$89,674 + 9.5% Superannuation

Temporary to November 2019

City of Melbourne is committed to supporting diversity, inclusion and flexibility. Applicants seeking flexible and part-time arrangements are encouraged to apply.

For more information on what it is like working with us at City of Melbourne please go to working with us at City of Melbourne

City of Melbourne recognises the value of the diversity and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to the heritage of all Australians and encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply. You will be supported in your application via our Aboriginal Employment Team.

Our busy and dynamic Councillor Support Team are looking for Councillor Liaison Officer (CLO) to form part of a team designated to provide support services to the Councillors of the City of the Melbourne. As a Capital City Council, Councillors need to fulfil important decision-making and city representation responsibilities, including portfolio roles. The CLO plays a key part in helping Councillors meet the demands of the role.

How this position will Make the Difference to City of Melbourne…

Acting as representative of a Councillor, the Councillor Liaison Officer works in a highly complex environment and requires a sophisticated understanding of the challenges associated with dealing with community and stakeholder issues in a political environment, and one where Council policy and strategic direction is sometimes challenged.

The complexity of the role is magnified by the fact that a Councillor Liaison Officer will: 

• Deal with multifaceted community and stakeholder issues which require cross corporate solutions, including those which have been escalated to Councillors after initial contact with Council officers.
• Provide advice on matters which assist Councillors to fulfil statutory, policy and strategic responsibilities.
• Be able to be reassigned and required to work with different Councillors during a Council term. This requires an exceptional understanding of the operation of Council and an ability to develop relationships across the board.
• Need to manage relationships whilst negotiating issues on behalf of Councillors in situations where there may not be an alignment between the views of Councillors and Council officers.
• Deal with confidential and sensitive issues in an environment of significant public and media scrutiny, and ones which can impact the reputation of Council.

We are looking for someone who is professional, hardworking and action orientated – if this sounds like you then please read on!

You can bring… (Selection criteria)

• Ability to demonstrate and display City of Melbourne Values – integrity, courage, accountability, respect and excellence
• A tertiary qualification in relevant discipline and /or substantial experience
• Substantial advisory or support experience at a senior executive or public office level, including an ability to undertake research, investigation and analysis, and present research findings both verbally and in writing
• High level analytical, negotiation and problem solving skills, and experience in developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships with diverse communities
• Proven discretion and judgement in dealing with sensitive and confidential information in a political environment, and one with a high level of media or public relations focus
• Highly developed organisational skills and demonstrated flexibility in a team environment, along with an ability to work within a deadline driven environment with competing priorities
• Highly developed communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to prepare briefing papers, reports, complex correspondence and presentations and speech notes
• Understanding of Local Government, including an understanding of the role of Councillors, the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor.

To view the physical requirements of this position, please see below under Position Information.  

How to apply…

As part of the online application form you are required to:

• attach your resume
• attach a separate cover letter
• respond to the selection criteria, in a separate document (no more than two pages), as listed above under ‘You can bring…’

Please address your covering letter to Jack Hanna, Executive Officer Councillor Support

The position description for this role will not be provided at this stage of application.

The Advertised Close Date and other important information can be found on www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/careers.

City of Melbourne is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a safe working environment that embraces and values child safety, diversity and inclusion.

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