Company Description

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia’s independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. TEQSA’s purpose is to deliver quality assurance that protects the interests of students and the reputation and standing of Australian higher education.

As an independent quality assurance and regulatory agency, TEQSA adopts a risk-based approach that is guided by principles of necessity, risk, and proportionality, and which supports quality, diversity, innovation, and excellence in tertiary education. 

TEQSA has three strategic objectives in delivering its purpose:

1. Promote and support good practice and effective self-assurance across the sector. 
2. Identify, analyse, and respond to risks to the sector. 
3. Ensure compliance with applicable legislation through effective and efficient regulation.

About you

• are you passionate about contributing to the excellence of Australian higher education?
• are you a strategic thinker with a drive for innovation and collaboration?
• do you want to work in a challenging, dynamic, and rewarding environment that is mission-focused?

Our opportunity

TEQSA currently has multiple opportunities in the Policy and Research Team, which sits within the Policy, Research and Engagement group.

TEQSA’s Policy, Research and Engagement group are responsible for:

• Leading and managing sector policy analysis and research capacity in support of TEQSA’s regulatory role
• Design, development, and dissemination of resources for enhancing sector compliance with regulatory legislative requirements
• Leading TEQSA’s internal and external communication strategy, including media engagement, website presence, social media, and internal communications 
• Ensuring productive and responsible relationships between TEQSA and key external stakeholders, including higher education peak bodies, regulatory beneficiaries (students, employers, and the Australian public), other regulators, industry professional bodies, government departments and international quality assurance agencies 
• Managing TEQSA’s Register of Experts to support the work of the Agency
• Coordinating and managing events, such as speaking engagements and the TEQSA annual conference.

As an APS6 Senior Policy Officer in the Policy and Research Team you will, working under limited direction, analyse and interpret complex information to provide advice and recommendations to a range of stakeholders. The stakeholders you will do this for include decision makers, other internal staff, and external stakeholders. You will also support TEQSA in identifying issues and emerging risks impacting the sector, as well as planning and implementing projects and initiatives to address these issues.

The core duties of the APS6 Senior Policy Officer role include:

• Leading the development and implementation of strategic projects and initiatives to enhance TEQSA’s regulatory capability and improving guidance to and support for, the higher education sector relating to compliance with the ESOS and TEQSA frameworks
• Undertaking complex research and where required, coordinating responses from internal and external stakeholders to identify and report on issues impacting TEQSA and the higher education sector, as well as evaluating and recommending strategies to address these issues
• Drafting high quality and concise advice briefs, presentations, and reports for a range of audiences to facilitate positive, timely communications with stakeholders and enable effective internal reporting and decision making
• Liaising and consulting with internal and external stakeholders to foster positive, collegial, and effective working relationships as well as facilitating knowledge sharing to enhance TEQSA’s intelligence capability 
• Contributing to the ongoing achievement of the Policy, Research and Engagement Group’s corporate and business planning objectives
• Working effectively and collaboratively in a team, managing competing priorities and requests while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail, solving problems, and providing advice, training and support to others as required.

Why work at TEQSA?

TEQSA welcomes people with diverse skills, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. TEQSA encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, people with disabilities, people that identify as LGBTQIA+, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

How to apply

If this sounds like the role for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You will be directed to our careers website where you can view the full Candidate Information Pack. This includes the position duties, our ideal candidate (selection criteria) and eligibility requirements.

Your application must include a TEQSA job application cover sheet, a current resume and a 2-page pitch in response to the 'our ideal candidate' section.

Please submit any enquiries to [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Policy Officer enquiry via EthicalJobs. Enquiries about the role can be directed to the contact officer Penelle Stern on 03 8306 2546.

For more information on TEQSA visit https://www.teqsa.gov.au/careers