Did you know?

The mission of the Australian Federal Police is to provide dynamic and effective law enforcement to the people of Australia. It provides policing throughout Australia in relation to the prevention and detection of crimes against the Commonwealth, its laws and integrity, and community police services to the Community of the ACT.

Working for the AFP provides you with a diverse and rewarding career. Whether you immerse yourself in a position on the frontline, or provide critical operational or professional support, the work you do makes a big impact on the people of Australia.

We recognise your contribution to our workforce and offer generous remuneration and conditions including:

• Six weeks (30 days) of paid annual leave per year + additional paid Christmas stand down
• 4 extra days of mandatory rest leave per year
• 18 days of paid personal leave per year
• Generous superannuation of 15.4%
• 18 weeks paid Parental Leave for Primary Caregiver (and 11 weeks for Secondary Caregiver) + additional unpaid leave entitlements for up until 24 months from the child’s date of birth or placement
• Generous salaries and incremental salary progression governed by the AFP Enterprise Agreement
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangement that provides work/life balance
• Health & wellbeing services – with a focus on early intervention, education and prevention
• Access to ongoing training and professional development opportunities

What is the role?

Do you enjoy challenging work? Want to make a difference working for the AFP? We are looking for experienced Senior Policy Officers to join the AFP Strategy and Performance Office at the Team Leader level.

Policy officers in the AFP are responsible for managing the AFP’s engagement on legislative reform, new policy proposals, parliamentary inquiries, ministerial engagement, Cabinet processes and other strategic issues. Day to day work includes engagement with internal AFP teams working on serious and complex crime types such as terrorism; foreign interference and espionage; transnational, serious and organised crime; economic crime; cyber crime; online child exploitation and human trafficking.

We're interested in hearing from people who:

• Are comfortable working on a range of subject matters and pivoting efforts to address new and emerging policy issues.
• Have the ability to ask the right questions and find the solutions to novel problems.
• Are strong collaborators – our policy officers work hand-in-glove with policy departments, partner agencies and internal stakeholders.
• Are capable of leading a team, developing team members and creating a collaborative environment.

A Team Leader in the AFP is roughly equivalent to an EL1 / Assistant Director in the APS.

What will you do?

• Engage with internal stakeholders to understand their operating environment and build an AFP position on new and emerging policy issues.
• Draft and consult on core policy documents, including ministerial submissions, submissions to parliamentary inquiries, question time briefs, senate estimates briefs and new policy proposals.
• Support AFP Senior Executive by drafting talking points and meeting briefs.
• Review policy documents and proposals produced by policy departments and determine AFP equities and positions.
• For those employed in our Legislative Reform Team, develop policy proposals for law reform and review draft Bills.

As a Team Leader you will play a pivotal role in developing people, managing change and influencing behaviours that lead to a supportive culture that respects the perspectives, talents and value of each individual.

Essential Requirements

• You must be an Australian Citizen at the time of application.
• A Negative Vetting 1 (Secret) security clearance or the ability to obtain one.
• Contemporary knowledge and experience in government policy roles or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team.

Desirable Requirements

The following skills and/or experience would be highly regarded:

• Tertiary qualifications in law, political science, public policy, national security or criminology.
• Experience in a policy department.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

At the AFP we value the different perspectives, approaches and lived experiences of our people, and recognise that our collective intelligence and diversity is what makes us stronger. As such, we encourage applications from people from all walks of life, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, First Nations people, women, the LGBTQIA+ community and people with disability.

Contact Officer: Emma

Contact Officer Phone: (02) 5126 6450, ​

Applications Close: 11:59pm (AEST) 11/08/2025