Senior Associate - Public Affairs

Senior Associate, Public Affairs - Sydney, Australia

The Opportunity

As Teneo continues to grow its presence in Australia, we are seeking a Senior Associate with a strong background in corporate and public affairs to join our Strategy and Communications team, based in Sydney.

This role focuses on advising clients on public affairs, policy, regulatory engagement, and stakeholder strategy, particularly where business objectives intersect with government policy, regulatory change, and broader geopolitical dynamics. Australia has a highly visible, fast‑moving environment, requiring strong judgement, political and regulatory literacy, and the ability to advise senior leaders through complex and sensitive situations.

A Senior Associate at Teneo is responsible for delivering consistently high‑quality client work and plays a pivotal role in managing day‑to‑day account activity. You will be expected to anticipate client needs, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and ensure that work is delivered to agreed standards and timelines. You will also contribute to the development of junior team members through on‑the‑job coaching and active participation in a collaborative, high‑performance team environment.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Associate within Teneo’s Strategy and Communications team in Australia, your role will include:

Public affairs and policy advisory

• Conduct research and analysis to understand market, geopolitical and/ or business trends. Prepare policy papers, policy response statements, and points-of-view on the relevant policies.
• Support clients in anticipating and responding to political, regulatory, and stakeholder developments that may impact business operations or reputation.
• Contribute to stakeholder mapping, policy analysis, and engagement strategies aligned to client objectives.

Stakeholder, issues strategy and execution

• Support the development of integrated stakeholder engagement strategies across government, regulators, industry bodies, and other relevant audiences.
• Support the development of public affairs strategies, including research, policy analysis, and scenario planning.
• Develop a network of relevant external stakeholders across government, industry, media, and industry/trade associations. This includes supporting client leads on engagement with state and federal government, both at political and bureaucratic levels, to drive the growth of Teneo’s government relations function in Australia.

Narrative

• Support development of narratives and messaging that support public affairs objectives, including briefing materials, position papers, executive talking points, and thought leadership.
• Work with communications specialists to ensure alignment between public affairs strategy and broader reputation management efforts.

Business development

• Support leadership in identifying and developing new public affairs opportunities.
• Contribute to proposals, pitch materials, and client meetings.

Client and team leadership

• Support workstreams and deliverables across public affairs‑led accounts, ensuring high‑quality execution and timely delivery.
• Mentor and support Consultants and Associates contributing to their development in public affairs advisory work.

In addition, you will be expected to:

• Work as a core member of integrated client teams, supporting public affairs and policy advisory engagements across Australia and the region.
• Help ensure consistently high standards of delivery by supporting project coordination, research, and quality assurance.
• Contribute ideas and analysis that inform client strategies, drawing on policy, regulatory, and stakeholder insights.
• Engage actively with the wider Teneo team to build skills, share knowledge, and support the firm’s public affairs work across Asia Pacific.

Requirements

• 4 – 6 years of relevant experience in public affairs, policy advisory, corporate affairs, or related roles ideally within a consultancy or professional services environment.
• Strong understanding of Australia’s political, regulatory, and stakeholder environment, with awareness of regional and global dynamics.
• Have a strong interest in business, public policy, geopolitics, macroeconomic/finance events and a desire to work across the breadth of Teneo’s Strategy and Communications service offering.
• Strong ability to grasp clients’ business objectives and provide strategic insight on the implications, risks and opportunities arising from key developments.
• Possessing excellent verbal and written skills in English.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, including proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.
• Possessing a strategic and entrepreneurial spirit, can-do attitude and being a team player is essential.
• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, international relations, law, economics, communications, or a related discipline; a postgraduate qualification is an advantage.

About Teneo

Teneo is the global CEO advisory firm. We partner with our clients globally to do great things for a better future.

Drawing upon our global team and expansive network of senior advisors, we provide advisory services across our five business segments on a stand-alone or fully integrated basis to help our clients solve complex business challenges. Our clients include a significant number of the Fortune 100 and FTSE 100, as well as other corporations, financial institutions and organizations.

Our full range of advisory services includes strategic communications, investor relations, financial transactions and restructuring, management consulting, physical and cyber risk, organisational design, board and executive search, geopolitics and government affairs, corporate governance, ESG and DE&I.

The firm has more than 1,800 employees located in 42+ offices around the world.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Teneo is an equal opportunity employer and promotes a diverse and inclusive workplace. Teneo considers all applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, gender identity, genetic information, or sexual orientation or any other status protected by applicable law.