Principal Officer, Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Relations

About the role

The University of Queensland is looking for a Principal Officer to join its Corporate Affairs team at the St Lucia campus. The role delivers strategic communication and stakeholder engagement programs that strengthen and protect the University's reputation, covering major infrastructure and campus development projects, corporate initiatives, industry engagement and incident management. It is a full-time, continuing position with a base salary of $106,709 to $116,199 plus 17% superannuation (HEW Level 7).

Key responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of communication and stakeholder engagement programs for major infrastructure, campus development and corporate initiatives aligned with UQ's strategic priorities.
• Develop clear, purposeful communication plans, materials and assets for a range of audiences, channels and formats.
• Contribute to industry and government engagement activities that strengthen UQ's profile, positioning and relationships.
• Analyse and advise on potential stakeholder impacts and support relationship management across UQ's activities.
• Support reputation management and contribute to communication responses during incidents and emerging issues.

Required profile

• Tertiary qualification in communication, public relations, journalism or a related discipline, with at least six years of subsequent relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Proven success in developing and implementing communication and stakeholder engagement plans for diverse audiences.
• Experience supporting infrastructure projects that require proactive engagement, careful relationship management and early identification of stakeholder issues.
• Knowledge of, or experience in, the Australian higher education sector is desirable but not essential.
• Unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of the appointment; employer-sponsored work rights are not available.

Required skills

• Highly developed written communication skills, able to write clearly and precisely for multiple audiences and channels.
• Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build collaborative and trusted relationships.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills, including planning and managing a high volume of work and responding to changing priorities.
• Sound judgement and the ability to analyse stakeholder and reputational impacts in complex environments.

What we offer

• Up to 26 weeks of paid parental and primary care leave.
• 17% superannuation and 17.5% leave loading.
• Flexible and hybrid working options.
• Health and wellbeing programs, a heavily discounted Study for Staff program, on-campus childcare and affordable parking.
• Salary packaging.

Applications close on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 11:00pm AEST. Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter through the university's Talent Acquisition team; email applications are not accepted. Pre-employment checks may include verification of the right to work, qualifications and professional registration.