Assistant Director, Appointments and Portfolio

EL 1 - $115,663 - $124,403 per annum plus superannuation
- Legal & Governance Division
- Canberra, ACT
- _Work in a motivated and professional team with a wide range of skill sets and backgrounds _
- _City based location with flexible work options _
- _Undertake high-level coordination activities and build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders_

**Who we are**
The Legal and Governance Division is responsible for legal services and advice, communications and media, governance and corporate support, as well as parliamentary, appointments and ministerial services. This includes the provision of strategic advice and services to the secretary, the executive and the business areas of the department. The division is managed by the Chief Counsel (First Assistant Secretary), and operates in a fast-paced, exciting environment. We facilitate excellent outcomes for our clients and focus on ensuring our staff are supported and suitably trained to be in the best position to take on the challenges of the work.

Our Governance Branch activities include (but not limited to): parliamentary business; ministerial and executive support; corporate secretariats; internal audit; portfolio-related government appointments and coordination; corporate performance and enterprise risk management; corporate business planning and reporting; and supporting the Inspector-General of Biosecurity (IGB) and the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports (IGLAE).

Key activities the Appointments and Portfolio Coordination team within the department’s Governance Branch will provide include (but not limited to):

- coordination of various corporate governance activities such as: the management and processing of board, committee, and independent statutory authority officer appointments; portfolio reporting; and secretariat services
- secretariat services for the department’s governance committees and sub-committees
- organise executive workshops and other events, as required
- build and maintain relationships with external (largely portfolio-related) and internal stakeholders
- aid in building the department’s administrative governance capability by providing assistance to line areas about improvements to existing processing and procedures.

**The Job**
The primary duties of the Assistant Director position include, but are not limited to:

- developing effective, collaborative and strategic working relationships across the department and with external stakeholders
- coordinating and preparing high-quality briefings and other correspondence for the department’s executive (for internal and external use) including ministerial briefs
- coordinating and managing the department’s appointments process and portfolio reporting activities
- undertaking secretariat services including: organising meetings (including off-site), preparing meeting papers (including committee draft work plan/s, minute taking, follow-up actions, and annual review of committees’ performance etc.)
- ensuring the department’s high-level strategic corporate documents (as endorsed by the executive) are available online
- ensuring the team’s activities align with the department’s governance framework
- supervising team members (including graduates) who are responsible for coordinating activities within the team’s remit
- delivering against the annual branch business and risk plans that align with organisational business and strategic objectives.

**Skills and capabilities**
- strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to deal professionally and courteously with a diverse group of stakeholders
- highly effective communication and representation skills, including excellent writing skills and an ability to develop and maintain effective customer, business stakeholder and team relationships
- ability to work under limited direction, with the opportunity for reasonable autonomy and accountability
- ability to work with cross-functional teams and interact with different levels in the organisation.
- sound organisational/time management skills, with a high level of attention to detail and the ability to multi-task effectively and efficiently
- the ability to work collaboratively in a small team to assist in planning and conducting corporate governance activities
- strong leadership, management and development of staff to promote high individual and team performance, and a positive and productive work environment.

Knowledge and experience

To be successful in this position you will have:

- a good understanding of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, and associated rules
- a good understanding of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s governance structure
- demonstrated experience or ability in undertaking:

- coordination activities o secretariat services
- high-level executive minute taking/report writing experience
- data analysis, interpretation and pro