Principal Advisor, Policy & Research – Remote

About Us

HumanAbility is a not-for-profit industry owned and led organisation that is contracted by the federal government. It was established as a Jobs and Skills Council for the health human services aged care and disability sport & recreation and early childhood industries to fulfil the requirements of the Jobs & Skills Councils Strengthening Australias National Vocational Education and Training System program.

HumanAbilitys objective is to advance education by supporting skills and workforce development for the above specified industries. It is a values-based organisation with a defined mission and vision understanding the ultimate beneficiary of the work we do is our communities.

HumanAbility will achieve its objectives through:

• Implementation of the Jobs & Skills Councils Strengthening Australias National Vocational Education and Training System program or its replacement program and similar programs supported by governments and/or industry;
• Workforce planning activities that develop strategies to address workforce challenges using high-quality data and evidence on current and emerging skills needs (in collaboration with Jobs and Skills Australia) associated with a range of educational pathways including vocational education and training (VET) and higher education;
• Formal and informal training product development including resources aligned with standards set by Skills Ministers to improve the quality speed-to-market and responsiveness of nationally recognised training products;
• Contributions to the implementation promotion and monitoring of VET; and
• Industry stewardship to advance education by acting as a source of intelligence on issues affecting relevant industries and national training system opportunities.

About the Position

As a Principal Advisor Policy & Research at HumanAbility you will be responsible for the managing the research activities for the industries within HumanAbilitys scope:

• Early childhood education and care
• Health
• Human (community) services
• Aged care and disability support and
• Sports and recreation

This position leads HumanAbilitys research capability through exploration analysing data and providing insights to support informed decision-making and program development and provides support to the workforce planning function as needed.

Key Accountabilities

• Identification of workforce challenges at the national state regional rural and remote levels
• Research and data collection undertaken to support workforce planning workforce projects and training package reviews.
• Development of a conceptual approach and strategies to support the diagnosis of workforce challenges and opportunities for industries within HumanAbilitys scope (including a standardised workforce planning process)
• Support the development of the annual Workforce Plan in accordance with guidance provided by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Executive Director
• Work collaboratively within a small research data and policy.
• Observe and follow work health safety and wellbeing policies and guidelines

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in senior research roles (using quantitative and qualitative skills)
• Demonstrated experience in end-to-end research project design and management
• Previous people management experience
• Outstanding interpersonal written and verbal communication skills.
• Exhibited high level research skills
• Strategic leadership skills including demonstrated ability to lead small dynamic teams in a complex operating environment
• Proven high level stakeholder management skills and ability to build productive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders
• High level policy conceptual and analytical skills and ability to develop innovative solutions to complex problems

Desirable (but not essential):

• Knowledge or understanding of the VET sector and/or labour market economics
• An understanding of the education and training system and/or industry sectors within HumanAbilitys scope

Interested

We encourage you to apply even if you dont meet every single criterion. We value diverse experiences and perspectives and your unique skills could be a great fit for our team.

We work according to a hybrid working environment. Your initial location of work is from your home with the expectation to attend in person the organisational meetings office days or equivalent as requested. This role is offered on an ongoing capacity subject to funding (currently funded until mid-2026). This role may be done anywhere in Australia and will involve travel with overnight stays for organisation meetings stakeholder meetings workshops and industry events

Click on Apply button to submit your cover letter and cv. Applications will be reviewed as they are received we encourage you to apply without delay. If you have any questions about this role please contact our P&C team confidentially on