Director, Strategic Communications & Planning

Join an organisation that has been proudly recognised certified as a 2025 Great Place to Work for five consecutive yearsHybrid work environmentPlay an impactful role in financing Australian exports and interestsYOUR NEW ROLE Location: Sydney or CanberraRole Type: Full-time, PermanentFor almost 70 years, Export Finance Australia has helped Australian businesses grow and succeed internationally with finance to secure opportunities, expand into new markets and diversify their presence. We support critical minerals and defence sectors, finance projects that strengthen economic resilience and advance net zero, and back Australian investment in sustainable infrastructure. Working with banks, other Government agencies and international partners, we back Australia’s exporters, supply chain businesses and industries, contributing to a more stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific while advancing Australia’s trade, investment and economic security objectives. This role leads strategic communications and marketing planning for Export Finance Australia. It is responsible for developing high-impact messaging, stakeholder engagement strategies, and integrated communications plans that support EFA's mandates across Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific infrastructure, critical minerals, and defence exports. The role works closely with the Institutional & Government Relations teams and senior executives to ensure alignment with government priorities, portfolio messaging and strategic positioning. The role also works closely with brand, media and communications delivery teams to implement strategies to achieve desired outcomes. ABOUT YOU Develop and maintain a strategic communications plan and calendar aligned with government milestones, policy announcements, and stakeholder engagement opportunities. Provide strategic oversight and quality assurance for speeches, remarks, and briefing materials for senior executives and board members. Partner with the Institutional and Government Relations teams to ensure communications support EFA mandates and Government priorities. Manage relationships with key government communications contacts to ensure alignment and coordination across the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio. Support the development of stakeholder-specific content strategies, including tailored messaging for federal/state agencies, industry bodies, and offshore partners. Support crisis and issues management planning, ensuring readiness and alignment with government protocols and expectations. Act as an advisor to the executive team on strategic messaging, reputation risk, and stakeholder engagement.Monitor policy, media and stakeholder trends to inform proactive communication strategies. EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONSTertiary qualifications in communications, public policy, international relations or a related field.10+ years in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement or government relations.Strong understanding of government policy, trade and investment priorities, and the ability to align communications with broader portfolio messaging and national interest objectives.Extensive experience building and influencing at senior levels, including executive teams, boards, and government or external stakeholders. Skilled in navigating complex governance and regulatory environments.Expertise in crafting clear, consistent and impactful messaging frameworks tailored to diverse audiences, including government, media, and internal stakeholders.Proficient in preparing high-quality communications products including speeches, remarks, briefing notes and strategic content for senior executives and board members.Skilled in managing sensitive communications, including issues response and crisis planning, with sound judgement and alignment to government protocols.Ability to lead multi-channel content strategies across digital, media, and stakeholder platforms, ensuring consistency and strategic alignment.Proficient in using communication analytics, stakeholder insights and media monitoring to inform strategy, measure impact and optimise performance.Even if you haven’t ticked every box but this role resonates with you, don't rule yourself out just yet, we'd love to hear from you!OUR BENEFITS & CULTURE We are small enough to have an impact, BIG enough to make a world of difference and it starts with our people.We support flexible working and pride ourselves in fostering a culture that is inclusive, diverse and collaborative. We are proud to be certified as a 2025 Great Place to Work for a fifth consecutive year, recognised on the 2023 AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list and listed as one of Australia’s Best Workplaces for Women in 2025. In line with our commitment to our people, we have a comprehensive array of benefits available to our employees:Generous leave provisions (e.g. Annual Wellbeing day) & leave purchase opportunities18 weeks paid parental leave for primary care giversThorough induction onboarding programFitness Passport along with other Health & Wellbeing initiativesGender affirmation leaveIncome Protection InsuranceCommunity volunteeringand many more!Our headquarters is based in Sydney CBD, and we have a national presence across Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.ELIGIBILITYAustralian Citizenship - To be eligible to apply for this position, applicants must hold Australian Citizenship at the time of application.Security Clearance - To be eligible to apply for this position, applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance.SOUND LIKE YOU? APPLY! Applications close: 8 December 2025Interviews will occur in parallel, so please apply ASAP.Enquiries: Careers@exportfinance.gov.au To apply, please click ‘apply’ or email your CV to Careers@exportfinance.gov.au By choosing to apply, you agree to the recruitment privacy policy.We invite and welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, people with disability and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you are a candidate with a disability, let us know how we can provide you with additional support.ABOUT EXPORT FINANCE AUSTRALIA Export Finance Australia is Australia’s export credit agency. We provide finance to support Australian export trade and overseas infrastructure development across the Pacific and Indo-Pacific. Through our loans, bonds and guarantees, we support businesses – from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporates – foreign governments and infrastructure projects, to take on the world. Working with banks, other government agencies and our partners, together we are helping drive international success for Australian businesses.The reason our people join us, stay with us and grow with us is because they wholeheartedly believe in our purpose. They can see the impact we create for our customers.We are a highly purpose-driven organisation. We seek to create an inclusive culture that values our customers and employees. Our people are expected to champion this and play a key role in achieving those outcomes. In working towards our strategy, our people display our IMPACT leadership behaviours of Frank & Fearless, Dexterous & Agile and Careful & DiligentFor more information about us, please refer to our website. Applications from recruitment agencies will not be considered on this occasion.