Policy Adviser - Economic and Community Transition

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is looking to hire a creative and forward-thinking policy adviser to contribute to our work on our Just Transition focus area and other economic policy initiatives. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a fair, sustainable society and economy across Australia and Southeast Asia.

CPD’s vision is for a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy that strengthens communities, workforces and society. Australia faces a complex industrial transition that will play out over many decades, driven by a change in energy systems, automation, and changing global value chains. This will bring with it significant social change and could exacerbate existing inequalities. CPD’s work will focus on establishing the right policy settings to drive the transition and share the benefits across Australian communities, not just the costs.

You'll be joining a close-knit team working towards long-term, transformative change. We value respectful working relationships, curiosity and initiative, and a culture where people are kind, collaborative and open to learning from one another. We believe better solutions come from bringing together diverse perspectives and lived experiences, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where people feel welcome and their perspectives are valued. We support flexible work and will consider either full-time or part-time work for the right candidate.

Diversity and Inclusion

We especially encourage applications from people who are gender diverse, women, First Peoples, people of colour, people with lived experience of discrimination, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and people without a tertiary education. We also welcome people with different career paths and experiences, including those bringing skills from other sectors.

If you need any adjustments or accommodations to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know on jobs@cpd.org.au and we’ll work with you to make the process accessible.

Starting at $87,000 + 12% superannuation, with salary negotiable depending on experience and skills, taking into account fairness and equity across the team.

Location

This position is based in either the Melbourne or Sydney office, with hybrid working.

Some Additional Benefits

• Hybrid work and flexible hours.
• A 6% annual increase to base salary, applied each year on 1 January (provided you’ve completed your first three months with CPD by then), with smaller increases applying to salaries over $100,000.
• An additional week of annual leave after 3 years of employment, and a paid 3-month sabbatical leave after 5 years employment.
• Additional end of year leave (between Christmas and New Year), study leave, birthday leave and wellbeing leave for all staff.
• CPD’s Parental leave: 14 weeks’ paid parental leave (after one year of service at the expected due date) + 12 months of unpaid parental leave. This is in addition to any government-funded Parental Leave Pay you may be eligible for.
• Floating Public Holidays: you can take public holidays on a day that is convenient for you.
• A collaborative culture that supports learning, development and broadening your experience.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll do

• Reporting to the economic director, you will develop policy proposals, conduct research and analysis and deliver projects that help guide Australia through challenging economic and community transitions.
• Plan and deliver policy engagement activities, such as roundtables, workshops and other convening events, including preparing agendas, briefing materials and other supporting documents.
• Undertake research, analysis and policy development on issues relating to a fair and equitable economic transition, with guidance from the economic director and other senior colleagues.
• Develop policy outputs and publications, working with the Communications team and other colleagues to turn research and analysis into clear and persuasive materials.
• Contribute to the overall management of the Just Transition focus area, including strategic decision-making, project coordination, stakeholder engagement, grant applications, impact statements, funder reports and other focus area documentation.
• Build and maintain your own network of good working relationships with government, industry, civil society, researchers and other relevant stakeholders.
• Contribute to CPD’s policy thinking by identifying emerging issues, opportunities and connections across our work.

About you

This role would suit someone with experience in policy, research, advocacy or a related field who is looking to deepen their policy expertise and contribute to meaningful systems change.

You'll be the right person for the job if:

• You build trusted working relationships with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, and are comfortable engaging with external stakeholders.
• You can bring people together, facilitate constructive conversations and help groups with different perspectives work towards shared goals and practical outcomes.
• You communicate clearly and thoughtfully in writing and conversation, adapting your approach to different audiences and helping people engage with complex policy ideas.
• You have a good understanding of how policy is developed and influenced in Australia, and an interest in the political context in which policy change happens.
• You can undertake rigorous, solutions-focused research and analysis, turning complex information into clear insights and practical recommendations.
• You can manage pieces of work with several moving parts, keeping track of priorities and delivering work to a high standard.
• You can take initiative when faced with a blank page, while knowing when to seek guidance, and are comfortable adapting when priorities or plans change.
• You're curious about how policy and government can support fair and equitable economic transitions, and motivated to build your subject matter expertise and contribute to long-term systems change.

About CPD

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is an independent, not-for-profit policy institute with staff in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Jakarta. Our vision is a fair, sustainable society and wellbeing economy that serves current and future generations in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Our mission is to help create transformative systems change through practical solutions to complex policy challenges. We tackle the hard questions, working towards change that is systemic and long-term.

Through our work, we aim to contribute to governments that are coordinated, collaborative, and effective, with an eye to both the near and longer term. We strive to build a social services system that helps people and communities to thrive now and in the future, and drive shifts in policy making practice with a focus on wellbeing and sustainability rather than primarily economic growth.

We acknowledge and celebrate Australia's First Peoples.

To learn more about our work check out our latest Impact Report.

We ask you to provide your CV and respond to three questions as part of your application. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, with a timed written task also forming part of the process.

If you have any trouble accessing the Google Form, please email jobs@cpd.org.au with the subject line ‘JT Adviser Application’, attaching your CV and responses to the three questions below:

1. Achieving a fast and equitable industry transition in Australia will require change on almost every front. Are there any policy levers we could pull or entry points for change in the system that you think are being completely overlooked? If you could get one novel idea into the headlines, what would it be? (Max 250 words)
2. Australia’s energy transition is concentrated in a few key regions and communities – they are facing several years of major disruption (eg. road congestion, influx of demand for housing and essential services, diversion of local resources towards construction) and, in many cases, the new industries will not be large local employers. CPD is working on policy proposals to ensure that communities share in the upside of new industries and intends to hold a roundtable with key stakeholders and leaders to get their perspectives on this issue – please sketch a conceptual outline for a roundtable project, including possible invitees, to discuss internally. (Max 250 words)
3. CPD works on some of the most important policy problems. Our work spans childcare funding, decarbonising our communities, refugee settlement and federal budget policy. We want to work with people who are passionate about making an impact and have a personal perspective on the problems we are trying to solve. Can you tell us a bit about your background and why you want to work with us? (Max 250 words)

We’re reviewing applications and shortlisting candidates on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We expect applications to close at 6pm on 15 November 2026, but may close the advertisement earlier if we find the right person or extend the deadline if needed.

Our recruitment process is completely human-led from start to finish, with no AI or automated screening. We take the time to thoughtfully consider every application, which means our process can sometimes take a little longer than usual. Given the number of applications we receive, we’re only able to contact candidates who progress to the next stage. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Please note:

1. Applicants must have valid Australian work rights. CPD is not able to provide visa sponsorship.
2. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We look forward to receiving your application!