About us

The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is Australia’s national human rights institution, dedicated to fostering a society where human rights are upheld, protected, and celebrated. We envision an Australia where every individual is valued equally in dignity and rights.

Our mission involves promoting and safeguarding the human rights of all Australians by:

• Advising all levels of government and various public and private organisations.
• Strengthening laws, policies, and practices while providing accessible investigation and conciliation services.
• Engaging inclusively with civil society, communities, and the private sector.
• Raising awareness about human rights and offering educational resources.
• Collaborating with partners to cultivate a culture of respect for human rights across the nation.

The Strategic Communications Team works with internal and external stakeholders to positively influence debate about, and raise public awareness of, human rights in Australia in everything we do. Our goal is to educate, inform and uphold the Commission’s reputation as a trusted and respected institution.

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Media Advisor to lead the Commission’s media engagement, provide advice to senior leaders and develop communication strategies. In this role, you will handle media enquiries, write media releases, opinion pieces, develop key messages, provide interview briefings, and evaluate the effectiveness of media engagement and communication plans.

This full-time, ongoing / non ongoing position offers a competitive salary range of $115,892 - $129,580 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.

We offer flexible hybrid and remote work options to suit your lifestyle.

What You’ll Do:

• Anticipate and respond to, in a timely and accurate way, media enquiries about the Commission.
• Research and write high quality media releases, statements, opinion pieces and talking points for external and internal distribution.
• Advise the President, Commissioners and any other authorised media spokespeople of the best way to represent the Commission and present a balanced view of human rights related issues in the media and other forums.
• Organise and assist with media interviews and media conferences.
• Coordinate media training and coaching for authorised spokespeople.
• Monitor and evaluate the results of communications plans and activities.
• Write high-quality, engaging and values-based content for a variety of traditional, digital and social platforms and channels, tailored to a range of audiences, and ensure a consistent and appropriate style and tone of voice is applied across all communication outputs.
• Monitor public debate on human rights and discrimination issues and take a proactive approach to promoting the Commission and its work in the media.
• Provide timely advice on and responses to positive and negative issues that may be of public interest and generate media
• Take a proactive approach to risk management and provide advice to the Director, Public Engagement and senior executives on risks and mitigation strategies relating to the Commission’s public engagement.

What We’re Looking For:

• Extensive experience in journalism or media engagement and strategic communications at a senior level.
• Extensive experience in creating content for and managing social media platforms including email marketing platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite including Office 365, and digital and web-based applications and CMS (such as Drupal).
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in communications, public affairs or journalism, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking, political awareness, sound judgement and creative problem solving.
• Experience in providing advice to executives at a senior level and effectively managing relationships with senior executives.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills including the ability to influence senior staff and build strong relationships with staff at all levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to communicate confidently, persuasively, sensitively and articulately, on matters relevant to the delivery of the Commission’s identified strategic priorities

Why Join Us?

By becoming a part of our team, you'll play a vital role in influencing public conversations about human rights and making a meaningful impact. If you’re ready to use your skills to support a cause that matters, we want to hear from you!

Apply Now! Help us shape the future of human rights communication in Australia. Join us in making a difference!

Notes

We strongly encourage First Nations people and individuals from other negatively racialised backgrounds to apply.

We value inclusivity and diversity and seek people who support and model the behaviours we promote in our workforce. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations Australians, mature workers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, culturally and marginalised communities, carers, LGBTIQA+ and people with disability.

Under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian citizens to be employed in the Australian Public Service (APS).

The Commission is committed to providing an accessible, inclusive work environment to enable people with a disability to participate fully in all aspects of employment. Applicants are encouraged to request reasonable adjustment as required to assist your participation in this recruitment process.

Please note that this position may be filled on either an ongoing or non-ongoing basis. If an offer of non-ongoing employment is made, the successful applicant would be employed for an initial period of up to eighteen months with the possibility of extension up to a maximum period of two years in total. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies in the Commission where the duties are of a similar nature.

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information visit: apsc.gov.au/recruitability.

How to Apply

Please provide a resume and a statement (maximum of 2 pages) outlining your interest in this position(s), your experience that would lead to impactful outcomes in the role, and the skills and capabilities you bring.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to fulfill the requirements of the role in an impartial and respectful manner as required by the APS Code of Conduct. The successful candidate will uphold the integrity and independence of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

As part of the recruitment and selection process, applicants will be required to consent to and undergo background checks which may include character and social media checks.

For more Information

Information about the role and Commission practices may be sought from Tracey Young, Director - Strategic Communications via [email protected], using the subject line: Media Advisor enquiry via EthicalJobs. 

A position description is attached.