Policy & Advocacy Advisor

Posting Start Date

19/10/2026

Part Time (0.6FTE) or Full Time Opportunity

Randwick, NSW

12 Months Fixed Term Contract

Hybrid Working Environment (1-2 days per week in the office)

Our mission is to improve the health of millions of people worldwide.

Base Salary of $92,000 to $110,000 per annum plus 12% superannuation and access to Smart Salary Packaging benefits. As a Not-for-Profit employee, you'll have access to salary packaging options that can reduce your taxable income and increase your take-home pay. To calculate the full benefit to you based on your individual circumstances please visit www.smart.com.au.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a passionate and strategic Policy and Advocacy Advisor to join our Impact and Engagement team and play a key role in advancing evidence-based food policy reforms that improve the health of communities across Australia and New Zealand.

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor will work closely with The George Institute’s Food Policy team who are dedicated to improving population diets through impactful research, policy engagement and strategic advocacy. The team works closely with governments, health organisations, consumer groups, professional associations and other key stakeholders to help translate research evidence into meaningful policy change.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Coordinate the delivery of strategic advocacy initiatives supporting priority food and nutrition policy reforms, including implementing existing strategies.
• Convene and support working groups, coalitions and stakeholder forums to facilitate coordinated advocacy and policy engagement.
• Maintain project workplans and strategies, timelines and reporting processes to ensure advocacy activities are delivered effectively and on schedule.
• Monitor developments in food policy, food regulation and related government processes, identifying emerging opportunities and risks.
• Undertake background research and policy analysis to inform advocacy strategies, stakeholder engagement and decision-making.
• Coordinate and draft submissions, consultation responses, policy briefs, letters and other advocacy materials.
• Conduct the synthesis and translation of research evidence into clear, compelling and policy-relevant communications.
• Coordinate engagement with government agencies, policymakers, public health organisations, consumer groups and other public interest stakeholders.
• Lead the planning and delivery of meetings, briefings, roundtables and other advocacy activities designed to advance policy objectives.
• Help maintain consistent messaging across advocacy partners and collaborative initiatives.
• Collaborate with communications teams and external partners to support media, stakeholder and public engagement activities.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge

• Tertiary qualification in public health, nutrition, health policy, public policy, law, political science, communications, social sciences or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in policy, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, communications, project coordination or related roles.
• Excellent written communication skills, including experience contributing to policy briefs, consultation submissions, reports, media releases, correspondence or other advocacy materials.
• Strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain productive relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams and manage competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate collaborative projects involving multiple organisations, partners or stakeholders.
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to synthesise information from a range of sources and communicate key insights clearly.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and contribute effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality outputs.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and online collaboration platforms.
• Availability to work flexible hours during peak policy submission periods

Desirable

• Understanding of Australian food policy, food regulation, public health nutrition policy or related areas of health policy, and familiarity with policy development and consultation processes in this context.
• Experience engaging with government agencies, policymakers, parliamentary processes or regulatory systems.
• Experience supporting advocacy coalitions, alliances, networks or multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Experience developing or coordinating responses to public consultations, inquiries or government review processes.
• Experience working within public health, research, non-government, consumer advocacy or related sectors.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving public health and reducing health inequities.
• Understanding of evidence translation, policy engagement and strategies for achieving research impact.
• The Closing Date for applications is Friday 30th October, 2026
• Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Suitable candidates will be shortlisted immediately. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we find a suitable candidate.
• The unrestricted right to work in Australia is a requirement for this role. Candidates requiring sponsorship for employment will not be considered.

About The George Institute

The George Institute for Global Health was established in 1999 with a mission to improve the health of millions of people worldwide, particularly undeserved populations by challenging the status quo and using innovative approaches to prevent and treat the world’s biggest killers: non-communicable diseases and injury.

With offices in Australia, India and the UK we have over 1000 people with >400 projects in over 60 countries. We focus on the global health challenges that cause the greatest loss of life, the greatest impairment of life quality and the substantial economic burden particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Take advantage of our rewards you may enjoy as part of The George team

Generous salary packaging and benefits increasing your take home pay

Learning and career development opportunities

Extra leave days including extended Christmas break and study leave

YourFlex arrangements eg. Start/ finish times, purchase leave and location

A global, diverse inclusive team committing to making impact

Our big and bold mission to improve the health of millions of people worldwide needs a diverse and innovative team to deliver it. So we foster a dynamic, inclusive and flexible workplace where each individual can bring their best selves to work

We value workplace diversity and encourage applications from people living with disability, women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people who identify as LGBTIQ+, mature-aged and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.