The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is Australia's national human rights institution, dedicated to fostering a society where human rights are upheld, protected, and celebrated. We envision an Australia where every individual is valued equally in dignity and rights.
Our mission involves promoting and safeguarding the human rights of all Australians by:
* Advising all levels of government and various public and private organisations.
* Strengthening laws, policies, and practices while providing accessible investigation and conciliation services.
* Engaging inclusively with civil society, communities, and the private sector.
* Raising awareness about human rights and offering educational resources.
* Collaborating with partners to cultivate a culture of respect for human rights across the nation.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) partners with other federal bodies to advance human rights and support inclusive and safe workplace cultures. The Commission's Security Group includes partnerships with the Australian Defence Force/Department of Defence (Defence), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF). This position offers an opportunity to support the Defence Collaboration team and to make a significant impact on the organisational culture of critical national institutions.
We are looking for a highly motivated, proactive, and organised Administrative and Research Officer to join our team and play a crucial role in advancing diversity, inclusion, and cultural reform initiatives within Australian security agencies. In this role, you will provide team administration support while having the opportunity to contribute to research and project work.
This full-time / part time, ongoing position / non ongoing position offers a competitive salary range of $75,041 - $83,074 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.
We offer flexible, hybrid and remote work options.
The key duties of the position include:
What You'll Do:
* Coordinate, take minutes and monitor action items arising from team and other meetings.
* Liaise with internal and external Executive Assistants and stakeholders to organise meetings for the Director, the Senior Advisor and the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, as required.
* Draft correspondence under the direction of the Director or Senior Policy Officers.
* Assist with event management and logistics coordination for major meetings and internal Commission events as required. Arrange interviews and consultation visits for project teams.
* Manage team records, including filing relevant documents, updating databases and following and implementing records management protocols.
* Manage team Sharepoint sites by uploading and organising information and proactively investigating opportunities to improve.
* Provide accurate and timely research in relation to human-rights-based approaches to cultural change in Australian security agencies.
* Support project activities, including attending consultations, monitoring project progress against plans, sharing information between project teams and team members and monitoring project mailboxes.
Eligibility
What We're Looking For:
* Excellent organisational skills, including ability to work with minimal supervision, to set priorities, to meet deadlines, to work effectively in a team and to respond and easily adjust to changing work demands.
* Experience in conducting research, including desktop research into topics of relevance to human rights or cultural reform, undertaking field work including consultations and interviews, synthesising and analysing data and contributing to project reports and other materials.
* Ability to communicate information clearly, both verbally and in writing, and ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
* Excellent computer skills including MS Office, SharePoint and use of databases.
Notes
Why Join Us?
By becoming a part of our team, you'll play a vital role in influencing public conversations about human rights and making a meaningful impact. If you're ready to use your skills to support a cause that matters, we want to hear from you
Apply Now Help us shape the future of human rights in Australia. Join us in making a difference
Applications close: 5pm 20 January 2026
Notes
Under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian citizens to be employed in the Australian Public Service (APS).
The Commission is committed to providing an accessible, inclusive work environment to enable people with a disability to participate fully in all aspects of employment. Applicants are encouraged to request reasonable adjustment as required to assist your participation in this recruitment process.
Please note that this position may be filled on either an ongoing or non-ongoing basis. If an offer of non-ongoing employment is made, the successful applicant would be employed for an initial period of up to eighteen months with the possibility of extension up to a maximum period of two years in total. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies in the Commission where the duties are of a similar nature.
RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information visit:
How to Apply
Please provide a resume and a statement (maximum of 2 pages) outlining your interest in this position(s), your experience that would lead to impactful outcomes in the role, and the skills and capabilities you bring.
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to fulfill the requirements of the role in an impartial and respectful manner as required by the APS Code of Conduct. The successful candidate will uphold the integrity and independence of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
As part of the recruitment and selection process, applicants will be required to consent to and undergo background checks which may include character and social media checks.
For more Information
Information about the role and Commission practices may be sought from Tara Crisp via email