About the Treaty Authority

The Treaty Authority is an independent entity with a mandate to facilitate the formation of treaties between the State of Victoria and First Peoples in Victoria.

The Treaty Authority’s work is grounded in Aboriginal culture, lore and law and led collectively by a panel of five Members committed to Aboriginal self-determination and empowerment. It engages with a broad cross-section of stakeholders including the State of Victoria, the First Peoples’ Assembly and Traditional Owners in Victoria.

The objects of the Treaty Authority’s work are to:

• Facilitate the journey towards reconciliation, mutual respect and tolerance between First Peoples and other people of the State and to
• Maintain, promote and advance the self-determination and empowerment, culture and human rights of First Peoples.

About the Role

The role of Director Communications and Engagement will oversee and lead the Treaty Authority’s Community and Engagement function. This role is fundamental in creating awareness of the Treaty Authority and its role by driving the development and implementation of effective community engagement strategies that enhance its visibility and connection with Victorian First Peoples and Traditional Owners.

An essential component of this role’s success is the ability to lead the Authority’s engagement with Traditional Owner groups, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, other Aboriginal community groups and with government, non-government and private sector entities.

In addition, this role holds responsibility for the Treaty Authority’s brand management, management of public relations and its broad communication functions.

This is a three-year fixed-term opportunity, based at our offices in Collingwood.

Key Duties

• Establish and lead a culturally responsive and robust communications and engagement framework, strategy and agenda.
• Develop a framework to ensure the provision of high-quality and impactful community engagement support to the Treaty Authority’s key stakeholders, partners and communities.
• Develop strong, trusting relationships with key stakeholders, partners, communities and knowledge-holders.
• Develop and implement a strategy for engaging with government, non-government and private sector entities that will develop, maintain and activate relationships with ministerial offices, other elected officials, the public service and public sector entities, in consultation with relevant functions across the organisation (such as policy).
• Lead the design and build of the Treaty Authority’s client relationship management system (CRM) and databases along with maintaining the ongoing integrity of the system and information.
• Oversee the effective collection and consolidation of feedback received from the Aboriginal community, including reporting feedback to the Members and senior leadership team for consideration and action.
• Capitalise on data-driven insights to evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement strategies and ensure adjustments are made as needed.
• Establish and lead an experienced team of communication professionals, playing a key leadership role in fostering positive team engagement and inspiring an inclusive and high-performing culture across the Treaty Authority.
• Actively promote and advocate the vision and initiatives of the Treaty Authority within and outside the organisation as a member of the executive leadership team.

Selection Criteria

• A passion for seeing treaties being achieved in Victoria.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of First Peoples and extensive experience working and engaging with First Peoples’ cultures and communities.
• A relevant tertiary degree with significant directly relevant experience in a similar role is an advantage.
• A senior leadership background which includes experience interacting and working with boards or senior leaders to provide strategic advice and support.
• A track record of developing and implementing comprehensive communication and community engagement strategies that enhance organisational visibility, engage stakeholders, and drive organisational objectives.
• Strong experience in working with various internal and community stakeholders to achieve strategic outcomes.
• A demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and engage sensitively with First Peoples including the requirement for proper negotiation and consultation.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team of professionals.
• Highly developed cultural safety and intercultural communication skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and experience as a confident public speaker with the capacity to tailor communication styles to different preferences and audiences.
• Strong program management experience in effectively delivering strategic objectives and projects.
• Strategic thinker who can translate organisational objectives into clear and robust strategies.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, with a high level of adaptability and resilience.

This position is commensurate with a SES1 range starting at a salary of $216,376 including super, depending on the successful applicant’s experience.

This position is open to everyone, however the nature of the Treaty Authority’s work means we strongly encourage First Peoples to apply.

If you feel you could contribute well in this role, click the Apply Now button to submit your application with a copy of your resume along with a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this opportunity.