Assistant Director

EL 1 - $120,290 - $129,379 per annum plus superannuation
- Farm Resilience Division
- Adelaide, SA,Brisbane, QLD,Canberra, ACT,Darwin, NT,Melbourne, VIC,Sydney, NSW
- We are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals who are passionate about supporting the resilience, growth, and sustainability of Australia's agriculture sector.
- Our team thrives on diversity - we believe that bringing together people from various backgrounds, cultures, genders, and skill sets fosters a collaborative and dynamic environment.
- We care about each other, value work-life balance, and genuinely enjoy collaborating on interesting, high-impact policy issues to achieve meaningful outcomes for Australian agriculture.

**Who we are**
The **Farm Resilience Division** works alongside government, non-government and industry stakeholders to administer programs and policies that support resilience, sustainability and growth across agriculture. The division provides whole-of-government coordination and advice on farm business support policy and drought policy, as well as administering the Future Drought Fund. This includes policy and programs that build financial resilience to support farming businesses and communities to prepare for or respond to climate, production and market risks.

The **Financial Policy and Business Support Branch** develops and administers policies and programs and provides advice about the farm business environment. This includes targeted assistance to primary producers and their families to help them better manage in hard times and to build financial resilience.

The branch administers the Farm Management Deposit (FMD) Scheme, Farm Household Allowance (FHA) program, the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) program, and has policy responsibility for the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC) and the loans it delivers. The branch also has responsibility for broader banking, finance, tax and insurance policy issues that intersect with the agriculture sector. Our policy work is underpinned by collecting and analysing accurate and timely data and robust monitoring and evaluation.

We engage with other policy and delivery agencies, including the Department of Finance, the Treasury, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Services Australia, the RIC, the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Prudential and Regulation Authority, RFCS providers and state and territory governments, as well as with industry stakeholders, including the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Banking Association.

There are several positions available across multiple sections within the branch. A merit pool will also be established through this selection process and made available for future vacancies in the broader division and other policy and program areas within the department.

**The Job**
We thrive when our teams are made up of people from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, education, training and skills. We care about our colleagues and genuinely enjoy working together. We are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join our team.

The duties of an EL 1 officer in the branch or division may include, but are not limited to:

- supporting the director in leadership of the section
- proactively undertaking research, analysis and problem-solving to inform evidence-based policy that supports achievement of the department’s strategic objectives
- reviewing and updating policy settings on established programs for government consideration
- working collaboratively with key service delivery partners to deliver program outcomes
- undertaking data analysis, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects
- working collaboratively and cooperatively with stakeholders, including agricultural industries, other Commonwealth agencies and state and territory governments
- preparing high quality written material, including Ministerial correspondence and submissions, briefs, discussion papers, reports and New Policy Proposals
- developing program communications and stakeholder engagement strategies
- anticipating and contributing to strategic program implementation planning and governance, branch and departmental activities
- financial management and program assurance
- coordination activities
- fostering and promoting a positive, collaborative and inclusive working environment.

**Flexible working arrangements and work locations**

**Please note** that this selection process will initially be used to fill several ongoing and potentially non-ongoing vacancies, and that the roles may be able to be performed from any of the locations listed above or other regional locations throughout Australia. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of 18 months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may also be used to fill future vacancies in the division or broader department where the duties are of a similar nature.