Government Relations Manager

at  Vicinity Centres

We are one of Australia’s leading retail property groups, who are reimagining the way Australians live, work and play. We own and manage some of the most recognisable and loved retail destinations across Australia and are evolving to transform our portfolio into destinations that offer a broad selection of retail, residential, and office spaces.
Role purpose
The key purpose of Manager, Government Relations is to develop comprehensive strategies and implementation plans aligned to the company’s strategy to further Vicinity’s interests through well considered engagement with all levels of government. Established within the Development and Government Relations business unit the role will be responsible for Government Relations related to all of Vicinity’s portfolio including Corporate activities, Development and Operations. The role will include day to day management of the membership of the industry associations of which Vicinity is a member with a view to leveraging those memberships for the benefit of the organisation and, through appropriate engagement, to seek to have those associations represent Vicinity’s interests and ambitions. The role will be the key co-ordinator of Vicinity’s engagement with all parts of Australian government, including Vicinity’s appointed consultants and also advisers to government.
Key responsibilities

1. Policy Analysis and Advocacy:

• Analyse proposed policies and consequential legislation and/ or regulation and provide strategic recommendations to senior management and other relevant internal parties. The lens to be applied in this regard is to the broad corporate matters through to site specific issues and will be assisted by collaboration with Centre based team members.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments relevant to Vicinity’s business and objectives and assess and report their potential impacts.
• Advocate for favourable policies and regulations that support the company’s business objectives through written submissions, presentations, and direct engagement with policymakers.

1. Government Affairs Liaison:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for government officials and regulatory agencies on behalf of Vicinity.
• Represent, or see to the appropriate other Vicinity team member’s representation, in meetings, hearings, and industry forums to communicate our positions and perspectives effectively.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with government stakeholders and industry associations to promote collaboration and dialogue.
• Coordinate engagement of any and all of Vicinity’s appointed consultants to Govt. This includes annual reviews of how Vicinity appoints consultants to assist its interest and making recommendations as to the most efficient and effective approach for adoption.

1. Planning Policy Compliance and Risk Management:

• Utilising the expertise of the Development team, Property Investment and Analytics team and appointed statutory planning consultants, advise senior management and the Development team on any proposed changes to planning laws and reporting requirements at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Monitor changes in planning policy at the various levels of Australian Government and identify potential risks and opportunities for Vicinity.

1. Community Engagement:

• Collaborate with internal teams, including marketing, communications, and community relations, to support community engagement initiatives and utilise those engagements to advance advocacy as appropriate.
• Represent the company at community events, public hearings, and other forums to enhance our visibility and reputation.

1. Industry Association Management

• Take responsibility for the co-ordination of Vicinity’s memberships of Industry Associations,
• Ensure that Vicinity’s strategy and objectives are advanced through those associations directing, where appropriate, Vicinity Team members who are directly engaged with those associations
• See to the sharing of insights gained though association memberships and Vicinity team member engagement with associations
• Ensure that any and all Vicinity team members have a consistent and robust understanding of Vicinity’s positions that might be affected by each association of which we are members or where we have, through our team, representation.

1. Reporting

• Develop and implement a reliable, searchable and digital means of recording engagements and issues so that sharing is enabled, to levels as appropriate, to record and report the effectiveness of the Government Relations and Industry Association memberships.
• Monthly reporting will be required of engagements.

Key role relationships

• Regional General Managers, Development
• Industry Association leadership and working groups.
• Asset Leadership Teams
• Relevant government advisory bodies.

Capability and experience

• You will be a Government Relations professional with 10+ years’ experience in various parts of the working of government in Australia and have worked in a listed organisation or government.
• You will also have a highly tuned media radar and existing established relationships in the media. You will be an exceptional writer with strong relationship building skills and a curious mindset of the world.
• Known for your ability to see the bigger picture of what an organisation wants to achieve to drive an implementation plan to help achieve those ambitions.
• You build strong internal and external networks and partnerships, are a trusted advisor and have the ability to balance strategic and operational activities.
• A natural coach, you enjoy taking time to advise and help develop the capability and skills of others.
• You are passionate about the benefits of strategic engagement and have a flexible approach which will see you succeed in managing complex issues and pushing forward to enhance Vicinity’s position, business interests and reputation.
• Drives performance and commercial outcomes: You drive and maximise performance and commercial outcomes without compromising quality, safety, or our customers.
• Develops talent and capability: You identify, nurture, and activate the diverse talent and capabilities of people.
• Leads change: You consciously create a culture where everyone has the awareness, knowledge, and desire to respond and thrive through change.
• Adopts an external view: You create strategic advantage by anticipating market needs and pioneering innovative approaches based on a sound understanding of the global market.

Why Vicinity?

Our benefits program focuses on creating an awesome place to work in which our people are rewarded and recognised. This includes:

• Flexible working options
• Birthday leave & purchased additional leave
• $1,000 worth of VCX securities rewarded for eligible team members
• Internal mentoring program
• Generous Parental Leave

Our values cultivate a culture that encourages our 1,200+ team members to be adaptable, agile, resilient and passionate.
At Vicinity we embrace and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment where we attract, retain and develop our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community and we strongly encourage applications from the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.
Our people and our Employee Advocacy Groups (Gender Balance, Cultural Diversity, Disability & Access and Pride & Allies) actively build community and provide allyship within Vicinity. If you’d like to speak to someone to understand what it’s like firsthand to work here, please reach out to our Talent Acquisition team.
We are aware of current limitations with our website accessibility and are working towards improving this. Should you experience any issues accessing information in this job advertisement or the application form, and require this in an alternate format, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team. Similarly, if you would like to discuss workplace accessibility, any reasonable adjustments we can make to better support you during the recruitment process, or your potential future role please reach out to our Talent Acquisition team:
Email:
talent.acquisition@vicinity.com.au
Phone: +61 3 7001 4000 (request to speak to our Talent Acquisition team)
Note: To be eligible to apply for this position, you must have existing, relevant Australian work rights. At the later stages of the recruitment process the shortlisted candidate/candidates will be required to undergo a Criminal History Background/Police Check as a mandatory part of the process. Additional qualification checks may also be required dependant on role and level

• Regional General Managers, Development
• Industry Association leadership and working groups.
• Asset Leadership Teams
• Relevant government advisory bodies