Michael Berkman, Greens MP for Maiwar, is recruiting for an Electorate Officer to work on community campaigning and constituent support matters. The role is ongoing, at four days per week, based at our Electorate Office at 1/49 Station Rd Indooroopilly. 

About us 

This position works within Michael Berkman’s Electorate Office where you’ll work alongside Michael and our team to help constituents in Maiwar solve problems and achieve political change that transforms politics in Queensland.  

We are a small team, comprising five other staff members who all work part time (1-4 days per week), plus Michael. 

Our office works alongside other Queensland Greens representatives, particularly Amy MacMahon State MP for South Brisbane and Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Federal MP for Ryan. 

About the role 

This senior role in the office will:  

• Help Michael work with residents to achieve political change on local and state-wide issues, and 
• Support constituents and community groups to solve problems and navigate systems.

You must have a commitment to the values and platform on which Michael was elected, and must display sound political and strategic judgement. 

You must have the ability to work independently, particularly in Michael’s absence. You will be expected to observe high levels of confidentiality in relation to Michael’s duties and constituent work and demonstrate a high standard of people skills, written expression and attention to detail. 

The Electorate Officer reports to the Chief of Staff and ultimately to Michael. You won’t have staff supervisory responsibilities, but will be required to coordinate and lead volunteers. 

Key responsibilities  

• Work collaboratively with the team and community stakeholders to lead and coordinate Michael’s campaigns on a range of local west side issues including housing, public transport, city planning, green space, education and social justice;
• Help Michael and the team identify local angles and opportunities to campaign on state-wide issues and achieve political change, particularly within Michael’s portfolios;
• Arrange, coordinate and run events on behalf of Michael e.g. community meetings, demonstrations and direct action tactics, fete stalls, public BBQs, etc;  
• Lead the production of Michael’s twice-yearly hardcopy newsletter, and monthly email newsletters as well as other communications including letters to residents, flyers and surveys; 
• Contribute to content creation for Michael’s social media and website; and
• Where relevant to local issues and constituent work, assist the Chief of Staff to prepare material for Michael’s Parliamentary work (e.g. Briefing notes, Questions on Notice, speeches, etc.). 

• Take a casework approach to helping constituents navigate public services like housing, health, police and city planning, deal with rental issues, interact with utilities and other challenges;
• Help Michael and the team translate individual issues faced by constituents into broader political or community campaigns to address those issues. 
• Liaise with and respond to enquiries from constituents, groups and organisations who contact the electorate office for information, assistance and advice. 
• Carry out research and writing tasks on issues relating to constituent enquiries including letters to Ministers and other stakeholders. 

Selection criteria: 

Desirable Experience

• Experience, whether paid or unpaid, working for social or political change in any context including community organising, union organising, advocacy, communications or politics is advantageous. 
• Experience directly supporting people in social work, case work, legal or community sector roles is advantageous. 
• Experience working in the office of a Councillor, State or Federal MP is helpful but not essential. 

Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities  

• Ability to work as part of a small team, under time constraints and tight deadlines, with a high level of independence.
• Strong writing skills and great organisational and interpersonal communication skills. 
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated capacity to comprehend complex issues, think strategically, solve problems and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Alignment with progressive Greens values and a commitment to making positive change, and ideally experience talking about Greens policies and priorities.
• Good general knowledge, with a particular emphasis on Queensland political and current affairs. 
• Interest in or knowledge of issues relevant to the Maiwar electorate (Auchenflower, Bardon, Taringa, Toowong, St Lucia, Indooroopilly, Fig Tree Pocket). 
• Proven word processing skills, general computing skills (e.g. email and Outlook, spreadsheets, Google Suite, NationBuilder or other databases) and digital housekeeping skills. 

Employment Conditions

This is a permanent part time role at four days per week. There is the possibility to increase hours to full time if our Electorate Office staffing allocation increases in the future. 

After a probation period, Electorate Office staff remain employed whilst Michael remains in office. Should he retire or be defeated at an election then the Electorate Office staff’s employment will cease.

The Electorate Officer classification consists of 10 levels. Electorate Officers usually commence at level 1 and become eligible for an increment after 12 months continuous service, but consideration will be given for a higher starting level based skills and experience.  

The full time equivalent pay rate is $2,815.10 per fortnight or $73,444 p.a. (minimum, level 1) up to $3,852.10 per fortnight or $100,499 p.a. (maximum, level 10), plus 12.75% superannuation. This part time role is paid at 80% of that pay rate.  

Electorate Office staff are employed by the Queensland Parliamentary Service. ​​​​Employment conditions are determined by the Queensland Parliamentary Service Award - State - 2015 and the Parliamentary Service Electorate Office Staff Certified Agreement 2020. A copy of the Award is available at the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission website. A copy of the current Certified Agreement is also available on the QIRC website. 

Equal Opportunity

We know strength comes from diversity. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those from a migrant or non-English speaking background, women and those who identify as LGBTIQ+ to apply. 

Employment Screening

The Queensland Parliamentary Service requires the successful applicant to submit a National Criminal History Check prior to appointment. A criminal conviction or charge will not automatically exclude an applicant from consideration for appointment. All personal information obtained in the application process will be treated confidentially and held securely by the Parliamentary Service.

We will be assessing applications on a rolling basis, so please get your application in as soon as you can.