Community Development Officer
A community development officer works with local groups, councils and services to find out what a community needs and help build the programs that meet it.
- Median salary
- $75,000
3.6%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 1,100
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +12.1%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 39/wk
−1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Community development officers work for local councils, state agencies and non-government organisations, and spend as much time in halls, kitchens and community centres as at a desk. The focus is a group or neighbourhood rather than an individual client, so success looks like a playgroup that keeps running, a youth program with a waiting list, or a network that holds together after the funding stops. Much of the work runs on grant money, which makes the case for funding as much a part of the job as running the program.
How much do community development officers earn?
The median full-time salary for a community development officer is $75,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,000 since 2018.
Pay depends on who employs you: local government classifications generally sit above community organisations running on grant funding, and fixed-term funded roles can pay less than ongoing ones. The work is mostly weekday, so penalty rates are rare, though evening and weekend community events are ordinary. A record of funded programs that delivered moves your pay faster than years of service.
What does a community development officer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Sitting in community meetings and listening for what people actually want, which is often not what the funding brief assumes
- Writing grant applications and acquittal reports that turn those conversations into evidence a funder will accept
- Building relationships between council, local groups and businesses that don't always trust each other
- Launching a program and reworking it once real turnout and participation show what works
- Learning a new subject area with each project, from housing and youth services to disability access
What skills do community development officers need?
Employers look for community engagement, project management, policy analysis and advice, backed by Microsoft Excel fluency and strong stakeholder management.
Specialist skills
- Community engagement
- Project management
- Policy analysis and advice
- Data analysis
Software and tools
- Microsoft Excel
- Salesforce Community Cloud
- Evaluation frameworks (logic models)
- GIS mapping software
- Project management platforms (Monday.com, Asana)
General skills
- Stakeholder management
- Written communication
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 1,100 people work as community development officers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 12.1% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a community development officer?
Here's the path most community development officers take, step by step.
- 1Get a qualification in community services or social science
A certificate IV or diploma in community services is the quickest route into an entry-level role, while a bachelor degree in community development, social science or human services opens more project and policy work. A Bachelor degree is the most common qualification held by people already in the role, at about 37% of the workforce.
- 2Build experience where the community already gathers
Volunteering with a neighbourhood centre, youth service or cultural group gives you the local knowledge and relationships that employers ask about at interview.
- 3Learn the funding and reporting side
Grant writing, logic models and evaluation frameworks are what turn a good idea into a funded program, and they are usually picked up on the job or through a short course.
- 4Apply through councils and community organisations
Entry titles include community development officer, community engagement officer and project officer. Councils, health services and not-for-profits all advertise, and a fixed-term contract is a common first role.
- 5Specialise as you go
Experience in one area, such as youth, disability access, housing or multicultural services, is what makes you a stronger candidate for coordinator and senior positions later.
Ready to apply as a community development officer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a community development officer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a community development officer move to?
Moving into Sports Administrator typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $72,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Administrator Community development officers with recreation experience move into sports administration, building on program coordination and stakeholder work.Known move | +$72,900 | 24% | reskill |
| Social Worker Community development officers bring needs assessment and community engagement to social work, but a social work degree and registration are required.Known move | +$37,900 | 19% | requalify |
| Counsellor Community development officers bring engagement and program skills to counselling, with further study in counselling required.Known move | +$37,000 | 12% | reskill |
| Health Promotion Officer Community development officers bring community engagement and program planning to health promotion, needing only minimal additional training. | +$16,000 | 78% | minimal |
| Economic Development Officer Community development officers bring needs analysis and stakeholder engagement to economic development, with minimal retraining required. | +$2,200 | 67% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a community development officer?
The typical community development officer is 31 years old; 59% are men, 70% work full-time, and full-timers average 39 hours a week.
- 31
- Median age
- 41%
- Female share
- 70%
- Full-time
- −1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a community development officer?
