Public Affairs Officer AusAID Jakarta

AUSAID – THE AUSTRALIAN AGENCY FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

Overseas based Level 5
Starting Monthly Salary IDR 25,629,142

AUSAID, JAKARTA
APPLICANT INFORMATION KIT
Deadline for lodging applications: Midnight, Saturday, 9 October 2010

AusAID requires electronic lodgment of applications.

Any enquiries should be directed to the Recruitment Manager on 6221-3924322 ext 543.

OVERVIEW
AusAID is the Australian Government Agency responsible for managing Australia’s overseas aid program. Vacancy currently exists for a Senior Public Affairs Officer in the AusAID Jakarta Office. We are inviting dynamic and experienced professional to take part in this exciting, and very challenging position within our Public Affairs Unit.
This package of information is intended to help potential applicants to understand the work of the AusAID Jakarta office, understand what is involved in the role and to help you make an informed decision to apply.

The package provides applicants with information on how to apply and what information the Selection Committee will be looking for to help them make the best selection decision.

THE ORGANISATION: AUSAID

About AusAID
The Australian Government’s overseas aid program aims to assist developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s national interest.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) manages Australia’s aid program and advises the Australian Government on international development policy. AusAID’s work contributes to the global commitment to achieve eight ‘Millennium Development Goals’ to:

• halve the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger;
• ensure that all children receive primary education;
• promote sexual equality and give women a stronger voice;
• reduce child death rates;
• improve the health of mothers;
• combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
• make sure the environment is protected; and
• build a global partnership for those working in development.

With a head office in Canberra, strongly complemented by its field offices around the world, AusAID works in close partnership with Australian and foreign government officials, international and multilateral organisations (including the United Nations, World Bank and Asian Development Bank), the private sector, non-government and community organisations, and civil society. AusAID has working relationships with many more companies and organisations which help us design and deliver important programs of assistance.

What is development cooperation?
Development cooperation, also called development assistance, international aid, international development, overseas aid or foreign aid, refers to the efforts of developed countries to work with developing countries – those countries with low average incomes compared to the world average – to reduce poverty.

The term ‘development cooperation’ often refers specifically to Official Development Assistance (ODA), which is aid given by governments through their aid agencies, like AusAID.

Benefits of Working in AusAID
At AusAID, we recognise the need to provide rewards, benefits and a good quality of life for our staff. Major benefits of joining AusAID include:

1. A sense of satisfaction in being part of the key Australian government organisation that works with partner governments to address development issues and priorities within that country.
2. Being part of a highly professional, well-respected organisation with like-minded fellow professionals operating on a global stage – with some opportunities for travel.
3. A good salary structure: A competitive base salary is paid to all employees.
4. At the highest pay point, a bonus of 2 per cent of salary may be paid under the current performance management scheme, provided your work is assessed as ‘effective’.
5. The opportunity to negotiate flexible working arrangements (in some circumstances).
6. A safe and professional office environment with appropriate tools and systems to help you do your job.
7. Training and career development in both formal and on-the-job programs.
8. A full range of employment conditions and benefits including recreation and additional leave provisions, staff amenities, pension and health insurance.
9. Is AusAID The Right Place for You?

The following questionnaire will give you some guidance about whether a role in AusAID with the Indonesia Program, Jakarta is likely to meet your needs or be a stressful environment with many mismatches in the skills and attributes required.

Please note: this questionnaire is simply for your own use. It will not be recorded in any way. Do not submit your answers in your application.

Self Assessment Guide Questions:
Do you enjoy desk-based work involving research and writing as a major part of your work? Yes/No

Can you put aside any biases or strong views you may have, to be able to focus on implementing the policies of the elected government in this area? Yes/No

Do you genuinely enjoy working closely with other people in a team even if this means that you will have to put in extra effort when others in the team are moved onto other priorities? Yes/No

Would you describe yourself as an organised person who meets the commitments you give and plans your time effectively? Yes/No
Are you happy to just help out to get the work done when the pressure is on, regardless of the type of work you think is appropriate at your level? Yes/No

Have you achieved an educational standard or had experience in interpretingcomplex documents or writing complex documents for other people? Yes/No

Do you feel comfortable working with numbers, tables of information or simple calculations? Yes/No

Have you had some basic contact with computers that would enable you to open an office application, modify a file, send an email and save your work in a directory? Yes/No

Have you ever had the experience of working in a team of people to produce a challenging outcome and enjoyed it? Yes/No

Would your friends or colleagues describe you as well-organised – someone they can rely on to be on time? Yes/No

Are you adaptable to changing priorities? Yes/No

If you answered ‘No’ to a large number of questions you may find many aspects of the work with AusAID Jakarta not aligned with your skills, abilities and the things you enjoy doing. You should give serious consideration to not proceeding with your application at this stage. You need to reread this document and balance the good aspects for you of working in an AusAID role with the challenging aspects you identified above in the guiding questions.

