Warlpiri Assistant Director Return of Cultural Heritage (Affirmative Measures)

About the Group

The Office of the CEO (OCEO) is at the forefront of the Institute, liaising with external stakeholders including, but not limited to: Ministerial Offices, Commonwealth and state and Territory Departments; including the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFaT) and the Office of the Arts (OfTA) as well as other Indigenous Portfolio Bodies, the Australian Diplomatic Corp, relevant Embassies and Cultural and other Institutions both domestically and abroad.

About the Program Area

AIATSIS is leading a program to secure the return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultural heritage held overseas to its original custodians and owners or appropriate cultural institutions.

Returning material to country for purposes of cultural revitalisation is a key aspiration of Indigenous communities. The Return of Cultural Heritage (RoCH) program supports the cultural resurgence of Australia’s First Nations peoples. This initiative will strengthen the signal both to the nation and globally that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is respected, celebrated and valued.

The program will rely on expert knowledge as well as strong community engagement and partnerships, and a network of engaged individuals and organisations to achieve its goals.

Role Summary

The Warlpiri Assistant Director is responsible for the development of research strategies, conducting high-quality research and evaluation of outcomes, producing reports, official return requests, policy papers and other outputs. They are responsible for engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations, as well as domestic and international cultural institutions and collectors.

This role is funded through external (corporate) funding sources with a primary focus to work in partnership with the Warlpiri communities impacted by the Granites gold mines, supporting the delivery of community-centred initiatives, building strong relationships, and helping to advance priorities that contribute to positive social, cultural and economic outcomes.

The position provides support to the Director in informing the legislative requirements and the development of changes to repatriation policy, practice and guidelines.

Key Responsibilities

• developing and monitoring of work plans and workflows, the delivery of outputs, and the mentoring and guiding of team members.
• working with other team members, develop research strategies, lead development of, and undertake, high-quality research.
• support the Director in stakeholder engagement through preparation of research, reports and briefs, negotiations with communities and institutions, preparation of meeting notes, ensuring follow up actions and outcomes are completed. 
• assist the Director through the preparation of written articles for a variety of publications and presentations, and the preparation of media content.
• support and oversee administrative practices, systems and procedures to optimise efficiency and support the achievement of quality outcomes.
• the Assistant Director is expected to both model appropriate behaviour and to contribute to the mission and objectives of AIATSIS in that capacity.
• some domestic and international travel will be required.

Key Challenges

• anticipating and addressing contentious issues and providing accurate advice on complex issues while maintaining a high level of cultural competency and confidence.

Key Relationships

• Warlpiri communities 

this role will work directly with Warlpiri communities impacted by the Granites gold mines. The successful candidate must have established networks within these communities and an in-depth knowledge of their culture and cultural practices.

• Office of the CEO 

provide expert advice and contribute to decision making; identify emerging issues/risks and their implications and propose solutions; provide advice and report on progress towards business objectives and discuss future directions; support the development and implementation of work programs.

• Executive 

collaborate and provide advice to contribute to strategic decision-making.

• Director RoCH 

support the Director in managing and supporting the tasks of the team; support with development and implementation of the strategic direction of the work program.

• Stakeholders (internal) 

liaise with, and coordinate information between stakeholders and the Executive; consult and collaborate with, to define mutual interests and determine strategies to achieve their realisation.

• Stakeholders (external) 

collaborate and negotiate in research and engagement activities, provide sound and reliable advice; manage expectations, resolve problems and provide solutions to issues; negotiate outcomes and timeframes.

Cultural capability - essential

Roles at AIATSIS require candidates to have an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and proven culturally appropriate engagement and communications skills. The nature of this role requires the candidate to consistently demonstrate the following specific cultural capabilities:

• an understanding of the AIATSIS vision to create a world in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s knowledge and cultures are recognised, respected, celebrated and valued 
• an informed, authentic and respectful understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and societies, including ethical research and policy matters related to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 
• the capability to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ voices, experiences and perspectives in all of our work.

Skills, knowledge and personal attributes

To be successful in this role, you will have established networks with Warlpiri communities and an in-depth knowledge of their culture and cultural practices. You will come with the following skills, experience and attributes: 

• be a highly culturally proficient individual with practical experience with Warlpiri communities, Indigenous engagement, with a demonstrated capacity to engage and negotiate in good faith, with the intent to benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, or a demonstrated capacity to develop this experience.
• have a strong track record of research experience, with demonstrated capacity to lead and build research/curatorial/policy projects.
• be a clear and effective communicator, with emotional intelligence and self-awareness, and a creative thinker. You will have excellent writing and analytical skills and the ability to communicate ideas clearly to a wide range of audiences.
• possess demonstrated project management skills, including the ability to plan, monitor and evaluate projects, budgets, time frames and seeing projects through to completion.
• have the ability to model ethical and appropriate behaviour, to provide leadership, build collaborations and partnerships, and develop relations with Indigenous communities and other stakeholders, including public representation.
• experience or qualifications in research/cultural heritage management/cultural collections or repatriation, or in the repatriation environment (legal, policy, cultural) dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultural heritage, is highly desirable.

Applications close 11.30pm Sunday 08 November 2026.

The successful candidate/s will need to undergo:

• Police check
• 6 month probation
• Medical clearance (ongoing roles only)

Affirmative Measures positions

Jobs in the APS are open to all Australian citizens. There are some jobs, though, that are open only to specific members of the Australian population. This practice is known as an Affirmative measure and is a targeted strategy to ensure the diversity of the APS workforce reflects the diversity of the Australian population.  

Any job can be restricted to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people only, and it doesn't necessarily have to involve working on Indigenous issues. If a position has been advertised as an Affirmative measure, it will be clearly marked as such.

The use of the Indigenous Affirmative Measures provision at AIATSIS allows for targeted recruitment of Indigenous Australians into the organisation. If you are applying for an Affirmative Measures position, you will need to indicate your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage on our application form and provide confirmation if required. 

What is Cultural Capability? 

As all positions at AIATSIS are ‘Identified’ each position will have various elements of involvement with the delivery of Indigenous specific services, programs, and policies as part of AIATSIS core functions. AIATSIS therefore needs to also identify the cultural knowledge; skills and personal attributes needed to deliver the required outcomes.

Every part of how we work, who we work with and for, requires varying levels of knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, protocols and an understanding of issues that enable effective communication and ultimately effective performance in the role. To assist you in determining the required cultural capabilities of this role, you can refer to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability – A Framework for Commonwealth Agencies