Graduate Program (Feb 2024)

Whether your passion lies with matters of priority to the Government’s policy agenda, or whether you are motivated by providing exceptional corporate and enabling functions to provide critical support to our Department and the Governments operation – PM&C has a role for you.

What We Do

PM&C delivers influential and independent advice to improve the lives of all Australians. 

• We serve the Prime Minister – who is invested in all areas of policy and delivery as leader of the Australian Government.
• We support the Cabinet – as a focal point of government decision-making.
• We assist our Secretary – who has a stewardship role as Head of the Australian Public Service (APS).

PM&C will be focused on the following Australian Government priorities over the next four years:

1. Growing our economy and creating jobs
2. Vibrant and resilient regions
3. Strengthening families and communities
4. Advancing Australia’s international interests and enhancing national security
5. Governing well
6. Preparing to respond to future critical issues

We add value to the Australian Government’s agenda by: 

• Influencing what matters, promoting a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation perspective, supporting good government and leading through partnership.
• Bringing experts together – from across and beyond the public service – to work on matters of priority for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, including through taskforces.
• Enabling strategic policy work and over-the-horizon scanning on the big issues and prioritising capacity to contribute to the forward policy agenda in the context of day-to-day pressures.

We enable these outcomes through the delivery of exceptional and well-coordinated corporate services for PM&C and our shared corporate services clients.

Graduates in the 2024 Program will commence on a salary of $66,559 and may advance through the Graduate Broadband to the APS4 level after 6 months. Graduates may be eligible for promotion to the APS5 or APS6 level at the conclusion of the program, following a merit-based process. 

A role at PM&C offers: 

• an agile, respectful, dynamic, safe and inclusive workplace,
• attractive remuneration package including generous employer superannuation contributions,
• exciting and fulfilling work at the heart of government, contributing to improving the lives of all Australians, with career development and networking opportunities difficult to find elsewhere,
• the opportunity to work with strong, smart, visionary and experienced leaders who encourage and support you to develop your interests and expertise and achieve your ambitions, and
• flexible working practices and an activity-based office with integrated technology to enable increased communication and collaboration, and encourage innovation.
• There is also a generous relocation assistance package to assist those successful winning a role on the Graduate Program to make the move to Canberra.

The Opportunity

The PM&C Graduate Program is a 12-month Program founded on flexibility and empowerment. You are provided with flexibility to navigate your own journey and experiences through our ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style program. To do this, Graduates will be responsible for approaching business areas to seek potential rotation opportunities throughout the Program. Graduates will be supported to connect with business areas through networking events and targeted learning and development activities that develop their relationship building, negotiating and communication skills. Any business areas that have meaningful work available can offer Graduate rotation opportunities.

The Program is based in our National Office, located in Canberra.

PM&C Graduates will opt into one of our two streams:

• Generalist Stream
• Corporate Stream

Our Ideal Candidate

You want to work at PM&C because you believe that there is no greater vocation than the Australian Public Service.

To be a PM&C graduate you have a genuine sense of curiosity and growth mindset – a desire to know and understand more about the people we serve and the challenges and opportunities for Australians in a changing world. 

You will be adaptable and resilient, and willing to embrace a range of opportunities. You are highly motivated and relish the opportunity to utilise your strengths, optimism and problem-solving skills to support the work of the Department. Further, you understand how to draw on your strengths to navigate difficult or busy times at work. 

PM&C graduates are ambitious and passionate about making a difference to the future of Australia. With the ever-changing priorities of the government, you will be agile and dynamic with the ability to adapt to new tasks and priorities. You will use your unique experience to provide innovative, creative, fresh thinking ideas, approaches and insights to your team. 

We are looking for people from a variety of academic disciplines and people with diverse experiences and backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people; Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people; mature age and people with lived experience of disability. Graduates will model the PM&C culture that values diversity of background, culture and thought, encouraging respect and sensitivity towards cultural and religious differences. You will be supported to bring your ‘whole self’ to work and feel safe in doing so.

Identified Position

This vacancy is Identified, meaning eligible candidates are expected to address their cultural competency levels and their ability to relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout the assessment process because the role/s may have strong involvement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The vacancy is open to all eligible candidates and is not restricted to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants. 

You may be required to attain cultural competency, including:

• understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples,
• ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and
• willingness and commitment to continue to develop cultural competency.

Did you know?  
  
The 2024 PM&C Graduate program has both an affirmative measures disability and affirmative measures Indigenous recruitment process. What does this mean? Affirmative measures are vacancies designed to address the under-representation of people who identify as having disability or as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the Australian Public Service (APS).
 
Eligibility 

To be eligible for this position you must:

• Have completed at least a three-year undergraduate bachelor degree obtaining a credit average within the last eight years. All degrees must be complete by 31 December 2023 and be recognised in Australia.
• Be able to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance to a minimum of Baseline level.
• Be an Australian citizen by 30 June 2023. You will need to provide evidence to verify impending citizenship.

The successful candidates will be assessed through our pre-employment screening checks, such as an Australian Criminal History Check, and will be subject to a probation period unless already employed in the APS and has already served a probation period.

As all positions are located in Canberra, you must also be willing to relocate to participate in the program.

Employment Type

This role is being advertised as both ongoing and non-ongoing. Offers for the Graduate Program will be ongoing employment.

Ongoing or non-ongoing APS 3 offers may be made to candidates in the merit pool, separate to the Graduate Program.

Where a non-ongoing specified term is offered, this would be for an initial period of up to 18 months, with possibility of extension up to a maximum period of three years. A non-ongoing offer may result in conversion to an ongoing offer of employment, however this must occur with 18 months (from the opening date of this advertisement).

Pre-register now!

If this sounds like the opportunity you are looking for, we want to hear from you!  Submit an online pre-registration through the PM&C Careers Page by 11:30PM 17 April 2023 AEST.