At the Department of Justice and Community Safety, we’re looking for people who want to make a difference. People who take pride in their work. People who get things done. People who are committed to making Victoria a safer place.

We embrace diversity and strive to have a workforce that reflects the community we serve. We’re all about recruiting the best people, regardless of gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or cultural background. If you think you can do the job and would be a good fit for our department, we’d love to hear from you.

The department is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and recognises that children’s rights need to be respected, their views welcomed and valued, and their concerns taken seriously and acted upon.

If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.

For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit justice.vic.gov.au/careers

We’re proud of the important work we do across Victoria. Want to be part of it?

• Provide high quality policy and reform advice to departmental executives and Ministers.
• Ongoing, Full-Time opportunity within the Policy, Strategy and System Outcomes team.
• VPS Grade 5: $109,730 - $132,764 plus superannuation.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is seeking a Senior Policy and Project Officer to provide a critical role within Corrections and Justice Services.

About the Business Unit

Corrections and Justice Services (CJS) is part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety and is responsible for the direction, management and operation of Victoria's adult corrections system, including Community Correctional Services, public and privately operated prisons, and a transitional centre. It ensures prisoners are safely and securely contained and aims to rehabilitate offenders by addressing the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

CJS is made up of several business units including Corrections Victoria, Justice Services, Custodial Health Services, and Policy, Strategy and System Outcomes (PSSO). This is a critical component of the department's strategy to reduce offending, keep people out of prison and contribute to community safety.

The Senior Policy and Project Officer role sits PSSO business unit. PSSO provides strategic advice and develops policy to improve outcomes for people across the corrections system. The Senior Policy and Project Officer sits in the System Integration team within PSSO. System Integration delivers system integration and reform policy advice, through effective and efficient cross- government engagement to improve outcomes for CJS clients, including those in priority cohorts. 

About the Role

Sitting within the System Integration team in the PSSO unit, the Senior Policy and Project Officer will develop policy advice and manage projects to support the effective integration within the Corrections system and between the Corrections portfolio and other government portfolios.

As the Senior Policy and Project Officer, of your duties will include:

• Providing high quality policy and reform advice to departmental executives and Ministers, with a focus on employment, education, housing and disability policy, priority cohorts in the corrections system, and effective integration between custodial.
• Supporting priority projects focused on improving service and system integration within the Corrections system and between the Corrections portfolio and other government portfolios.
• Supporting the Manager to deliver high quality and authoritative written materials including solutions focussed reports, briefings, papers and presentations on system wide issues and options for senior management, departmental executives, government and other key stakeholders.

To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A proven track record of providing high-quality policy advice relevant to the corrections, housing, employment, or disability sectors.
• Knowledge of current policy direction, research and issues within corrections and the criminal justice system more broadly, or the ability to understand these issues quickly.
• Demonstrated conceptual and analytical skills with ability to analyse complex operational, policy and legal issues.
• A tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline would be strongly preferred.

How to Apply

Please click the Apply button on this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include national police checks and misconduct screening.

If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.

FOR INTERNAL VPS EMPLOYEES:

• For this particular vacancy, priority consideration applies to Victorian Public Service (VPS) and select employees of the Victorian Public Sector who apply through the Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) jobs board platform.
• For all VPS employees, due to the new Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) policy, please apply through the JSE to be eligible to be considered for this position in the first round.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.