Employment

Locally Engaged Level 5 – Senior Policy Officer 

• Ongoing with a three-month probation period; Full-time 

• BRL 12,270 – 13,281 per month (pre-tax and other benefits) 

• Brasilia, Brazil 

 

About The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interests of Australia and Australians internationally.  This involves strengthening Australia’s security, enhancing Australia’s prosperity, delivering an effective and high-quality overseas aid program and helping Australian travellers and Australians overseas.  The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the Australian Government.  DFAT also works with other Australian government agencies to drive coordination of Australia’s pursuit of global, regional and bilateral interests.

 

About the Position 

The Senior Policy Officer is the lead locally engaged officer within the Political-Economic Section of the Australian Embassy in Brasília.  The position works under limited guidance to support the embassy’s political-economic priorities through high-quality research, analysis, reporting and engagement with stakeholders.  The embassy’s current priorities include expanding trade and investment between Australia and Brazil, working with Brazil to promote the rules-based international order and enhancing Australia’s engagement and profile in Brazil. This position may be required to travel.

 

The key responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to: 

• Undertake research, analysis and written reporting and provide specialist advice on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues in areas including agriculture, mining and energy, infrastructure, the environment, trade and economic policy, regional integration and domestic politics.
• Identify emerging policy issues, develop networks and strengthen strategic relationships, negotiate and liaise with key stakeholders in government, the private sector, academia and civil society to support the work of the Political-Economic Section and inform research, analysis and reporting.
• Represent the Political-Economic Section and promote Australia’s interests at meetings, conferences and seminars to provide advice and inform decision makers to ensure successful outcomes.
• Contribute to embassy strategic planning, including the embassy’s commercial and economic diplomacy strategy and business plan, and formulate, recommend, negotiate and implement solutions that further Australia’s interests.
• Assist in supervising a small team, establish work priorities, monitor performance, provide regular feedback, mentor, and identify learning opportunities for team members.
• Provide support to official visits, develop visit programs, respond to complex enquiries, prepare media responses, and back up other members of the political-economic section as required.
• As required, support public diplomacy activities including event organisation and activities relating to post’s Direct Aid Program with Brazil.
• Translate documents and provide interpretation services for Australian and Brazilian interlocutors and perform general administrative duties related to team’s work including procurement and contracts, travel bookings and payments.

  
Required Qualifications/Experience/Knowledge/Skills

• Strong written and oral communication skills and a demonstrated ability to translate and interpret between English and Portuguese at an advanced level.
• High-level research and analysis skills.
• Knowledge of Brazil’s foreign and domestic policy settings (particularly on politics, trade, investment and economic issues of relevance to Australia) and Brazilian government systems and processes.
• Knowledge of Australia’s foreign and trade policy priorities, including on trade and investment (or an ability to develop this knowledge quickly).
• Strong interpersonal skills, cultural intelligence and the ability to establish, maintain and leverage effective stakeholder relationships.
• High level of initiative and ability to work independently and also collaborate effectively within a small team.
• Ability to adapt to shifting priorities in a dynamic work environment.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing small teams and mentoring junior staff.
• An ability to prioritise and meet tight deadlines.

 

How to apply 

To be considered for this position please submit via email to [email protected] a resume with a covering letter detailing relevant experience (both in English). The covering letter should be no more than one-page. 

 

Closing date for applications: 30 November, 11:59PM 

 

Additional Information 

Start date is subject to satisfactory background checks being completed. Only individuals with full work rights in Brazil are eligible to apply for this position. 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What should I include in my resume/CV?

An effective resume/CV is a brief statement of your relevant employment history, qualifications, experience and training, preferably no more than four pages. It should be easy to read, succinct, neatly set out and relevant to the role you are applying for. It should include:

• Personal details—your name, contact email address and phone numbers.
• Education—details of relevant education and qualifications.
• Work experience—detail your work experience and highlight the main responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Organise your employment history in chronological order, starting with the most recent, and indicate actual dates of employment. You should look to explain any gaps in employment where possible.
• Referees—the name and contact details of two (2) referees who can validate and support your application. One (1) of your referees must be your current Supervisor. If there are sensitivities around the department contacting your referees without prior notice, you can indicate this within the application.

Tip – have someone else review your CV/resume. Ask them if the information is clear and the format is simple. Make it as easy as possible for the reader!

 

What should I include in my pitch?

Your pitch is your opportunity to tell us why you are the right fit for a position with the department. When planning your pitch, you should take into consideration the role and the key duties, and capabilities required. 

The committee should be able to clearly identify how your experience, knowledge, skills, and qualifications make you a suitable candidate. You should write your application in plain English, spell out any acronyms, and explain any background context that the reader should know about.

You are not expected to detail a different example for each capability. You may only have room for one or two examples, so try to think of situations where you used a number of your capabilities to deliver the outcome.

 

How will my application be assessed?

Your application will be assessed against the requirements of the job. Once the entire applicant pool has been assessed, the committee will create a shortlist of applicants. If your application is shortlisted, you may be asked to undertake further assessment, this may include work sample testing, interviews, and reference checks.

 

What is a merit pool?

Merit pools may be established as part of an externally advertised merit-based recruitment process where there are more suitable applicants than available vacancies. The department can access merit pools for 18 months from the date the vacancy was first advertised. If a candidate is found suitable via the recruitment process and placed in a merit pool, it doesn’t constitute a formal offer of employment.