Disability Inclusion Project Officer

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is the united strong national voice for local government, representing 538 councils across the country. In structure, ALGA is a federation of state and territory local government associations. The Association is a company limited by guarantee.

Our Mission is to achieve outcomes for local government through advocacy with impact and to maximise the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of councils and our communities.

Key activities for ALGA include:

• Advocacy for ALGA’s policy priorities in the federal political sphere (i.e. across Federal Government, the Opposition and the federal parliament)
• Representation of local government on national bodies, senior official committees and ministerial councils
• Chairing and managing policy networks from across local government associations
• Providing submissions to government and parliamentary inquiries
• Enhancing the national reputation of local government and its role in the Australian system of government
• Raising the concerns and aspirations of local government at the national level
• Providing forums for local government to guide the development of national policies that have an impact at the local government level.

Primary purpose of the position

ALGA is about to launch the 2026 Disability Inclusion Guide for Local Government (the Guide). The Guide is an online resource that gives councils practical tools and tips to strengthen planning, build inclusion into everyday work, and respond to local priorities.

This role focuses on the next step: helping councils put the Guide into practice. You’ll work closely with councils (including First Nations councils) and lived-experience stakeholders to make sure implementation supports are useful, culturally safe and workable in different local government settings. A key part of the work is supporting ALGA’s Disability Inclusion Community of Practice (CoP), currently made up of

representatives from 35 councils across Australia, selected for their disability inclusion experience and lived experience.

You’ll need strong project management, stakeholder engagement and communication skills, and you’ll coordinate planning, delivery, reporting and evaluation with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) and state and territory local government associations.

Key responsibilities

• The Project Officer will work closely with the Project Manager and jointly be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the implementation program, including:
• Developing and maintaining a detailed implementation work plan, delivery schedule and risk register
• Coordinating national promotion and engagement activities to increase awareness and uptake of the Guide (including webinars, digital communications, and member communications channels) with the support of our events team
• Coordinating and supporting ALGA’s Disability Inclusion Community of Practice (CoP) and its working groups, including meeting planning, facilitation support, and follow-up actions
• Designing and administering a national council survey and supporting structured stakeholder consultations to test awareness, usage and implementation challenges
• Analysing and synthesising feedback from councils, CoP members, member associations and stakeholders into clear findings and recommendations
• Preparing progress updates for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA), including mapping insights to Australia’s Disability Strategy and the Inclusive Homes and Communities Targeted Action Plans
• Coordinating co-design processes (with DHDA, CoP and relevant stakeholders) to develop practical implementation supports that address priority needs and barriers
• Working closely with internal ALGA teams (including media and communications) to ensure consistent messaging and effective dissemination
• Establishing and implementing an evaluation approach that measures reach (awareness and engagement), utilisation, and perceived value/impact, and using findings for continuous improvement
• Supporting good governance and accountability, including procurement/contract coordination if required, and ensuring milestones and deliverables are met on time and within budget.

Skills, knowledge and experience

• Demonstrated experience leading projects with multiple stakeholders and timebound deliverables (including planning, scheduling and risk management)
• Strong ability to undertake research, analysis and synthesis to produce clear, evidence-based insights and recommendations
• Ability to think critically and apply judgement, identifying key issues, risks and implications
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information in plain language for non-technical audiences
• Demonstrated experience engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and building constructive working relationships (including with government and/or member organisations)
• Experience supporting or delivering consultation and co-design processes, ideally with lived-experience stakeholders and/or culturally safe approaches
• Ability to manage time and priorities effectively, including working across multiple workstreams concurrently
• High attention to detail and a commitment to quality, accuracy and consistency of messaging
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a small team with a high level of delegated responsibility.

Qualifications

Tertiary qualifications are not required for this role. Qualifications or demonstrated experience in local government, public policy, program/project management, disability inclusion, community engagement, and/or evaluation will be well regarded.