EL2 Policy Officer

Lead negotiations on government investment decisions, and shape agreements with major Australian heavy industry employers.

This department leads national industrial policy, working to decarbonise and modernise Australia’s heavy industry while securing the country’s critical industrial capability for the long term.

It negotiates and delivers government investment into heavy industry, working directly with major industrial employers, investors and state governments to structure investment agreements.

The programs it delivers span critical minerals processing, green metals, low-carbon manufacturing and clean energy supply chains, backed by mechanisms including production tax incentives and direct co-investment.

The Opportunity

This EL2 Policy role sits within a division responsible for negotiating government investment in national industrial capability, including the commercial and legal agreements that underpin it.

You’ll work on live negotiations at a point where government investment criteria and production tax incentives are actively shaping which projects proceed and on what terms.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead negotiations and help structure investment agreements with major Australian heavy industry employers, rather than advise on them from a distance
• Write and own ministerial and Cabinet submissions on decisions with real economic weight, rather than feeding into someone else’s brief
• Build direct working relationships with Treasury, Finance and PM&C counterparts, plus state government stakeholders, as a named contact
• Work at the point where public policy meets commercial deal-making, with direct exposure to Financial Assistance Agreements and term sheets
• Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane based, with flexible working arrangements genuinely available

The Role

In this EL2 Policy role, you’ll manage the negotiation and delivery of government investment into heavy industry, from term sheet to signed agreement.

Your responsibilities include:

• Supporting complex negotiations with industry, including developing term sheets and legal agreements to deliver outcomes in the national interest
• Leading the development of ministerial briefings, departmental executive briefings and Cabinet submissions on the economic implications of government investment in industrial capability
• Managing competing and complex priorities in a fast-moving environment, including oversight of commercial and legal advisors supporting policy development
• Managing relationships with cross-departmental stakeholders, including Treasury, Finance and PM&C, and state government counterparts, to progress Commonwealth policy objectives
• Communicating economic and financial analysis to underpin advice to government on industrial capability and economic resilience
• Coordinate internal departmental stakeholders to draw online area expertise in advice to government and senior executives

The Ideal Person

This role suits someone who can hold their own in a negotiation, translate complex economic and financial detail for non-technical audiences, and stay across multiple live issues without losing precision.

You will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, public policy or a related discipline
• A strong understanding of the public policy levers used to shape economic outcomes and build economic resilience
• Demonstrated project management experience, including managing competing priorities to deliver outcomes for government
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams and building team capability in a fast-moving environment
• Experience developing collaborative working relationships with external and internal stakeholders, ideally across government or with industry
• The ability to synthesise economic and financial concepts for non-technical audiences, including executives and ministers
• Sound judgement in identifying and managing risk, with a strong grounding in probity, transparency and fairness

It’s also desired for you to have:

• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience leading negotiations, including developing Financial Assistance Agreements

An Australian citizenship is required, along with a current Baseline security clearance.

Salary / Rate

• $120/hr – $140/hr + Super
• Initial 3-month labour hire contract with a potential 9-month extension.
• Candidates can be based in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane, with flexible working arrangements available