Census Support Officers (Affirmative Measure

• Starting salary from $67,139 to $85,204 depending on the role
• Locations: Alice Springs, Cairns and Darwin
• Several positions; temporary contract until October 2026

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is looking to recruit several Census Support Officers to help deliver the Remote Area Strategy for the 2026 Census of Population and Housing.

These roles are only open to people who identify and are recognised as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, under the Affirmative Measure guidelines. This is your opportunity to increase the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the 2026 Census and ensure they have a safe and positive Census completion experience.

About the teams

We are looking to fill various roles across the following work streams:

Support – this team is responsible for undertaking the day-to-day tasks across travel coordination, logistics, Work Health and Safety, asset and fleet management and other corporate support functions.

Operations Management – this team is responsible for undertaking the day-to-day tasks across operational intelligence, quality assurance, issues and crisis management, budgeting, program reporting and evaluation coordination.

Project Management – this team apply a structured approach to the planning, organisation and resourcing of one or more projects, managing inherent project risk. Project Management Officers in the team initiate, plan, execute, close and evaluate projects and the work of their project teams.

About the roles

As a Census Support Officer you will support the planning and organisation of one or more Census work streams to deliver a specific project or outcome.

In these roles you may undertake some or all of the following:

• assist with delivering training to internal stakeholders
• work closely with a range of internal and external stakeholders to deliver critical functions to support field operations
• work closely with operational teams to coordinate and action travel requests
• work closely with operational teams to coordinate and action quality assurance processes to review field work
• manage credit cards and financial transactions
• manage and coordinate all aspects of fleet vehicles
• manage WHS reporting and escalations processes
• undertake Contact Centre queue management and scheduling
• support project delivery tasks as required
• identify issues and risks that may impact achievement of project objectives, including identifying, analysing and monitoring project risks
• support the quality of projects, implementing quality control and assurance processes and using review and evaluation to make improvements in current projects
• working with or advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Note: if you indicate you have experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples you will also need to demonstrate your knowledge of issues affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and your experience communicating sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

• the ability to remain positive and respond to pressure in a calm manner
• energy and drive to see goals and outcomes are achieved within tight deadlines
• strong communication capability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders
• strong administration, time and task management skills
• well-developed technical skills, including the ability to use a range of corporate and IT systems
• strong project management skills (APS 4 & 5 levels)
• potential to supervise a small team (APS 4 & 5 levels)
• the ability to be a self-starter and work autonomously, but also part of a wider team, displaying a strong commitment to working harmoniously with a team to achieve positive outcomes
• the ability to be flexible and adaptive in an ever changing and complex operational environment.

How to apply

To apply, you will need to upload your current resume, provide referee details, nominate which APS level(s) you are applying for and submit a statement (maximum 300 words) responding to the following:

Describe how your skills and experience equip you for one of these roles. Include practical examples where possible.

Please note if you choose to apply for more than one APS classification level you only need to provide one statement of claims. The selection panel will assess your application against the highest classification.

Applications close at 11:30 p.m. AEDT on Sunday 7 December 2025.

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