“Luminary, and our partners, acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of Australia’s unceded lands, rivers and waterways. We recognise their resilience and unbroken spiritual connection to country and culture and the role we all play as allies on the journey to self-determination. We pay our respects to Elders of the past, present and future and the role they play in knowledge transfer and the development of future generations.”

 
 

The Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships & Multiculturalism

is now recruiting for

Deputy Director-General, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships 

Applications close midnight, Thursday 24th July 2025

About

Our workplace

The Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism is responsible for fostering an environment that allows Queensland women to be economically secure. We work closely with other agencies, peak bodies, local leaders, and the community to lift the living standards of Aboriginal communities and Torres Strait Islander communities. We facilitate an environment where multicultural communities want to call Queensland home by harnessing their skill and expertise and celebrating the cultural diversity of our State.

 

Our workplace environment

We value having a workforce that reflects the diverse views, experiences, and backgrounds of the community we serve. We strongly encourage enquiries and applications from people with diverse backgrounds including Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

We recognise that diversity of cultures and beliefs enriches everyone and provides a multiplicity of viewpoints representative of the community we serve. We strive to cultivate a psychologically safe and high-performing team environment, one that operates collaboratively and values the collective views of others. We seek to harness group and individual strengths capitalising on the uniqueness of these strengths.

About the Role

Deputy Director-General

We are looking for a Deputy Director-General to lead the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships team. You will provide robust and effective strategic leadership and direction in ensuring the Government’s commitments are delivered to improve the social and emotional wellbeing and economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland. You will provide strategies and systems to ensure strong governance, risk management and accurate forecasting to achieve business objectives. As the Deputy Director-General, you will work closely with your Deputy Director-General peers across Queensland Government, non- Government executives and executives at the Local and Federal Government levels to ensure that perspectives from Aboriginal Communities and Torres Strait Islander Communities are appropriately represented and implemented in policy development and reforms across the department and broader Queensland Government.

Your responsibilities

  • Provide whole-of-government leadership that builds positive and effective partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, communities, and individuals, as well as other government and non-government bodies, to create, deliver, and assess policies and programs that enhance the wellbeing and economic outcomes of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

  • Lead transformational change, in a complex environment, to establish the area as one that is highly regarded within and outside of Government for its advice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples matters

  • Influence the development and implementation of whole-of-government strategies that empower and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to actively participate in and contribute to Queensland’s growing economy, with a focus on housing, education and health tangible outcomes.

  • Oversee the efficient and effective family history and cultural heritage services being delivered by the department to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Queensland.

  • Oversee the delivery of the department’s programs that focus on lifting the standards in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through its regional offices and the government co-ordination unit. 

  • Provide strategic advice on leveraging existing Commonwealth, State, and local initiatives to improve the economic outcome for Indigenous business and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.

What we are looking for…….

  • Demonstration of outstanding judgement, high-level integrity, ethics and probity, strong resilience and agility to adapt to a constantly changing environment, a strong achievement orientation, and excellent communication and negotiation skills.

  • Demonstration of establishing trusted working relationships with key stakeholders including internal and external to Government and Community Elders and leaders, negotiating skilfully in tough situations, winning concessions without damaging relationships.

  • A record of leading successful change management in a large and complex organisation, with an ability to manage people and projects well to meet deadlines through effective goal setting, resource allocation, contingency planning, and performance evaluation, leading by example, creating strong morale and team spirit by focusing on common goals, priorities, and problems.

  • Demonstrated expertise in navigating and managing highly complex stakeholder engagement and relationships, with an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship connections and the historical impact of past policy on communities, alongside experience in strategy and policy implementation and service delivery.

Leadership competencies

The Leadership Competencies for Queensland describes what highly effective, Executive leadership looks like in this role, and working in the public sector.

Important information for candidates

Position Description:

We invite you to download the position description to learn of the requirements and attributes of our ideal candidate(s).

About the Queensland Public Sector

Working in the public sector

 

An overview

 

The Queensland government is committed to providing workplaces that are healthier, safer, more diverse and more productive.

In return, we look to our people to give back to the communities we serve by:

  • Living the Queensland public sector values

  • Serving the government and the community in the most honest and reliable ways we can

  • Being accountable for our actions and decisions

  • And consulting with the community to design and deliver better policies and services.

Visit the website here, for more information on working in the Queensland public sector.

 

Public sector values

 

Our ambition is to be a high performing, impartial and productive workforce that puts the people of Queensland first.

We are committed to a way of working where:

  • leaders and employees make decisions based on the values

  • leaders demonstrate the values as role models for employees

  • we prioritise quality, inclusion, diversity, creativity, and collaboration every day.

View the 5 values here →

How to Apply

Requirements

To be considered, please provide the following information in your online application, for the assessment of your suitability:

  • A short (no more than two pages) statement focusing on how you align with the core accountabilities outlined in the role statement below.

  • Your current CV highlighting your relevant experience, qualifications, and achievements.

All applicants are welcome to apply for this position.  We are committed to assessing your suitability in a way that works for you.

For more information or assistance with your application, including options for adjustments, please reach out to us.

While it is not a requirement for the role, an applicant may wish to nominate an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander person as a cultural referee to support their candidacy. For more information, please view the position description.

Download Position Description

Applications close midnight,
Thursday 24th July 2025

Useful Links

Contact Our Team

We are proud to partner with Leann Wilson, Managing Director of Regional Economic Solutions, in this important process.

Leann is a Bidjara/ Kara-Kara and South Sea Islander descendant, and brings deep knowledge and lived experience, ensuring a process grounded in respectful, inclusive, and culturally informed practice.

Her involvement ensures we continue to listen, learn, and work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. 

 

General Enquiries

Please reach out and a member of our team will get in touch.

Confidential Enquiries