Senior Economist

About Us

Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) serves the government by providing leadership in economic, financial and resource management. We influence outcomes that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We strive for excellence in financial and economic management to improve the lives of all Victorians. We value our people and motivate them to lead, influence, collaborate and innovate.  

DTF upholds and demonstrates the values of the VPS and is the embodiment of VPS leadership. DTF’s values are adopted from the Public Administration Act 2004:   

• Leadership                                                                                         

• Integrity  

• Responsiveness  

• Impartiality 

• Accountability  

• Respect  

• Commitment to Human Rights

The Economic Division leads the development of advice to the Government, and implementation of priority projects, for key economic and policy priorities including economic strategy, regulatory reform, housing, social policy, government tax policy and intergovernmental financial relations to drive improvements in Victoria’s productive and efficient resource allocation, competitiveness and equity across the economy.  

The Economic group supports the Government in growing employment, material living standards and economic activity.

The Group advises on employment policy, productivity growth, macroeconomic conditions, energy, climate change and decarbonisation, industry development, business innovation, transport and infrastructure policy, and land use planning. Key tasks include providing advice on inclusively growing jobs and living standards while responding to the challenge of inflation and reducing the emissions-intensity of the Victorian economy.

The Transport, Infrastructure and Planning team supports the government’s agenda and aims to improve the lives of all Victorians by providing authoritative, influential and timely policy advice. This includes conducting analysis of economic trends and the distributional and sectoral impacts of economic policies.

Areas of focus include infrastructure planning, management and regulation; transport planning, reform and market design; and land-use planning and housing policy.

About the Role

Joining the Transport, Infrastructure, and Planning team as a Senior Economist, you will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Victoria's transport, infrastructure and planning landscape. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to a team that is addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our state, including cutting emissions, easing congestion, and improving land use planning to bolster housing supply.

As part of our high performing and influential team, you will use your expertise in economics and/or public policy to deliver timely, accurate, and influential advice on a wide range of complex economic, financial, and public policy issues. Key responsibilities include engaging in rigorous economic analysis, leading and contributing to analysis that informs policy decisions, and communicating effectively with a broad spectrum of internal and external stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated economist or policy analyst with a strong foundation in economics or public policy, keen analytical skills, and a passion for making a difference. Your ability to work collaboratively, both within the team and across government departments, will be critical in fostering a positive team culture and achieving our collective goals. If you are looking to influence policy decisions and have a tangible impact on the future of Victoria’s transport, infrastructure and planning space, this is the role for you.

Key Accountabilities

This position has the following responsibilities:

• Work independently and collaboratively in the team to deliver:

• practical advice on economic and policy issues for senior management and government;
• analysis of qualitative and quantitative data sets; and
• research on complex economic, financial and/or public policy issues.

• Deliver briefings and policy advice that are timely, accurate, accessible and fit-for-purpose.
• Communicate with and influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to fostering a positive team culture and mentoring and supporting the development of team members.

About You

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

1. Influence: Demonstrated experience in influencing decision-making processes within a complex organisational environment, leveraging economic expertise to shape policy, strategy, or operational decisions at senior levels.
2. Conceptual and Problem-Solving Skills: Demonstrated capacity to solve complex and ambiguous problems, including experience using economic frameworks and principles, and/or experience in policy development and advice.
3. Communication Skills: Demonstrated expertise in preparing high quality verbal and written briefings and advice, including the ability to convey complex issues persuasively and effectively in plain language, and experience in building relationships to persuade and achieve results.
4. Teamwork: Demonstrated expertise working within a team and supporting others to collaborate and pursue common goals, and working constructively with a wide range of stakeholders. A commitment to contributing positively to team dynamics and supporting the collective achievement of the team’s objectives is key.
5. Responsiveness: Demonstrated expertise in providing timely and fit‑for‑purpose advice and products for key stakeholders.

Mandatory requirements

Tertiary qualifications in economics, public policy, commerce, law or a related field are an advantage.

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

For more information, please see the  Position Description  

How to apply 

Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on Tuesday 6th of October. 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. DTF 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 DTF can be worked flexibly, however it may differ from role to role.