Project Officer

Project Officer – AHO Executive Office

• Location – Flexible with access to hybrid working arrangement
• Full time Identified ongoing opportunity (35 hours per week)
• Salary from $113,574 to $125,720 pa. + super and annual leave loading
• Diverse and inclusive organisation with generous leave entitlements including flex leave and access to Fitness Passport

This position is open to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people only. The Department acknowledges this lived experience contributes a perspective valuable to our work with this community.

Your role

The Project Officer will manage and implement a range of duties, in line with the directorate’s responsibilities, which improve Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) service delivery or operations and contribute to better outcomes for Aboriginal people including individuals, families, groups and communities.

What you’ll do

Working with a wide range of both internal and external stakeholders across the department, the responsibilities of this role will include (but are not limited too):

• Coordinating responses to Ministerial and Departmental requests
• Reviewing and providing quality assurance on Ministerial briefs as well as preparing any project-related documents for key stakeholders as required, including status updates, reports, budgets and discussion papers to manage the flow of information.
• Responding to any general public enquiries.
• Supporting the reception staff regarding phone calls and mail as well as supporting the 9/10 positions in the executive office.
• Secretariat duties to support the Aboriginal Housing Office Board, including development of papers, coordination of action items, quality assurance of briefs.
• Liaising and working across AHO and Department Divisions and non-government stakeholders to ensure effective interface between program development, planning, service design and policy implementation.
• Seeking out and actively managing key internal and external stakeholder relationships based on open and regular discussions and feedback, to ensure effective interface between program development, planning, service design and policy implementation.

What we’re looking for

Essential Requirements:

• Brief writing and editing experience.
• Tertiary qualifications in a related discipline and/or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience with demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development.

In additional to the essential requirements, the successful candidate will have:

• The ability to work autonomously as well as in a wider team environment.
• Experience in drafting and presenting briefing notes as well as other sectorial and ministerial duties.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to liaise with a range of different stakeholders and develop a rapport with the wider community directly or indirectly involved with projects.
• Strong negotiation, decision-making and organisational skills to be able to meet tight and competing deadlines.
• High attention to detail, advanced editing skills, and a professional demeanour.
• A demonstrated understanding of Aboriginal cultural beliefs and attitudes and of the socio-economic position of Aboriginal people within Australian society, and of their impacts in relation to housing.
• A thorough understanding of the Aboriginal political and historical impacts upon policy developments in NSW and nationally in relation to Aboriginal land rights, and Aboriginal land use.

As an Identified role, this position is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons, Australia’s First Nations people. Where a position is identified, an applicant’s race is a genuine occupational qualification under the exception in Section 14(d) of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.

There are two alternatives to confirming your Aboriginality, one of which must be uploaded to be considered for the role as follows. Either will be accepted:

Confirmation of Aboriginality form

or

Written confirmation from 2-3 Aboriginal organisations within the community in which you live/work, which addresses the three criteria listed below:

• is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, and
• identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, and
• is accepted as a such by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

Download the role description.

What We Offer

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

Want more information?  Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

Apply now and join Australia’s top public sector employer where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment!

Are you ready to join us?

Click apply, attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 3 pages) with a brief outline on how you meet the requirements of the role. During the application process, you will be required to answer the targeted question below:

• In 500 words or less, please tell us about a project you have worked on from start to finish. In your response, please include the stakeholders you worked with, your responsibilities on the project, any implications you endured and any other necessary information.

Applications close Wednesday 28th January 2026 at 11:59pm AEST.

Got a question?

For more information about the role or what it’s like to work for the Aboriginal Housing Office, please contact Bec Scott via email rebecca.scott@aho.nsw.gov.au or 02 8836 0061.

If you’ve got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please call  Stephanie Hughes on 02 8688 0027 or via stephanie.hughes@dcj.nsw.gov.au

Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ website to learn more.

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience, and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers, and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website (for all roles except Aboriginal Identified).

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

To keep up with recruitment opportunities at DCJ, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareersatDCJ/