HorizonOne is supporting a major federal government department that develops and implements Australia’s foreign, trade, and development policies, representing the nation on the global stage. The department works with a diverse range of international and domestic stakeholders to advance Australia’s interests and strengthen relationships worldwide. The branch helps the department achieve its objectives by delivering a range of communication, engagement, and strategic advisory services, ensuring key stakeholders—including government, industry, and international partners—remain central to planning and decision-making. The Opportunity In this role, you will take part in shaping and communicating Australia’s story to the world, translating complex foreign, trade, and development policies into speeches and opinion pieces that resonate with diverse audiences. You will lead a high-performing team, working closely with portfolio ministers, senior executives, and policy teams to deliver strategic and compelling messaging that maximises the departments influence. Contribute to a significant initiative aimed at strengthening Australia’s international engagement and influence Develop your career within a supportive and collaborative team environment, leading and mentoring other communicators Apply your creativity and strategic thinking to craft impactful speeches and written content that inform, engage, and persuade audiences at home and abroad The Role In this role, you will: Lead a small, high-performing team to deliver high-quality speeches and opinion pieces for all portfolio ministers and senior executive Work closely with senior leaders, shaping the policy direction of major speeches and collaborating across the department to refine and finalise content Partner with communicators across the branch, contributing to broader strategic media and communications initiatives, including training and building capability Set priorities and manage resources effectively to ensure projects are delivered on time, to brief, and aligned with strategic objectives The Ideal Person You will bring strong writing expertise and a knowledge or interest of foreign, trade, and development policy, with the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling and accessible narratives for a wide range of audiences. You will have experience providing strategic communications advice at a senior level, ideally within government, and a proven ability to lead and collaborate in a high-pressure environment. You will also have the following skills/capabilities: Strong and persuasive writing skills, with the ability to craft engaging speeches and opinion pieces that achieve strategic objectives. Excellent leadership, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively. Highly developed organisational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritise, multitask, and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines. Additional Information Location: Canberra Clearance requirement: NV1 or NV2 Engagement via: S26 transfer for permanent APS employees or non-ongoing contract How to Apply To apply online, please click on the appropriate link. Alternatively, for a confidential discussion, please contact Abbie Azzilla on 02 6108 4878 quoting ref no. 20917 HorizonOne is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we encourage applications from people of all cultures, capabilities and backgrounds.
