Policy and Research Officer

ACON is seeking a dedicated Research and Policy Officer to join our Policy, Strategy, and Research Division. This critical role involves producing high quality, timely policy papers and submissions on HIV, the health of people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV, and LGBTQ+ health equity. The role also involves coordinating ACON’s involvement in research, which is critical to ensuring our policy positions and programs remain evidence-based.

As the Policy and Research Officer, you’ll collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to efficiently produce high quality written papers, contribute to advocacy initiatives, and work to grow the evidence base about our communities’ health and wellbeing. Your work will have a significant impact in working toward our purpose of creating opportunities for people in our communities to live their healthiest lives, and toward ending HIV transmissions and HIV-related stigma.

Why Join Us?

• Impact: Help shape the policy agenda around HIV and LGBTQ+ health in NSW.
• Equity: Contribute to advocacy initiatives that will positively impact the lives of those in our communities, especially those who experience intersecting forms of marginalisation.
• Collaboration: Work alongside a passionate team committed to equity, evidence, and community-led advocacy.
• Flexibility: ACON has flexible working arrangements, generous salary-packaging, and opportunities for tailored learning and development.

If you’re ready to drive positive change and champion health equity for LGBTQ+ communities and people living with and at risk of HIV, apply today. Together, we can eliminate HIV transmission and HIV-related stigma, and improve health outcomes for all in our communities.

What’s the Policy, Strategy and Research Division?

ACON’s PSR Division advocates for policy changes with the goal of ending HIV transmissions and HIV-related stigma, and improving health outcomes within our communities. Our approach is informed by research, client data, and the lived experiences of our communities. We focus on several key areas:

• Research: We work in partnership with community and researchers to enhance the evidence base for effective community-informed responses to HIV and LGBTQ+ health issues.
• Advocacy: We engage with community partners, governments, and other groups, to advocate for policy reforms and increased investments in programs aimed at ending HIV transmission, improving the quality of life for people living with HIV (PLHIV), and promoting health equity within LGBTQ+ communities.
• Strategic Initiatives and Services: We lead the development of strategic initiatives and innovative services, while also strengthening staff’s ability to adapt to evolving community needs through internal capacity building events.
• Funding and New Grants: We collaborate with teams across ACON to diversify funding sources and expand health promotion programs.

The PSR Division is dedicated to ending HIV and enhancing health outcomes through evidence-based approaches, advocacy, strategic initiatives, and funding diversification.

As part of our Division, you will work in collaboration with a number of internal and external stakeholders to improve health outcomes in our communities by advocating for policy change across all levels of Government, and expanding the evidence base from which we can build effective policy platforms.

Ok, so what’s the role?

The Policy and Research Officer forms an integral part of the Policy, Strategy and Research Division by producing efficient, high quality written policy papers, submissions to Inquiries, and letters to decision-makers on a range of topics across HIV and the spectrum of LGBTQ+ health, across multiple levels and departments of Government, including parliamentary inquiries, letters to MPs, feedback to Government Strategies, and participation in community-led advocacy initiatives.

The Policy and Research Officer also coordinates ACON’s participation in research initiatives. As secretariat of ACON’s Research Ethics Review Committee, you will be responsible for facilitating meetings with the Committee, taking minutes, and communicating outcomes to researchers. You will also be involved in coordinating research initiatives that ACON supports, including the GBQ+ Community Periodic Survey. You will also be responsible for organising forums to communicate the latest research to ACON staff, and where appropriate, our communities.

You will leverage your expertise in public health policy and community-led research to collaborate across the organisation and with external stakeholders to build the evidence base and influence decision-makers towards inclusive and affirming policy and practice.

As a member of the Policy, Strategy and Research Division, you will work flexibly to be part of the team by assisting in the coordination and delivery of organisational strategic initiatives and events, grant applications, and by participating, where appropriate, in advisory groups, attending conferences, and stakeholder meetings to ensure that the needs of our communities are represented, prioritised and met.

Who are we looking for?:

Someone with:

• Demonstrated experience in undertaking high quality policy research and analysis.
• Understanding of the workings of government: Commonwealth, State and Local, and of the health sector.
• Ability to engage in advocacy planning and implementation to effect change.
• Demonstrated knowledge of research processes, including data collection, research and evaluation methodologies, ethics processes, writing reports and other papers.
• Demonstrated capacity to coordinate ACON research activities, including relationship building, the identification of research opportunities and promoting research studies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage small to medium projects involving multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong communication skills, including written and verbal presentation skills, diplomatic and effective liaison and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to organise, administer, prioritise and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of and commitment to ACON’s communities, particularly people with HIV and people of diverse sexualities and genders.

We strongly encourage applications from LGBTQ+ people, including LGBTQ+ First Nations people and those with diverse cultural backgrounds.

What else can we tell you?

ACON provides a colourful, nurturing, and fun workplace. Our employees and volunteers are the foundation for our ongoing effectiveness and for our capacity to deliver innovative community engagement and health promotion programs and initiatives for our communities.

To support the successful candidate in their new role at ACON we offer:

• Flexible working arrangements.
• Generous learning and development opportunities.
• Potential for tailored mentoring opportunities.
• Supportive working environment with a knowledgeable and friendly team.

What’s the remuneration and working details?:

Salary: $89,689.60 – $100,154.60 FTE (Gross per-annum, PLUS Superannuation and Leave Loading) – commensurate with skills, qualifications, and experience.

Location: ACON’s Gadigal / Sydney Office, with flexible working options a possibility (away from the office).

Hours: Permanent, Full-Time (70 hours per fortnight) on an ongoing basis. We will also consider part-time or job-sharing options for the right candidate.

We offer flexible working arrangements and a generous array of entitlements often above the National Employment Standards (NES) including:

• Salary Packaging up to $35,000 gross up value (i.e., currently up to $15,900 Expenses + $2,650 Meals, tax free).
• Generous pro-rata leave entitlements – including up to an extra week of paid leave for full time employees to be taken during our Christmas and New Year’s shutdown period.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to a comprehensive counselling service free to employees.