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 Developers 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.
The Australian Federal Government’s Agency, Services Australia (the agency) is working with Specialisterne to attract the skills, talents, and abilities of prospective people on the autism spectrum, who can contribute to their workforce. The agency recognises every story counts. Each individual brings their own range of skills and perspectives to the workplace. The agency values inclusion and diversity and supports staff to reach their full potential. The agency values the mutual benefits to both the incoming candidates sourced through the 2022-23 Aurora Neurodiversity Program and the valuable skills and abilities people on the autism spectrum can offer.
Specialisterne is excited to be partnering with Services Australia to deliver the 2022-23 Aurora Neurodiversity Program. We are looking to recruit individuals interested in test engineer roles from our community of talented autistic candidates.
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.
Specialisterne 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.
Types of roles available:
APS5 Developer x 5
Location of roles:
All job roles are located in Canberra and applicants should live within a commutable distance to Canberra. Applicants prepared to relocate to Canberra for employment through the 2022-23 Aurora Neurodiversity Program are encouraged to apply. If you are applying from outside of Canberra and would require relocating, please consider the various factors associated with relocating and Government relocation incentives.
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 Canberra, ACT
Aurora Neurodiversity Program 2023
APS5 Developer | Canberra, ACT
Please Note: All applications must go through Specialisterne Australia. Our partner employers do not handle applications directly for these opportunities.
Developers
Use their in-depth knowledge to provide technical advice and guidance to less experienced staff. Developers work under the support and general direction of senior staff.
They exercise a degree of independent judgement and make decisions within defined parameters that require some reliance on skills and knowledge. Developers undertake their work in the context of competing priorities and contributes to changes in workplace practices and business improvement strategies.
As a Developer you will work as part of a multi-skilled team.
The key duties of the position include:
undertake a range of analysis, design, software development, prototyping, testing and maintenance activities under guidance from senior developers
draft technical documentation for review by senior staff
provide maintenance and support within the assigned area of responsibility
create software and technical designs for the realisation of medium complexity custom solutions or conversion and migration solutions
under limited guidance adhere to high quality standards in software development
provide release support and maintenance for developments
ensure compliance with endorsed software development methodologies
assist in the development and delivery of projects within the assigned area of responsibility
collaborate with stakeholders to ensure effective and timely resolution of production issues
provide advice and support to colleagues with technical aspects of software support, maintenance and development
escalate issues as identified and suggest alternative approaches
allocate work to team members, using judgement to match issue complexity and staff capability, and reduce peaks and troughs in workload
maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant ICT policies and processes and share knowledge with other team members
assist with cost analysis activities as required
exercise delegations in accordance with legislations and guidelines.
What you should have
Ability to:
investigate and/or respond to identified issues and escalate as needed
communicate confidently and present messages in a clear, concise and articulate manner
work independently and as part of a team under general direction
prioritise competing tasks and work collaboratively to see projects through to completion
adapt to a changing environment and assist others to adjust
build rapport and maintain stakeholder relationships
manage time and organise work against performance expectations and contribute towards team-work plans
analyse information and make recommendations based on evidence
research and make sound decisions based on sound subject matter knowledge and judgement.
What is nice to have: These things are not essential, but if you have them that is great:
A strong interest, knowledge or experience with SQL, Java, Python and HTML
Love problem solving
Enjoy performing research and analysis activities
Can work as part of a team
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 Canberra.
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.