Role: Head of Social Policy

Location: Australia-wide

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Shape national policy. Drive equitable systems. Champion better outcomes for Australia’s children.

This is a rare and career defining opportunity to influence national policy and help shape the systems that support Australia’s children.

We’re Goodstart – a national, not-for-profit organisation with a vision for Australia’s children to have the best possible start in life, and the scale and influence to shape systems for impact.

Goodstart is seeking a highly skilled, strategically minded policy leader to guide our national social policy agenda, someone who thrives at the intersection of ideas, influence and evidence, and who is energised by the challenge of driving system level change across the early years ecosystem.

Our Role: 

Reporting to the Chief Impact Officer, Social Impact, and engaging with the CEO as required, the Head of Social Policy provides enterprise leadership across all social policy matters at Goodstart.

The role joins an amazing team and is responsible for ensuring excellence in policy analysis and shaping Goodstart’s policy positions, while leading effective engagement with government and sector partners on priority reform areas. It also provides organisation wide direction on how policy connects with strategy, advocacy and operational practice.

Through informed advocacy and strategic influence, this role contributes directly to Goodstart’s ‘More Impact’ strategic goal and ‘Beyond Goodstart’ ambition, strengthening our position as a trusted, credible voice in early childhood education and care policy.

Your Impact:

In this role, you will:

• Position Goodstart as a respected national thought leader in early childhood social policy through strong sector presence and expert representation.
• Influence government priorities and major reform agendas by contributing high-quality analysis, insights and evidence to national consultations and policy forums.
• Strengthen Goodstart’s advocacy by shaping clear, compelling messages that translate complex policy into meaningful insights for leaders, teams and external audiences.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships across government, peak bodies, research institutions and syndicate organisations to advance shared impact goals.
• Commission and guide research that supports Goodstart’s policy agenda and demonstrates the value of early learning for children, families and communities.
  Provide trusted, high-level advice to Goodstart spokespeople on policy issues, media responses and public commentary.
• Enhance organisation wide capability by supporting teams to understand policy implications and respond confidently to changes in the external environment.
• Promote strong governance and risk management across the social policy portfolio, safeguarding Goodstart’s reputation and ensuring high standards of quality and integrity.
• Champion child safety, equity, wellbeing and inclusion as core policy principles embedded across all partnerships, initiatives and system level advocacy.

What Goodstart can offer you:

• Flexible work arrangements giving you choice about when and how work will be done in order to better manage your work and non-work needs
• Not-For-Profit Salary Packaging benefits which reduce your taxable income to increase take home pay
• Access to discounted early childhood education and care (up to 15%)
• Fitness Passport - access to gyms and pools for you and your family at a heavily discounted price
• Discounted health care and access to employee wellbeing program with BUPA
• Exclusive discounts on travel, gym memberships, Apple and Dell products, and more.
• Free annual flu shot (optional)
• Option to purchase extra leave for even greater work life balance  
• First Nations Support and Cultural Leave
• Work for an organisation that has an aspiration to be globally recognised for early years practice and learning outcomes
• Gain significant investment in your growth and development with support, tools, training and experiences that will truly enhance the progress and outcomes for children in their earliest years.

You’ll bring to the table:

• Tertiary qualifications in public policy or a related field (an advanced degree in economics, public policy, or social science is desirable)
• Proven experience in social policy analysis, development and implementation, ideally in early childhood, health, education, or human services.
• Deep knowledge of Australian state and federal policy frameworks, including financing and regulatory instruments relevant to ECEC.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distil complex policy into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships at the most senior levels of government, sector, and civil society.
• Strong analytical capability with experience linking research to practical policy and financing solutions.
• Confidence to advise, challenge, and influence senior executives and external partners.
• Current Working with Children Check
• A satisfactory National Police Check is required  

How to apply

Click ‘Apply Now’ and submit your application.

We review applications as they are submitted. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible for your best chance to progress to the next stage of the process.

Have a question? Contact our Talent Acquisition Team via email recruitment@goodstart.org.au

At Goodstart we are deeply committed to Reconciliation and encourage Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to apply. For further information and support email deadlycareers@goodstart.org.au

If you are a placement agency or external recruiter, please refrain from submitting resumes to Goodstart unless you have a signed staffing agency agreement with us. Goodstart will not be responsible for or pay any placement fees for candidates submitted by agencies that are not approved suppliers. Any resumes received from agencies or external recruiters without an agreement will be reviewed by Goodstart and may be shared with our internal recruiting team for their reference.

Supporting our people and protecting our children

We’re an equal opportunity employer that is proud of our inclusive and diverse work environment. We know that Goodstarters from diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences strengthen our teams and help us grow. We’re also deeply committed to Reconciliation and creating an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People feel a strong sense of belonging and connection.

Safety is our priority and we will take any action necessary to ensure that all children can feel safe and be safe, and are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and harm. As a Child Safe Organisation, all of our candidates must have or obtain a valid working with children check.

Applications close on 03 April 2026