Careers Website – add this to the ‘careers.vic.gov.au summary’ on Springboard 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 young people and recognises that young peoples’ 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?

• Great opportunity to join Youth Justice
• Make a positive difference in keeping our community safe
• Attractive salary between $105,479 - $127,621 + superannuation

An exciting ongoing opportunity exists for a Senior Policy Officer in Youth Justice Policy and Strategy

About us

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is responsible for the supervision of children and young people in the criminal justice system and for providing strategic advice and delivering strategic outcomes to address youth crime and reduce offending.

What does Youth Justice Policy and Strategy do?

The Youth Justice Policy and Strategy Unit supports this work through policy reform and development including providing evidence-based, youth-specific policy and strategic and responsive advice to government.

What does the Senior Policy Officer do?

In collaboration with colleagues in community and custodial services, the Senior Policy Officer will contribute to improvements and reforms to Youth Justice in line with contemporary best practice and informed by data and evidence on youth offending.

The role operates within a complex and dynamic environment, requiring the Senior Policy Officer to quickly understand the services, reforms and initiatives across government that are complementary to and intersect with the department's priorities.

The Senior Policy Officer delivers comprehensive, informed and cohesive policy positions through understanding new subject matter quickly, demonstrating appropriate initiative, and writing accurate, timely and audience-appropriate strategic documents

What skills should a Senior Policy Officer have?

As our ideal candidate, you will have:

• Strong knowledge of and/or experience in Victorian Government administrative processes.
• Exposure to significant or complex policy initiatives and programs.
• Knowledge of current policy direction, research and issues within Youth Justice and the criminal justice system more broadly and the needs of young people involved in the criminal justice system.

To learn more about the type of skills you will need to thrive in this role, please read the position description.

What's in it for you?

You will be working for the Department of Justice and Community Safety, which is one arm of the Victorian State Government, a recognised top employer of choice nationally. All our staff work to the vision of a safe, just, innovative and thriving Victoria.

There are many advantages in working for the department, including:

• Job stability – ongoing position as a member of the Victorian Public Service (VPS)
• A fair salary– enjoy great work conditions and salary sacrificing options.
• Transparent performance framework– approach your work with confidence in how you're tracking, working to professional development plans agreed on by you and your manager.
• Generous leave entitlements– provisions for many forms of leave; including personal, parental, carers, study, cultural, compassionate, and sick leave.
• Employee Assistance Program support – you are encouraged to use this short-term, confidential counselling service if you're experiencing emotional stress, relationship problems, conflict with others or personal issues. It is also available for financial counselling and retirement planning.

If you have any queries, please contact Kate Blanch on 03 8684 1003 or email Kate.Blanch@justice.vic.gov.au

We want to make sure all Victorians feel represented by the department's work. One of the ways we do this is by recruiting a diverse workforce – we welcome people of any gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability and cultural background. We are also committed to the Victorian Government's promise to increase the number of veterans working in the public sector.

We're proud of our individual differences. We're proud of the many languages we speak and the stories we can share with each other. We hope you will share your story too.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is continually working towards increasing our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) workforce. The Aboriginal Employment Team aims to attract, recruit and retain Aboriginal staff across all our roles. This support includes a culturally appropriate attraction and recruitment process. To learn more, email aboriginal.employment@justice.vic.gov.au

If this sounds like a compelling job that you believe your skills would be a great match for, please APPLY NOW. Applications close 11.59pm Sunday 2 April 2023.

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:

The department is committed to providing and maintaining a working environment which is safe and without risk to the health of its employees consistent with the department's obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic). Therefore, there is a requirement that all DJCS employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to undertake duties outside of their homes.

At interview stage and prior to commencement of employment with the department, you will need to provide evidence that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 with three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Upon commencement of employment with the department you will be required to provide evidence that you have an up-to-date vaccination status within the timelines specified by the department into the DJCS Service Portal. This includes evidence of three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine required by the department (from time to time).

Acceptable evidence includes:

1. COVID-19 digital certificate (available via your myGov account)
2. Your immunisation history statement (available via your myGov account)

Other documentation outside the above will not be accepted as evidence of having received your COVID-19 vaccine doses.