De Brouwer was Professor of Economics in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, from January 2000 to March 2004.
De Brouwer was the Associate Secretary in the Domestic Policy Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Rudd Government.
De Brouwer played a key role in the development of Australia's $42 billion economic stimulus package.
de Brouwer also led the Australian delegation to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
It was reported in leaked diplomatic cables that De Brouwer lamented to his contacts in the US Embassy that PM&C foreign policy staff have been run ragged answering the PM's (Rudd's) queries and supporting his interaction with foreign officials.