Aps4-aps6 Payments and Digital Assets Specialist

LOCATION: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne

TENURE: Ongoing / Non-ongoing (specified term)

SYNOPSIS:
**About the Payments and Financial Innovation Branch**

The Payments and Financial Innovation Branch is responsible for promoting a well-functioning and resilient payments system, updating the payments regulatory framework, modernising payments infrastructure, and uplifting competition, productivity and innovation across the payments industry and the digital economy. The work presents an exciting opportunity to shape the regulatory environment for a key sector in the Australian economy. This function sits within Treasury’s Digital, Competition and Payments Division.

**Key areas of focus for the branch include**:

- Understanding the nature of new financial technologies, innovative business models and the risks associated with products such as digital wallets and payment stablecoins.
- Providing advice on the appropriate levels of regulation, which includes balancing consumer protection, regulatory burdens on industry, and the innovative potential for new financial technologies.
- Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses, industry associations, and domestic and international regulators.

The **Digital Assets and Crypto Unit **is responsible for developing legislative and regulatory reforms to safely facilitate digital asset innovations. Digital assets are an emerging part of the digital economy and may one day be a key component of Australia’s financial system. The team’s work includes the development of legislation to mitigate the risks associated with digital asset platforms, together with exploratory work on the benefits and opportunities associated with central bank digital currency, asset tokenisation, tokenised markets, and decentralised finance. The team also acts as a key knowledge centre for digital asset issues across Treasury and its portfolio agencies, such as ASIC and the ACCC.

The **Payments Reform Unit **is developing a new regulatory framework for payment service providers. The payments industry is changing rapidly, with the emergence of new payment technologies and new entities entering the market for payment services, such as digital wallets. Existing regulation has not kept pace with these changes. The payments regulatory reforms are intended to provide an uplift in standards across the industry, boost consumer protections, and promote innovation and competition in the sector. As a member of the team, you will have the unique opportunity of engaging with policy issues that are at the cutting edge of financial system regulation and shaping the future of the Australian payments system.

**About the role**

Treasury is looking for highly motivated, team-oriented and flexible individuals to join the Payments and Financial Innovation Branch. APS4, APS5 and APS6 Payments and Digital Assets Specialists work in a team structure and report to a Director or Assistant Director.

In performing your roles, you are expected to be able to:

- **Think critically**: assess the implications of economic and policy developments and develop insights as a basis for policy advice.
- **Engage effectively**: build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including regulators, advocacy groups and businesses.
- **Navigate strategic context**:understand the policy landscape, identify opportunities and challenges, and show good judgement.
- **Deliver results**:deliver timely and high-quality advice and products, including preparing briefings to ministers, senior officials and legislative drafters as well as developing public consultation papers.
- **Show leadership**: be proactive, innovative and inclusive.

**Desirable Qualifications / Experience**
- one year for APS4 roles
- two years for APS5 roles
- three years for APS6 roles.
- Relevant tertiary qualification(s) in a relevant field is desirable but not necessary: economics, law, commerce, finance, public policy.
- Experience in policy development and analysis, legislative development or in regulatory work is highly desirable.
- Some experience in one or more of the following will also be very well regarded:

- Financial markets
- Payment systems
- Corporations law
- Competition and consumer law