The job runs on relationships built over months, so the calendar fills with meetings, drop-ins and follow-ups rather than long stretches at a desk. Grant cycles set the rhythm: a quieter stretch of consultation and writing, then a busy period delivering a program and reporting on it. It suits people who are patient with slow progress, comfortable in a room full of strong opinions, and happy to hand a successful program over to the community that now runs it.
What people like
- You watch a group take over. The aim is to leave a program or network in the hands of the people it serves, and seeing a local committee run its own event is the clearest sign it worked.
- The subject matter keeps changing. A housing project one year, youth services the next, so the role suits someone who likes learning a new policy area from scratch.
- The work is local and visible. You meet the people affected by a decision, which is a different position from policy work done at a distance.
- Quiet influence on decisions. You often know the neighbourhood better than the people making the funding call, so a well-argued case can redirect a program or keep one alive.
What people find hard
- Funding ends and the program stops. Short grant cycles mean promising work can be wound up when the money runs out, and you may be the one telling a community it is over.
- Contracts are short. Many positions are funded for one to three years, so your job security depends on the next round of money being approved.
- Reporting takes time from the work. Funder reporting and evaluation paperwork can crowd out the community contact that made the program worth running.
- Progress is slow. Real change in a neighbourhood is measured over years, and some problems come back whatever you try.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ community development officers?
Arts and Recreation Services employs the largest share of community development officers, followed by Education and Training.
Top employing industries
- 1Arts and Recreation Services
- 2Education and Training
- 3Public Administration and Safety
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 36.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 24.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 13.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 11.7% | |
| Postgraduate | 9.7% |
Will AI replace community development officers?
This is a low-exposure role, because the work depends on relationships and local knowledge rather than on documents or calculations. Word-heavy tasks such as grant applications, reporting and simple data summaries are where the tools help, and that saves time rather than replacing the job. Working out what a neighbourhood needs, then persuading a funder, a council or a wary community group to back it, stays with the officer.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Community consultation and relationship buildingMost of the week goes on meetings, drop-ins and follow-ups, and the trust that comes out of them cannot be produced by a tool.40%low
- Program design and coordinationSchedules, rosters and project plans can be drafted in Monday.com or Asana, but whether a program fits a particular group still has to be judged in person.25%moderate
- Grant writing and reportingDrafting an application or acquittal against a funder's template is the part AI assists most, though the evidence and local detail have to come from you.25%high
- Evaluation and data collectionSurvey results and participation numbers can be summarised quickly in Excel or a logic model, and the interpretation still shapes what the next program does.10%moderate
Common questions about becoming a community development officer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do community development officers earn?
Community development officers earn $75,000 per annum, before tax. The figure is a guide rather than a fixed rate: local government classifications and grant-funded community roles sit at different levels, and ongoing positions usually pay more than fixed-term contracts.
How do you become a community development officer?
Most people enter with a diploma or degree in community services, community development or a related social science, then build local experience through volunteering or a support role. Grant writing and evaluation skills matter as much as the qualification once you start applying, because most programs depend on funding.
Are community development officers in demand?
Community development officers are currently not in shortage. Employment is projected to grow 12.1% over the decade to 2035, and with a small workforce most openings come from people moving between councils and community organisations rather than from new positions being created.
Will AI replace community development officers?
Exposure is low. Reporting, simple data summaries and first drafts of grant applications can be produced with software, which takes time off the paperwork. The core of the job, building trust in a neighbourhood and negotiating between groups with different interests, is not something these tools do.
What roles can a community development officer move into?
Health promotion officer is a straightforward move, since community engagement and program planning carry over with minimal retraining, and roles typically pay $16,000 more. Economic development officer applies a similar skill set to local business and employment programs, also with minimal retraining. Moving into social work is possible, though it needs a social work degree and registration.
What is the difference between a community development officer and a social worker?
A community development officer works with a group, street or neighbourhood, while a social worker works with individual clients and cases. The assessment skills overlap, but community development is funded through grants and measured by participation, and social work requires a degree and registration.
Related roles
- Health Promotion Officer
- Social Worker
- Counsellor
- Sports Administrator
- Economic Development Officer
- Disability Support Worker
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