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?

• Deliver sound evidence-based youth-specific policy advice to government
• 2 x Full time, fixed term VPS5 opportunities to late 2021
• Salary range $101,120 - $122,348 plus superannuation

About us

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is responsible for the supervision of children and young people in the criminal justice system, with the aim to reduce youth offending and to work with partners to provide genuine opportunities for children and young people to turn their lives around.

The strategic vision, reform directions and underpinning principles of Youth Justice in Victoria are detailed in the Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2020-2030, which can be found here.

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.

About the roles

In collaboration with colleagues in community and custodial services, you 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 roles operate within a complex and dynamic environment, requiring you to quickly understand the services, reforms and initiatives across government that intersect with the department's priorities, to deliver comprehensive, informed and cohesive policy positions.

In both roles you will be working on:

• significant or complex program, policy initiatives
• coordination of reports, briefings, papers and presentations to support Youth Justice executives and the Minister for Youth Justice.

In the Senior Legal Policy Officer role you will also:

• provide timely and accurate legal and legal policy advice, reasoned recommendations and innovative options and solutions to complex and sensitive issues
• consult within the Youth Justice Division and business units and external stakeholders on youth justice-related legislative proposals.

To do this, you will:

• use your ability to understand new subject matter quickly and demonstrate appropriate initiative
• use your strong written communication skills, writing accurate, timely and audience-appropriate strategic documents
• use your ability to build and maintain strong working relationships
• ideally bring knowledge of current policy direction, research and issues within Youth Justice and the needs of young people involved in the criminal justice system.

To be successful in the role you will have:

• experience in, or knowledge of, Victorian Government administrative processes
• A tertiary qualification in a relevant field is also desirable
• Senior Legal Policy Officer: Experience in providing authoritative legal advice and legal policy advice, and working effectively with both external legal representatives and internal operational areas.

For more information on the accountabilities and key selection criteria for each role, please refer to the attached position descriptions.

Why work with us?

At the Department of Justice and Community Safety, we provide every person with the means to achieve their potential through ongoing learning and development opportunities in a diverse, equitable and supportive environment.

We look for people who are prepared to do their very best in line with our values and behaviours. Our values shape and influence how we recruit, train and develop our staff and build relationships with stakeholders.

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

During the COVID-19 pandemic all of our assessment processes will be facilitated remotely using online tools to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our candidates and staff.  No face to face contact is required and induction training will also be completed online for those who are successful in securing a position with us.

How to apply

Please click the Apply button at the bottom of this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter outlining your relevant skills and experience for the position.

Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

Please note: there are no Key Selection Criteria (KSC) questions required for this application and you do not need to separately address any KSC.