Our client, the Department of Education, is a Commonwealth Government Department responsible for national policies and programs that help Australians access early childhood education, school education, post-school, higher education, international education and academic research.

You’ll join one of two teams:

• HELP Program Team - Administers Higher Education Loan Programs (HELP) and supports higher education providers to meet their program obligations. The team is responsible for program implementation and management including the Very Remote Teachers Program HELP Reduction Program and the Rural Doctors and Nurse Practitioner HELP Reduction Program.
• Student Engagement Team - Provides information to current and prospective students about higher education by producing higher education information resources, managing the Study Assist website and responding to a high-volume of student enquiries.

The Opportunity

There are 11 labour hire contracts available in total; 9 at the APS4 level and 2 at the APS6 level. These are 6-month contracts with potential 12-month extensions. You’ll join an established team of motivated individuals that are mostly based in Canberra. The team have the flexibility to work from home 2-3 days per week.

These are newly created contract roles to assist with higher than usual workload demands relating to a backlog of HELP Program application assessments and a higher volume of BAU student enquiry activities.

This is an opportunity to secure a contract over the election period and advance your assessment and program support skills in government.

The Role

Contractors will commence from April 2025 and will work across both the HELP Program Team and the Student Engagement Team.

The APS4 program roles involve responding to stakeholder queries through a public facing mailbox, processing and assessment of applications associated with government programs.

The APS6 program roles involve dealing with more complex enquiries or assessments and involves evaluation, review and quality assurance activities, as well as workload management and training. These roles may also include development of procedural documents and daily task-based supervision and task-based reporting.

Key duties at both the APS4 and APS6 level include:

• Engaging with stakeholders across the sector (including responding to enquiries) from students, higher education providers, peak bodies, and other government agencies
• Assessing applications and submissions, in accordance with documented procedures
• Preparing written material for varying audiences and maintaining associated records
• Undertaking various administration and coordination tasks to support program management
• Maintaining and using information databases (including data entry and data retrieval tasks) to support the work of the team

The Ideal Person

The successful candidates will have experience in program support, assessment and business processing in a Commonwealth environment.

At both the APS4 and APS6 levels, you will also have:

• Ability to work flexibly, be responsive and prioritise tasks
• Experience in undertaking basic research to respond to stakeholder enquiries
• Sound written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey information
• Experience applying standard procedures to address stakeholder needs
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and an ability to learn and build proficiency across different IT systems
• Sound attention to detail and data entry skills
• Work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment with a willingness to contribute to team culture

At the APS6 level, additional skills and capabilities include:

• Ability to organise workflow, apply strong attention to detail, and make decisions with some autonomy for tasks of moderate difficulty and deliver task-based
• Strong liaison and relationship skills, including experience preparing written material for a wide range of stakeholders
• Coaching individuals, setting performance expectations, reviewing, and completing quality assessments
• Experience in staff management with a focus on creating efficiencies and building productivity in a team environment
• Understanding of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (desirable)

To be eligible for these roles, you must:

• Already have a Baseline security clearance
• Be based in Canberra (in order to attend the Canberra office)
• Be willing to undergo a police check

Salary / Rate

• APS4: $41.94 - $44.85/hr + Super (includes casual loading)
• APS6: $52.06 to $57.24/hr + Super (includes casual loading)
• 6-month contracts with potential 12-month extensions
• 9 vacancies at the APS4 level and 2 at the APS6 level
• Positions are Canberra based

How to Apply

To apply online, please click on the appropriate link.

Alternatively, for a confidential discussion, please contact Liz Strachan or Sarah Tamasi on 02 6108 4878 quoting ref no. 20372

HorizonOne is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we encourage applications from people of all cultures, capabilities and backgrounds.