Policy and Planning Manager
What the work is
Plans, organises, directs, controls and coordinates policy advice and strategic planning within an organisation.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Develops, implements and monitors strategic and business planning activities, organisational programs, policies, processes, systems and procedures to achieve goals, objectives and work standards
- Develops, implements, administers and participates in policy research and analysis
- Coordinates the implementation of policies and practices
- Communicates organisational policies and procedures
- Establishes activity measures and measurements of accountability
- Oversees and participates in the development of policy documents and reports
- Consults with, and provides expert advice to, government officials and board members on policy, program and legislative issues
- Represents the organisation in negotiations and at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums convened to discuss policy issues
- Undertakes short-term and long-term business planning as part of the managerial process
- Plans for uncertain future events
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the policy branch of a fictional state government department. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A policy you shaped goes live and you hear from someone it genuinely helped
- A long, complicated issue finally fits on one clear page that a minister understands
- Your team disagrees well, and the final advice is stronger than any single draft
Hard days
- The direction changes late in the day, and a week of careful work is shelved
- You are asked to back a decision you advised against
- Pulled between what the evidence says and what the politics will allow
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 111431, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.