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Aurora Neurodiversity Program 2023: APS5 Program Officer Canberra, ACT



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 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


APS5 Program Officer - Cyber Security (1 Vacancy)


About the team – Cyber Security Enablement Branch


The Cyber Security - Enablement Branch consists of 5 sections:

  • Cyber Policy - the team develops and maintains Services Australia's cybersecurity strategies and policies. 

  • Cyber Security Advice – the team is the Agency’s first point of contact for all cyber security enquiries. 

  • Integrated Cyber Risk Management Team - work with business and system owners to provide formal recognition and acceptance of the cyber security risk for systems across the agency.

  • Cyber Technology - identifies, innovates, operationalises and maintains cyber security technologies to enhance the agency's security posture.

  • Cyber Vulnerability Management – the team provides the whole-of-life cycle management of cyber vulnerabilities


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 Program Officer | Canberra, ACT


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 Officer professionals provide support to several related projects within a specific program. They monitor project schedules and budgets, prepare progress reports, and liaise with key stakeholders.


Program Officers provide high-level procedural, administrative and operational support to a work area to support the delivery of the agency’s programs. Working under the direction of more senior staff, they provide support to strategic planning and policy development and contribute to changes in workplace practices and business improvement strategies. Program Officers also liaise with internal and external stakeholders and provide advice to ensure the consistent delivery of program services.


As a Cyber Security Program Officer, you will work as part of a multi-skilled team. Duties may include some or all the following:


  • implement programs administered by the agency

  • liaise and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders to deliver program services, increase the profile of the agency's services and attend interagency meetings and forums to obtain and share information

  • manage a team of staff including setting work direction, monitoring and allocating workload, and mentoring and coaching

  • provide advice, procedural guidance and administrative support to staff

  • monitor and report on the achievement of business outcomes, key performance indicators and quality assurance to assist the local leadership team in managing overall performance

  • encourage innovation and support staff through changes in process

  • assist in policy review including the development of new policies and guidelines

  • liaise with other staff and teams to resolve and/or escalate program and policy issues

  • draft a range of written material including business cases, reports, executive briefs and corporate documentation

  • undertake research and analysis and contribute to the preparation of reports on relevant program activities and/or project milestones

  • exercise appropriate delegations in accordance with legislation and guidelines.


What you should have

These things are important to have:

  • communicate in an effective way, verbal and written

  • build relationships and engage with diverse groups of people

  • understand change and communicate it to staff in a meaningful way

  • collaborate with other staff in immediate area and in other areas of the agency

  • research, analyse and make sound decisions using appropriate judgement

  • prioritise workload in the context of competing priorities

  • work in a changing environment

  • support and mentor others


What is nice to have: These things are not essential, but if you have them that’s great:

Main skills/attributes Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) required:

  • Customer service support CSMG - Level 2

  • Measurement MEAS - Level 3

  • Methods and tools METL - Level 3

  • Performance management PEMT - Level 4

  • Project management PRMG - Level 4

  • Portfolio, programme and project support PROF - Level 4

  • Quality management QUMG – Level 4


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 Greenway, Canberra, ACT.









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:

  1. Evidence of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Evidence could be a Diagnostic Assessment or a letter from a treating medical practitioner.

  2. 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.


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