Assistant Director

Partnerships and Engagement Group

APS Executive Level 1 - Assistant Director - Collection Access and Client
Services

Ongoing

Salary range $97,230 to $106,655.

Approval may be granted to maintain the annual salary for an existing ongoing
Australian Public Service employee transferring to the Institute whose current

annual salary exceeds this salary range.

This is an Affirmative Measures opportunity open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander people only

Who we are
We are Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history,
cultures, and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. We house the
world’s most important and extensive collection of cultural information and material, and
we provide leadership, publish, and promote greater understanding and appreciation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We create opportunities for people the
world over to engage with and be transformed by the knowledge, the culture and the
story of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. We are Australia’s national institution for
leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.

What we do

We care for a priceless collection, including films, photographs, video and audio
recordings as well as the world’s largest collection of printed and other resource
materials for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. We undertake and encourage
scholarly, ethical, community-based research in a variety of sectors, including health,
native title, languages and education. Our publishing house, Aboriginal Studies Press,
regularly publishes outstanding writing that promotes Australian Indigenous cultures.
Our activities affirm and raise awareness of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.

Our functions are established under the_ Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres _
- Strait Islander Studies Act 1989_.

These functions are to:
develop, preserve and provide access to a national collection of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage;
use that national collection to strengthen and promote knowledge and
understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage;
provide leadership in the fields of:

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research; and
- ethics and protocols for research, and other activities relating to
collections, related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and
use (including research) of that national collection and other collections
containing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage;
lead and promote collaborations and partnerships among the academic, research,
non-government, business and government sectors, and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples in support of the other functions of the Institute; and

provide advice to the Commonwealth on the situation and status of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.

We are an Australian Government statutory authority. The Minister responsible for
AIATSIS is the Hon Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, and the
Agency sits within the portfolio of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

About the Partnerships and Engagement Group

The Collection Access and Family History Unit is part of the Partnerships and
Engagement Group. The Unit manage services and policies for culturally appropriate
access to the AIATSIS collection and Indigenous family history research.

The Collection Access Unit provides reference services and culturally appropriate access
to the AIATSIS collections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as
non-Indigenous researchers and commercial clients. Staff in the Collection Access Unit
also conduct community access visits and tours and provide training to clients in how to
access the collection, support collection exhibition, publications and research.

The Partnership and Engagement Group actively invest in the skills and knowledge of
our staff so they can thrive in their current roles and support them to develop in their
chosen career pathway.

We are seeking to fill the Assistant Director Access and Client Service role within the
Collection Access team with a person who can work productively with clients in a
challenging information environment and highly rewarding team, who supports
colleagues when they are under pressure and who shows initiative, good judgement and
work with an anti-racist and strength-based approach.

About the role

The role is Canberra-based and requires strong communication and interpersonal skills
that allow you to effectively engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
from across the country.

You will be responsible for leading the Access team and managing the operations of the
Collections Access Unit efficiently and effectively including reference enquiries and
collection access services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peopl