Collection Access Officer

Collection Access Officer
APS level 5

This is an Affirmative Measures opportunity
This position will be filled using the Affirmative Measure provision, which allows for the
targeted recruitment of Indigenous Australians into the Australian Public Service. The vacancy
is only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. The filling of this employment
opportunity is intended to constitute an Affirmative Measure under section 8(1) of the Racial
Discrimination Act 1975.

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Our Journey
AIATSIS has a proud identity as Australia’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led
national cultural institution that celebrates, educates, and inspires people from all walks of life
to connect with the rights, knowledge, cultures and stories of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples. We play a vital role in developing deeper and shared understandings of
our Nation’s history and future on Australia’s truth-telling journey, working towards collective
healing.

In 2024, AIATSIS celebrates our 60th anniversary and reflects on our evolution as an
organisation during that time. Over the next five years, our operating environment will continue
to change, and we must position ourselves to respond to this change.

Our Vision
To create a world in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights, knowledge,
cultures and stories are recognised, respected, celebrated and valued.

Our Purpose
We are the only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural institution solely
dedicated to telling the story of Australia’s First Nations peoples.

We collect, steward and appropriately share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’
knowledge through our collection, our leadership in research and our network of collaborations
and partnerships by:

• Creating opportunities for everyone to encounter, engage with and be transformed by

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights, knowledge, cultures and stories.

• Enhancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural vitality; and
• Shaping our national narrative.

Our functions are established under the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Studies Act 1989.

AIATSIS is a statutory authority under the Public Service Act 1999 (Cth) and a Corporate
Commonwealth entity under the PGPA Act.

AIATSIS employees are employed under the Public Service Act 1999, with terms and conditions
of employment as set out in the AIATSIS Enterprise Agreement.

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COLLECTION ACCESS OFFICER

Vacancy Information

Job Reference 229_10/24

Classification APS level 5

No. of vacancies 2

Salary $80,341 - $87,572

Group Partnerships and Engagement

Area Collection Access and Family History

Employment Status Ongoing/Non-ongoing

Hours Full time

Close Date 11.30pm, Sunday 01 December 2024

Contact Person Philip Khalu-Reindl
02 6246 1642
philip.khalu-reindl@aiatsis.gov.au

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About the Group
The Partnerships and Engagement group leads and coordinates AIATSIS public engagement
and communications works. This includes:

• Providing access to the AIATSIS Collection and support clients undertaking Family

History research.

• Marketing, communication, content production, event management services and

publishing.?

• Facilitating the return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage material

held overseas; and

• Developing AIATSIS commercial revenue streams and partnerships to further our

mission.

About the Program Area
The Collection Access and Family History Unit sits within the Partnerships and Engagement
Group. The Unit manage services and policies for culturally appropriate access to the AIATSIS
collection and Indigenous family history research.



Role Summary
The Collection Access Officer will work closely with the Senior Access Officer in communicating
and working with both internal and external stakeholders in activities involving the AIATSIS
collection and other AIATSIS resources.

Key Responsibilities
Key responsibilities of the role include:

• work with complex requests for materials from the AIATSIS collection in a timely and

accurate manner.

• undertake research and clarify the copyright and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual

Property Rights of collection materials and clearance for use.

• effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external

stakeholders on a range of complex matters including collection research, education and
conducting tours and community access visits.

• committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, understand

culturally sensitive issues around access to materials, and be experienced in providing
services that meet the needs of researchers and other clients.

• contribute to team planning and training staff as required.
  

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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:

• understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business within the agency and the

outcomes the agency is responsible for delivering.

• understand the sources of knowledge resting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

employees, stakeholders, and networks.

• understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and the dynamics of

engaging with them respectfully.

• understand the heritage, cultural and intellectual property rights of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander peoples and communities as they apply to research.

• understand the impact of attitudes, beliefs, and past experiences of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander peoples in the engagement and consultation process.

AIATSIS embodies Yindyamarra1 in everything we do



Skills, knowledge and personal attributes

To be successful in this role, you will have well developed stakeholder engagement skills with a
strong understanding of copyright and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property Rights of
collection materials within a cultural institution or community organisation. You will come with
the following skills, experience and attributes:

• demonstrated ability to undertake research and communicate effectively both verbally

and in writing.

• ability to prioritise tasks and work to deadlines efficiently and effectively, whilst

maintaining excellent attention to detail.

• ability to work as part of a team and undertake a wide variety of tasks adapting to unit

priorities in a flexible manner as required.

• demonstrated experience working and communicating sensitively and effectively with

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as these roles require a high level of cultural
competency.

• significant understanding of past events impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

people.

• demonstrated ability to recognise and use initiative to solve problems in a creative

manner.

• information management knowledge and/or experience working with collections will be

highly regarded.

• experience working in a customer-focused role in an information setting.
  

1 Yindyamarra is a shared Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal word meaning honour and respect. More broadly it implies

thoughtfulness, graciousness and kindness.
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What we offer

We understand that you will work best when you have a healthy work-life balance and can
attend to your family commitments. That is why we offer,

• Great salary conditions
• 15.4% Superannuation
• Competitive leave entitlements, including 20 days annual leave, 18 days personal leave,

Cultural, ceremonial and NAIDOC leave, up to 18 weeks parental leave, and the ability to
purchase extra leave.

• Health benefits including, reimbursements for health promotion activities, eye health and

flu vaccinations.

• For eligible employees, generous study leave, course fee and materials assistance, to

undertake relevant accredited study.

• Paid leave during end of year shutdown
• Flexible working conditions
  

Who to contact
For enquiries about this job please contact
Philip Khalu-Reindl
A/g Assistant Director Collection Access
02 6246 1642
philip.khalu-reindl@aiatsis.gov.au

If you are experiencing any difficulties accessing or submitting your online application, please
contact the AIATSIS Recruitment Team recruitment@aiatsis.gov.au

How to apply
If this sounds like the opportunity you are looking for, we want to hear from you! Apply

through our online recruitment system (eRecruit)

Closing Date 11.30pm (AEDST) on Sunday 01 December 2024

You will need to address both the Cultural Capability (no more than 500 words) and skills,
knowledge and personal attributes (no more than 750 words) sections, in your response.
Provide a succinct summary outlining why you are interested in this position and why you
believe that you have the cultural capability, skills, knowledge, and experience to be
considered for this role. Please provide examples which demonstrate your ability to perform
the duties of the position.

Your cultural competency will carry more weight than other factors in the assessment. These
requirements are based on the information provided to you as part of the job opportunity.

Do not simply state that you meet the requirements - it is essential that you provide
examples from your current or past role(s) which demonstrate how you meet each of the key

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areas or points. You should focus on how your experience, achievements and capabilities
will enable you to successfully undertake the responsibilities of the role(s).

Applicants are also required to submit a current CV/resume.

If you need assistance developing your response, you may want to refer to the applying
for jobs on the Australian Public Service Commission website:
http://www.apsc.gov.au/working-in-the-aps/applying-for-jobs-in-the-aps

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

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