
If you're passionate about Australia's democracy and using your communication expertise to help Australians enrol and vote, we have the job for you!
We are seeking an experienced communication professional to lead and deliver strategic communication across some of the Government's most visible and impactful activities.
Reporting to a Director (EL2), you will lead significant communication projects, from planning through to implementation and evaluation, working with stakeholders across the agency to deliver communication outcomes that support AEC priorities. You will also contribute to team leadership by mentoring and developing staff, sharing expertise, and helping build communication capability across the function.
The role operates in a dynamic and complex environment, requiring sound judgement, strong communication expertise and the ability to deliver high-quality outcomes to tight timeframes. We're looking for someone who takes ownership, proactively identifies opportunities and issues, and is comfortable driving work forward in a fast-paced stakeholder environment.
To excel you’ll have:
We are seeking a motivated and capable professional who can demonstrate the skills, knowledge and experience required to perform successfully in this role.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex communication projects from planning through to implementation and evaluation.
- Proven ability to provide trusted strategic communication advice to senior stakeholders and navigate competing priorities to achieve organisational outcomes.
- Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to develop clear, concise and compelling content tailored to diverse audiences and channels.
- Strong experience developing communication strategies, plans and approaches informed by audience insights, research and organisational objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment and within tight timeframes.
- Proven ability to use data, research and evaluation to measure communication effectiveness and inform continuous improvement.
- Experience managing external suppliers and procurement activities to achieve value for money and quality outcomes.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively without direct authority.
- Demonstrated sound judgement and resilience when managing complex, sensitive or high-profile issues.
- Proven ability to lead and develop others through coaching, mentoring and fostering a positive team culture.
- A minimum of five years' experience delivering strategic communication outcomes within a complex organisational environment.
Eligibility
- AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
- Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.