If you answered ‘Yes’ to all or nearly all the questions it is likely that there is a good match between the type of work you enjoy and that offered in AusAID Jakarta. We would encourage you to move on to the next sections and submit an application as soon as possible.

Note that these questions are only provided to help you make an informed decision.
It does not serve the needs of your career or of AusAID to have a mismatch between what you are looking for in a career and what we can provide.

Job Description
The Public Affairs Officer will be expected to provide public affairs support to AusAID program areas, liaise with the Indonesian media, update website materials and give administrative support for the team. This will include but not be limited to identifying public affairs opportunities, managing events and media visits, writing human interest stories, supporting high level visits, and managing small procurement contracts. As delegated by the Public Affairs Manager, the Officer will need to be able to manage public affairs activities and to assist with the development and implementation of the unit’s work plans.

Roles and Responsibilities
The Public Affairs Officer is required to perform independently under the general direction of the Public Affairs Manager with the expectation that he/she independently or as part of a team, will contribute to the attainment of AusAID’s corporate goals and objectives.

Work will be performed with reference to established guidelines, work practices and procedures. However, the officer will be expected to set priorities, manage and monitor workflow within their area of responsibility. Decision making is based on the application of precedents. It is expected that independent judgment will be made in respect of day to day operations.

The Public Affairs Officer will also be expected to familiarise themselves with the AusAID Work Level Standards and the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) Integrated Leadership System (ILS) and Support Tools.

Additional information on the values, code of conduct and leadership capabilities
(Integrated leadership system for APS 5 (OB5) staff can be found on the APSC website http://www.apsc.gov.au/values/conductguidelines.htm).

The responsibilities of the position include the following:

1. Providing timely, effective and high quality advice and recommendations on media issues to the Public Affairs Manager and Agency staff at Post.
2. Writing and editing public affairs materials including media releases, talking points, articles and website materials.
3. Implementing work plans and communication strategies including for managing events, high-level visits and launches.
4. Developing and maintaining effective networks with a range of media representatives.
5. Managing small value contracts and filing for the unit
6. Providing translation when required

The Location
The Public Affairs Officer Position is based in the AusAID office in Jakarta.

The Selection Criteria for the Position
This Locally-Engaged Staff position is an ongoing position that reports to the Public Affairs Manager.

The selection criteria for the position are as follows:

1. University qualifications in communications, public relations or journalism
2. Minimum five years experience in communications or media and a solid track record in planning and implementing media events.
3. Excellent written and spoken English skills including drafting media and promotional materials
4. Demonstrated ability to work in a small team and provide sound judgment and problem-solving skills to deal with complex issues
5. Ability to build and maintain relevant networks with key stakeholders, including media, managing contractors and team members
6. Experience in website management would be desirable

NB: All AusAID employees must demonstrate a commitment to the APS Code of Conduct and Values, as well as to workplace diversity, occupational health and safety and employee participation principles and have appropriate cross cultural sensitivities.

HOW TO APPLY
If after reading the information about the Organization and The Job and have completed the Self Assessment Questionnaire you have decided to apply for this position you should follow these steps.

Step 1 – Prepare Resume
Prepare your Resume or Curriculum Vitae in Microsoft Word format, no more than four pages. Your CV should include:

• a summary of your employment history to date, include details of the dates, the organisation and a short description of the type of work you undertook.
• summarise your educational qualifications in your CV, including the degree award or certificate, the institution attended, the dates of study and country where you studied.

Step 2 – Complete Application Form
Complete the AusAID Application Form (please refer to other attachment) and save as:
‘Job Application <name>’ in Word format.

The application has two main aims:

• collects your personal information and preferred contact details
• requires you to answer questions about your suitability for the job

Step 3 – Submit Job Application by Midnight, Saturday, 9 October 2010

Your application for the job should include:

• a completed AusAID Application Form; AND
• your Resume or CV

You should email both documents to HRindo@ausaid.gov.au.

Please include Public Affairs Officer in the email subject field.

Helpful Hints in Applying
Please take your time in answering the questions and preparing your CV as our decision on who moves forward will be based on the information you provide. Please draw on experience you have gained from work, social or study situations to demonstrate your skills and complete all areas of the application.

What Happens Next?
Once your application has been received and registered, our next step is to review the applications and select applicants to move forward to the next stage.

We will advise you if you have been successful in moving forward (short listed) to the second stage approximately within two to three weeks of the closing date. If you are short listed, we will also provide you with full information on what date and where you need to attend and interview.

Due to the volume of applications normally received, AusAID does not notify applicants who have not been short-listed or respond to any correspondent enquiring about it.

We will only process the applications that are sent through HRindo@ausaid.gov.au.