Senior first nations officer

Full Time | 9-day fortnight | 36 hours per week

Salary: From $111,401 plus Superannuation

The Environment, Heritage and Resilience directorate is dedicated to strengthening the Gold Coast way of life through sustainable, culturally informed and community‐focused outcomes. Within this, the Sustainability, Heritage and Compliance branch plays a critical role, with the First Nations team leading how the City engages with Traditional Owners and First Nations communities.

Through strong collaboration across the organisation, the team drives meaningful engagement, facilitates cultural awareness initiatives and leads the City's Reconciliation journey. By partnering with internal stakeholders and community representatives, the team ensures engagement is respectful, impactful and aligned with the City's reconciliation commitments.

As the Senior First Nations Officer, you will provide strategic leadership and expert guidance to shape and strengthen First Nations engagement across City projects. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you will leverage your strong communications expertise to influence decision‐making, deliver high‐impact outcomes and contribute to frameworks, policies and practices that support best‐practice engagement.

You will play a pivotal role in the successful delivery of the City Reconciliation Action Plan, overseeing development, governance and implementation end‐to‐end, while ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and managing potential risks.

• Leading the design, implementation and socialisation of the City's First Nations Engagement Framework
• Providing expert advice on complex and sensitive engagement matters, including risk and reputational considerations
• Coordinating and delivering First Nations engagement activities across diverse City projects and multi‐disciplinary teams
• Building and maintaining strong, trust‐based relationships with Traditional Owners, First Nations stakeholders and internal project teams
• Driving strategic communication initiatives in partnership with internal and external Marketing communications
• Championing continuous improvement to enhance engagement practices and outcomes
• Preparing high‐quality reports and recommendations to inform senior leadership and Council decisions
• Mentoring and strengthening organisational cultural capability

• Diploma in Project Management (or equivalent experience)
• Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Current driver's licence (mandatory)
• IAP2 Certificate in Engagement (desirable)

• 9‐day fortnight
• Flexible work arrangements to suit your lifestyle, including hybrid/work from home options, flexible working hours and locations
• Personal and professional development courses
• Access to 350+ fitness facilities through Fitness Passport
• 4 free confidential counselling sessions a year for you or an immediate family member
• 1 free nutritionist and financial advice session per year

We're committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture. We take pride in people who align with our high‐performance principles. We believe that the diverse makeup of our workforce reflects the community we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and identities, and encourage candidates to discuss any support or adjustments they may need throughout the recruitment process.