Specialisterne Australia offers an alternative pathway for people on the autism spectrum to connect with employers who recognise and value the contributions and talents that individuals on the spectrum can bring to their organisations. We are excited to partner with Services Australia in their Aurora Neurodiversity Program, servicesaustralia.gov.au/aurora, for a Program Support Officer from within our community of talented autistic candidates.
About Services Australia
We touch the lives of almost every Australian and we are here to help people meet life’s challenges. Services Australia is responsible for the delivery of advice and high quality, accessible social, health and child support services and payments. We continually build on our foundation of service excellence to shape how government services are delivered to the Australian community. Our task is to modernise the way we work to deliver simple, helpful, respectful and transparent services every time. We offer work that improves the lives of Australians, great working conditions, workplace diversity and inclusion that reflects the community we serve and flexible work practises for work and family life balance.
Aurora offers:
An inclusive recruitment process that allows candidates to demonstrate their skills and capacity in a format that removes barriers from traditional recruitment processes
18-month employment contract with a competitive salary
Learning and development – including on-the-job and formal training/qualification
Ongoing support and coaching throughout the program from an experienced neurodiversity specialist provider
A dedicated agency relationship manager.
About the role
APS4 Program Support Officer (1 Vacancy)
About the team – Tailored Programs Branch
Tailored Programs Branch (the branch) is responsible for ensuring customers experiencing vulnerability, including people from multicultural backgrounds, incarcerated customers, people who are affected by family and domestic violence and farmers, have access to appropriate payments and services.
The branch maintains relationships with policy agencies including Department of Home Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Social Services, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Treasury and all state and territory departments responsible for corrective services.
Tenure
The roles are full-time, non-ongoing/ongoing, non-ongoing contracts for up to 18 months.
Location of role
These roles are located in Brisbane, QLD
Aurora Neurodiversity Program 2023
APS4 Program Support Officer | Brisbane, QLD
Please Note: All applications must go through Specialisterne Australia. Our partner employers do not handle applications directly for these opportunities.
What you will do
Program Support professionals provide support to several areas within a specific program.
They monitor and prepare reports, and liaise with key stakeholders. Program Support Officers undertake procedural, clerical, administrative or operational tasks associated with the delivery of the agency's programs. Working under the direction of senior staff, their responsibilities include conducting basic research and analysis and providing general administrative support to program related activities.
They may be required to communicate with a range of internal and external stakeholders and provide advice to ensure the consistent delivery of program services.
As a Program Support Officer, you will work as part of a multi-skilled team. Duties may include some or all the following:
assist senior team members in the coordination of programs administered by the agency, including preparation of program documentation
assist in the conduct of research and analysis and contribution to reports on relevant program activities
liaise with internal and external stakeholders to deliver program services and represent the team or work area in relevant forums and committees
provide advice, procedural guidance and administrative support to staff
assist in policy review including the development of new policies and guidelines
liaise with other staff and teams to resolve routine program and policy issues
identify opportunities for business and process improvement and offer change solutions to leadership
exercise appropriate delegations in accordance with legislation and guidelines
What you should have
These things are important to have:
Ability to:
communicate in an effective way
build relationships and engage with diverse groups of people
collaborate with other staff in immediate work area and other areas of the agency
research and make sound decisions using appropriate judgement
demonstrate sound organisation and coordination skills and apply attention to detail.
What is nice to have: These things are not essential, but if you have them that’s great:
Love problem solving
Enjoy performing research and analysis activities
Can communicate and convey key messages, verbal and written
Can work as part of a team
Diversity and cultural sensitivities
What you must have To apply for these roles, these things are essential:
Must be 18 years of age or over
Must have a diagnosis of autism (including Autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's disorder, Autistic disorder, or PDD-NOS). ‘Specialisterne may be required to provide evidence of your diagnosis to Services Australia to confirm your eligibility for the program.’
Must have proof of Australian Citizenship and agree to background checks
Must be able to obtain a Baseline security clearance
Must live (or be willing to relocate to) a daily commutable distance to Brisbane.
Application process:
Step 1
Before you can apply for jobs through Specialisterne Australia, you must first register with us as an eligible candidate using the form on this page. You only need to do this once, existing candidates already registered using this form can proceed to login at the candidate portal. To commence the registration process, please make sure you have the required documents stated below:
Evidence of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Evidence could be a Diagnostic Assessment or a letter from a treating medical practitioner.
Proof of Australian Citizenship. Accepted documents are one of the following:
Australian Birth Certificate
Current Australian Passport
Certificate of Australian Citizenship
Step 2
NEW CANDIDATES
Upload your documents using the form provided on this page below. A member of our team will check your eligibility and you will then be sent a link to complete an online registration form with Specialisterne Australia. After you have completed your registration form, you will be sent a link to the candidate portal to upload supporting documents and apply for our jobs.
EXISTING CANDIDATES
If you have already registered as an eligible candidate with Specialisterne Australia using the form below and have an account, you can login to your account in the candidate portal to apply for the jobs or opportunities you are most interested in. A link to the candidate portal is contained in the form provided on this page below.
Step 3
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in activities and assessments delivered by Specialisterne and Services Australia to determine their suitability for the various opportunities. Talk to us if you need some flexibility to participate in these, particularly if you cannot attend because of work or study commitments.
Step 4
At the conclusion of the activities, successful candidates will be offered employment. If you are unsuccessful, you may be considered for other Specialisterne opportunities.
Activities will be delivered in-person and online in a virtual assessment centre environment and therefore candidates are expected to have use of their own computer with a webcam and microphone and have access to the internet.
About Specialisterne Australia
Specialisterne Australia exists because autistic candidates are being overlooked for employment, largely due to the many barriers that autistic candidates come up against when competing for employment in typical recruitment practices.
Specialisterne has created an end-to-end recruitment and employee support framework that removes those typically found barriers, and replaces them with practical, demonstrative assessments and activities whereby candidates, over a patient process, have the opportunity to:
better understand the requirements of the roles they are competing for to assess if they are the right opportunities for them
meet team members and managers throughout the process
connect with others who have previously gained employment via this program
demonstrate through practical assessments and activities their motivation and suitability for the available roles over a patient process
‘show’ what they can do (not just tell someone what you can do)
At Specialisterne Australia our values are Respect, Clarity, Accommodation, and Accessibility. We keep these in mind in all that we do. We work with our partner employers to promote and sustain a diverse and inclusive workforce.
To support you further throughout your journey, we provide a mentor and buddy, and we work with you to tailor an individual plan to accommodate your needs in the workplace, also providing a period of support for both you and your future employer, ensuring a successful transition into your new role.
More information:
We look forward to receiving your applications.
Aurora Neurodiversity Program
A pathway for people with autism to start their career in the Australian Public Service (APS) with opportunities in Services Australia.
The Aurora Neurodiversity Program (the Program) recognises the unique skills and talents people who are neurodivergent can bring to work. The Program seeks to improve career outcomes and offers professional development and work experience by providing a gateway to the APS.