About the Company
Our client is a Commonwealth Government department committed to strengthening Australia's skills and employment system. Within the Skills System Performance team, you'll contribute to nationally significant work that informs policy decisions and improves education and workforce outcomes through robust research and evidence-based analysis.
About the Role
An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced EL1 Principal Policy Officer to support an expanding program of work focused on Vocational Education and Training (VET) to Higher Education (HE) pathways and outcomes.
Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you'll undertake complex policy research, collaborate with data specialists and engage with key stakeholders to deliver high-quality policy advice and analytical outputs. You'll play a key role in developing analytical frameworks, interpreting complex datasets and producing clear, evidence-based reports that support government decision-making.
- Conduct research and analysis on VET to Higher Education pathways and outcomes.
- Develop consistent definitions and analytical frameworks for pathway analysis.
- Deliver evidence-based policy advice informed by research and data.
- Prepare high-quality reports, documentation and policy papers.
- Collaborate with economists, data scientists and policy professionals.
- Support data reporting, publications and broader program delivery.
- Ensure compliance with privacy, procurement and data governance requirements.
About You
To be successful in this role, you'll bring demonstrated experience delivering complex policy work within government or a similarly complex environment, alongside strong analytical capability.
- Strong knowledge of Australia's VET and Higher Education sectors, including relevant data systems.
- Experience designing analytical or research frameworks.
- Demonstrated experience working with large administrative datasets, ideally including the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA).
- Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
- Excellent written communication skills with the ability to produce clear, defensible and accessible reports.
- The ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
- A Baseline Security Clearance, or the ability to obtain one.
The Benefits
- EL1 opportunity within a high-profile Commonwealth Government team.
- 12-month contract to June 2027 with potential extension of up to 12 months.
- Opportunity to contribute to nationally significant education and skills policy.
- Flexible work arrangements may be available by agreement.
- Positions available across multiple Australian locations including Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin, Newcastle, Orange and Bendigo.
How to apply
Please apply with current resume in Microsoft Word format only (.doc or .docx). If you would like to have a confidential discussion, please contact Natalee Thorpe (Natalee.thorpe@davidsonwp.com), quoting reference JN -072026-43862.
Want to know more about Davidson? Visit us at www.davidsonwp.com
