Ministerial Liaison Officer - VCDF Group Coordination

The Role

As an APS 6 Ministerial Liaison Officer, you will have the opportunity to participate in complex ministerial and parliamentary processes, exercising initiative, sound judgement and accountability to deliver quality Parliamentary and Ministerial outcomes. You will build productive relationships across Defence, influence outcomes through effective stakeholder engagement, and provide timely advice in a dynamic environment. 

The role offers exposure to strategic decision-making, enabling you to anticipate issues, manage competing priorities and contribute to continuous improvement while developing expertise in ministerial coordination and governance. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing ministerial and parliamentary tasking.
• Coordinating and preparing high-quality briefs, submissions and correspondence including Question Time and Senate Estimates products.
• Coordinating Freedom of Information requests.
• Coordinating honours and awards.
• Developing business processes and procedures.

About our Team

The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) Coordination team forms part of the Business Management function within Command Support Branch (CSB). CSB provides a coordinated approach to Australian Defence Force command support activities, and assures delivery of the Chief of Defence Force’s intent through cross-domain coordination. 

CSB is a coordination point for Services and Groups in managing high-level reputation and cross-domain issues to ensure that the Chief of Defence Force and VCDF are appraised of strategic issues and their management in a timely and focused manner.

The VCDF Coordination team coordinates and manages ministerial and parliamentary business on behalf of the VCDF and Group divisions. The team ensures advice and correspondence align with Government and executive requirements. 

The team leverages strong understanding of parliamentary processes and Government priorities to support key engagements. They deliver high-quality, timely, strategically aligned products, collaborating with stakeholders and Ministerial Offices to support decision-making and organisational outcomes.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a highly organised, proactive and collaborative professional. You will work closely with a diverse range of stakeholders, build productive relationships and communicate clearly and confidently to achieve outcomes. You will be resilient and demonstrate initiative, adaptability and sound judgement when managing competing priorities.

You will demonstrate the ability to coordinate complex work, think strategically and understand the broader implications of decisions across Defence and government. You will be skilled in negotiation, problem-solving and managing stakeholder expectations, while delivering high-quality results under pressure.

Strong analytical, administrative and time-management skills, combined with excellent written and verbal communication, will enable you to provide trusted advice, identify opportunities for improvement and contribute positively to team and organisational outcomes.

Security Clearance:

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.

The Department of Defence employs around 18,000 Australian Public Service (APS) employees. Defence APS employees work in a wide variety of critical roles, Australia wide, enabling our three services Navy, Army and Air Force, to do their job. Defence has a range of Australian Public Service (APS) career opportunities that offer interesting, challenging, and unique work. Our workforce includes administrative support, accountants, intelligence analysts, engineers, policy advisors, graphic designers, lawyers, social workers, IT specialists and contract managers to name a few. We offer a rewarding career that includes professional development, work-life balance, recognition, a flexible and supportive work environment and a diverse workforce. To find out more about a career with Defence please visit https://www.defence.gov.au/jobs-careers