Policy Manager

About Us

The Department of Government Services (DGS) was established on 1 January 2023 to improve everyone’s experience of doing business and interacting with the Victorian government.  We bring important day-to-day services together in one department to make things easy and seamless for Victorians and businesses.  We are doing this by connecting and digitising our systems and platforms across state and local government as well as streamlining our corporate and procurement services.  

You can find out more about our Ministers, leadership and entities here: Department of Government Services. 

About the Branch/Group

The group enables effective engagement between customers, businesses and government by leading strategy, policy, regulatory design, sector support and service delivery for the benefit of Victorians. It focuses on improving customer experiences through efficient, scalable and digitally enabled services. The Portfolio Strategy, Planning and Performance Division provides strategic direction, evidence-based policy, data insights, governance, evaluation and project delivery capability across Consumer Affairs and Local Government portfolios. The Regulator Innovation Branch leads the design, reform and implementation of regulatory functions, working across government and sectors to develop effective regulatory frameworks, support compliance and drive continuous improvement.

About the Role

As Policy Manager, you will lead regulatory strategy and the design of new and reformed regulatory functions across the portfolio. You will provide expert advice on regulatory objectives, operating models, policy settings and legislative frameworks, translating complex reform objectives into practical, enforceable and sustainable regulatory solutions. The role involves leading front-end design activities, including problem definition, discovery, analysis and the development of evidence-based advice to support government decision-making.

You will lead a team of policy and project professionals, build capability and coordinate complex work across departments, regulators and stakeholders to deliver coherent whole-of-government outcomes. Working with local government, unions, peak bodies and agencies, you will test approaches, manage risks, support implementation and drive continuous improvement through strong governance, collaboration and strategic leadership.

Key Accountabilities

• Contributes advanced expertise and knowledge to strategic planning and decision-making processes.
• Is required to use formal and informal channels to influence organisation or program management to achieve goals.
• Prepares technical reports at an authoritative level.
• Responsible for operational policy or service development impacting on a major functional area.
• Manages major projects for the organisation.
• High level expertise in a field or discipline that is critical to the program or organisation.
• Managing and leading teams.

About You

We are seeking applicants who have demonstrated experience from the following criteria:

Regulatory Strategy and Design Expertise: Demonstrated experience leading regulatory strategy, policy development and the design or reform of regulatory frameworks, including defining objectives, functions, powers and operating models.

Complex Policy Development and Advice: Ability to translate complex policy objectives into clear, evidence-based advice, legislative frameworks and practical regulatory solutions to support government decision-making.

Systems Thinking and Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to coordinate complex, interdependent work across government departments, regulators and external stakeholders to achieve aligned outcomes.

Leadership and Capability Building: Experience leading teams, setting priorities, developing capability and ensuring high-quality policy and project outcomes.

Analytical and Problem-Solving Capability: Strong skills in research, discovery, risk assessment and impact analysis to identify issues and develop effective solutions.

Influence and Collaboration: Ability to build trusted relationships, negotiate competing priorities and influence stakeholders across organisational boundaries.

Governance and Continuous Improvement: Commitment to quality, robust governance, evidence-based decision-making and improving regulatory effectiveness.

This role is an ongoing position. This position is only open to applicants with relevant rights to work in Australia.

You must be an Australian citizen, as this role requires a security clearance.

For more information, please see the Position Description

How to apply 

Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on August 6. All applications should include:  

·       a resume; and  

·       a cover letter which addresses the key selection criteria (within three pages).

Other relevant information

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing role is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.  Preferred applicants will be required to undertake pre-employment screening. DGS actively promotes diversity, inclusion and an equal opportunity workplace. We welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All roles at DGS can be worked flexibly, however it may differ from role to role.