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 role
The Assistant Commissioner, Communication, Education and Engagement will join a team of highly motivated and collaborative professionals that work in the Service Delivery Group (SDG) and the broader AEC Senior Executive Group.
The Communications, Education and Engagement Branch (CEEB) delivers strategic communication, community and public engagement, and electoral education initiatives that support inclusive and informed democratic participation. The branch plays a critical role in shaping public understanding of electoral processes, fostering trust with diverse communities, and ensuring culturally responsive outreach. Its work is considered business critical and contributes directly to the organisation’s core mission.
The Assistant Commissioner, CEEB currently oversees the following 5 sections:
Communication:
The Communications Section leads the AEC’s enterprise-wide approach to strategic messaging, ensuring consistency, clarity, and alignment across all internal and external channels. This includes the delivery of major external communication campaigns and coordinated internal communications. The section also supports organisational priorities by providing strategic communications guidance to the agency’s Funding and Disclosure Reform Program and the Election Systems Modernisation (Indigo) Program.
Strategic Communication and Engagement:
The Strategic Communication and Engagement Section supports the core AEC objective to be a leading communication, engagement, and education organisation. It delivers corporate communication and contributes to the Enhancing Indigenous Electoral participation program. The section leads targeted community engagement, working with priority groups through partnerships, co-design, and community education initiatives. It also manages public enquiries, feedback and complaints, including website responses and a comprehensive knowledge library.
Electoral Education:
The Electoral Education section is responsible for schools, and community and adult education. This includes the National Electoral Education Centre, the AEC's Writs to Referendums electoral exhibition at Old Parliament House, the DemocraCity electoral education video game, as well as schools and teacher engagement, education resource development, and training and support for AEC staff and partners delivering education to the Australian community through the AEC's IEPP and Community Engagement programs.
Indigenous Electoral Participation Program:
The AEC's priorities include supporting electoral participation for all Australians. Responding to barriers faced in relation to First Nations electoral participation in a respectful, collaborative, user-centred, and positive way is essential to achieving sustainable long-term democratic outcomes. The IEPP team work with our partners to help communities understand how to enrol and vote and share stories of why people vote. This is critical for building sustained electoral participation.
Media and Digital Engagement:
The Media and Digital Engagement team manages our social media presence, acts as the key liaison with media outlets, and coordinates AEC media releases. The team play a central role in promoting accurate, timely communication and strengthening trust with the Australian public across digital and traditional media.
Primary Accountabilites
The responsibilities of the Assistant Commissioner, Communication, Education and Engagement Branch include:
- Building and maintaining strong strategic relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, exchanging information, negotiating, and influencing, to resolve complex issues and achieve key objectives.
- Representing the AEC in external meetings with other government agencies, working groups, private sector stakeholder forums, and at Parliamentary Committee hearings.
- Ensuring that programs and activities managed by the Branch are evaluated to inform future priorities, and align with key legislation, policies, standards, and frameworks.
- Providing high quality and timely advice, guidance and reporting to the Senior Executive cohort, relevant governance forums, Executive Leadership Team, and the Electoral Commissioner in relation to Branch functional responsibilities.
- Identifying, managing, and escalating emerging risk including maintaining risk management capability and associated controls and treatments.
- Leading and maintaining capabilities to deliver a range of programs and operational services to achieve branch functions within budget parameters. Including:
- Overseeing the uplift of the AEC’s enterprise communications function in support of the Electoral Commissioner’s electoral literacy objectives.
- Overseeing the development and delivery of consistent internal and external messaging, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
- Leading strategic communication initiatives that support corporate objectives and key programs such as the Indigenous Electoral Participation Program.
- Setting national direction for engagement with priority groups, including multicultural communities and people with disability, through partnerships, advisory committees, and pilot programs.
- Driving the delivery of electoral education across schools, communities, and adult audiences. Oversee flagship initiatives such as the National Electoral Education Centre, DemocraCity video game, while supporting staff and partners in delivering education through IEPP and community programs.
- Providing leadership in addressing barriers to First Nations participation through respectful, collaborative, and community-led approaches.
- Setting strategic direction and provide executive oversight for the Media and Digital Engagement team, overseeing social media, media liaison, and media releases to support organisational objectives.
- Leading, managing and mentoring all direct reports, including providing staff with reasonable development opportunities to ensure an agile workforce is developed.
- Performing additional duties or assuming responsibility for additional functions as directed by the Electoral Commissioner and the Executive Leadership Team.
- Achieving readiness for electoral events in line with the Election Ready Road Map milestones and meeting deadlines during election delivery while managing real-time strategic and operational challenges.
The ideal candidate
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications, skills, and experience.
Mandatory:
- A substantial record of achievement in leading and motivating staff to achieve strategic and operational goals within a complex public or private sector environment.
- The ability to effectively manage complex organisational risks, incidents, and crises, and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
- Extensive knowledge and experience in successfully leading and delivering effective policy development and planning in a challenging environment under scrutiny and time restraints, with competing priorities.
- The ability to evaluate external environments and program outcomes, gathering information for the purposes of informing future priorities to ensure that programs and activities align with key legislation, policies, standards, and frameworks.
- Proven ability to communicate with influence, negotiate strategic outcomes and manage strategic stakeholder relationships, including across a geographically dispersed network.
- Proven strategic conceptual and analytical abilities with sound knowledge of change management practices and techniques to enable innovation.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and manage staff while developing capabilities and embedding professionalism.
- Demonstrated personal drive and integrity whilst achieving results within legislative and budget parameters.
- Demonstrated ability to lead the development and implementation of communication and engagement strategies that support organisational objectives and enhance public trust.
Desirable:
- Relevant qualifications in communications, management, public administration or similar.
- Knowledge of, or ability to, quickly gain knowledge of Australian electoral law and practice.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Commonwealth frameworks.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex communication campaigns.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this position, you must be an Australian citizen. Exemptions may apply in certain circumstances, such as if you are expecting to gain citizenship.
In addition, there may be an exclusion period if you have received a redundancy benefit from a previous APS employer.
This position is a position of trust. The occupants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance to the level of Negative Vetting Level 2 or hold a current security clearance of appropriate level. You will be required to undertake a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History check (police check) prior to engagement.
How to apply
Your application must be submitted online prior to the closing date.
Your application should contain the following documents:
- Based on the primary accountabilities and the qualities of an ideal candidate, a strictly two-page pitch outlining why you would be best suited to this key leadership opportunity with the AEC.
- Your resume of no more than three pages, including the names and contact details of at least two referees.
