• Permanent role based in Melbourne working with the peak body for the Australian union movement, advancing and defending workers’ rights.
• Play a key role in the Australian trade union movement’s international solidarity work to support the capacity building of trade unions in our region to organise and advance workers’ rights.
• The ACTU is an organisation that respects cultural and social diversity within the workforce and the community. We especially encourage women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of colour, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people from a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds to apply.

Our organisation

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak union body representing nearly 1.7 million workers and their families.

Since our creation in 1927, the ACTU has spearheaded some of the most fundamental workplace struggles in Australia’s history.

The ACTU’s role as a peak body is to encourage workers to join their union, be a national voice for our movement, and advance and defend workers’ rights by co-ordinating union campaigns, representing workers at a range of government and non-government forums and to provide industrial, policy and other support to our affiliates.

The role

The successful candidate will be responsible for the ACTU’s international work to develop the capacity of trade unions in our region, with a special focus on the Pacific, to organise workers and advance workers’ rights.

A commitment to trade union values is essential and experience of working in or with trade unions and/or in rights-based international development is essential.

Key responsibilities

• Supporting the ACTU’s engagement with affiliate unions, Pacific trade unions, partner unions and organisations in relation to the ACTU’s international solidarity work. Includes facilitating meetings, making presentations, and building relationships with stakeholders to identify areas of need and support capacity building.
• Supporting ACTU’s policy work in relation to international trade union development, with a special focus on the Pacific. Includes briefings, reports, submissions, advocacy and analysis of human and trade union rights issues in target countries in the Pacific, with a special focus on the issues of climate justice, gender equity, and labour migration.
• Represent the ACTU at international forums, including meetings, conferences and seminars as delegated by the ACTU Secretary.

Key Selection Criteria

Essential:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated capacity to prepare written communications, reports, submissions, and deliver presentations to a wide variety of audiences.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills.
• Understanding and awareness of the Australian union movement and international union movement values, structures and priority campaigns.
• Capacity to work in international settings and respect cultural and social diversity.
• Capacity to represent a values-based national organisation such as the ACTU.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage competing priorities and demonstrated ability to work both autonomously and as a member of a team.
• Experience working in the Australian or international trade union movement, or international development sector.
• Demonstrated commitment to trade union values and social justice.

Desirable:

• Policy expertise in at least one of the areas of gender equity, climate justice, labour migration or the Pacific.
• Experience as an organiser, campaigner or educator.

Additional information

• Occasional out-of-hours and weekend domestic and international travel required.
• Role based in Melbourne.

Benefits

The ACTU will offer the successful candidate a salary in the range of $114,900 - $134,230 dependant on skills and experience, along with an additional 15% superannuation, annual leave loading, working from home opportunities, generous leave arrangements (including up to 5 additional days of annual leave), and the opportunity to work a rostered day off arrangement.

Please reach out to Clare Middlemas @ [email protected] using the subject line: International Officer - Pacific enquiry via EthicalJobs with any questions regarding the role.

A position description is attached.