Andrew Leigh

Team Leigh is looking for a Media Adviser

The person who handles my media is moving on, so I’m inviting applications for a Canberra-based media adviser who can assist me with publicly communicating on issues of economic policy.

I have a pretty broad range of ways through which I engage on policy issues - from books to speeches to interviews to op-eds to tweets.

Along with my other four staff, my media adviser helps draft, coordinate, and project those ideas. This involves drafting media releases, speeches and op-eds, chatting with journalists, and working in with the rest of the Labor team. The hours tend to exceed 40 hours a week, and can be unpredictable - for which there's an overtime allowance.

As Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Competition and Member for Fraser, the issues that I engage on range from multinational profit-shifting to saving the red post box in Nicholls. So an appreciation for economics and a love of Canberra are definite pluses.

With an election due this year, I will be doing a fair bit of travelling. The person who ends up being appointed to this job would be the main person who would accompany me on these trips. In practice, that's likely to involve 0-2 interstate trips each week, with the occasional overnight stay. 

Among the attributes that would be desirable are:

• Having worked as a journalist
• Experience in economic policy making
• An understanding of the work of a parliamentary staffer 

In politics, as in other walks of life, it always helps to surround yourself with people who can teach you something. So if you write better sentences than me, if you’re wittier than me, if you know the media better than me, or if you understand a policy area that I’m weak on, then I want to hear from you.

The salary range is $125,000 to $135,000, which includes an overtime/on call allowance.

Women and people from culturally and linguistically diverse groups tend to be underrepresented, and so are particularly encouraged to apply for this position.

If you're interested, please send a CV with a covering email to andrew.leigh.mp<asperand>aph.gov.au. Applications close at midnight on Thursday 10 March.

In case you're interested in my views on engaging with the media in the current environment, see my speech The Naked Truth? Media and Politics in the Digital Age.