Assistant Director

EL 1 - $115,663 - $124,403 per annum plus superannuation
- International Environment, Reef and Oceans Division
- Canberra, ACT
- _Contribute to the conservation of Australia's threatened marine species and ecological communities by leading staff undertaking listing assessments and preparing recovery plans for the Threatened Species Scientific Committee._
- _Contribute to the protection of Australia's biodiversity by assessing the importation of live animals and biological agents; and providing advice in relation to Australia’s participation in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). _
- _We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements and new ways of working - including working from different departmental office locations or based at home._

**Identified position** - This position is an ‘Identified’ position which signifies that the role has a strong involvement in issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The successful applicant must have an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and an ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People.

**Who we are**
The International Environment, Reef and Oceans Division leads and influences Australia’s engagement on a range of environment-related international agreements and treaties - including those relating to oceans, wildlife trade and migratory species and oversees a range of Pacific environment programs. The division contributes to the protection and sustainable management Australia’s wildlife, oceans, marine and migratory species and the Great Barrier Reef. The division comprises the International Environment Branch, Great Barrier Reef Branch and Oceans and Wildlife Branch.

The Oceans and Wildlife Branch is responsible for the conservation, protection and sustainable management of the environment by representing Australia’s international wildlife trade interests, facilitating the listing of, and conservation planning responses to, marine threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), and assessing the performance of Australian marine (including commercial fisheries) and terrestrial wildlife commercial harvest operations consistent with the requirements of the EPBC Act.

The Branch is leading delivery of Australia’s Sustainable Ocean Plan - the first of its kind, and providing a focal point for domestic ocean matters in the department and other Australian Government agencies with ocean-related responsibilities and interests. The Branch manages Australia’s implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the List of specimens taken to be suitable for live import.

The Marine Species Conservation Section is responsible for working for the federal Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) on facilitating the listing of, and conservation planning responses for, marine threatened species and ecological communities under the EPBC Act, including Conservation Dependent listed species, coordination of shark and rays conservation policy, and for coordinating Australia’s contribution to the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Migratory Sharks.

The Live Import List and CITES Policy Section works to protect our biodiversity and strengthen biosecurity measures by assessing requests for the importation of live animals and biological agents, and providing advice in relation to Australia’s participation in CITES. The Live Import List team manages the EPBC Act’s and pre-import assessment processes that determine species suitable for live import into Australia. The assessment process looks at the risk of the species escaping and becoming established in the wild in Australia, and what impacts that may have on Australian biodiversity. This team works closely with a range of external and internal stakeholders to progress these assessments.

**The Job/s**
Responsibilities include:

- assessing requests for the importation of live animals and biological agents,
- providing guidance and leadership to staff undertaking complex assessments for species and ecological community proposed for threatened species listing, or assessing requests for the importation of live animals and biological agents,
- development of SES and Ministerial briefings,
- coordinating and contributing to the review and development of recovery plans for threatened marine species, which includes liaison and engagement with Recovery Teams (state governments, eNGOs, scientific experts), and representing the section/presenting draft recovery Plans at TSSC meetings,
- conducting threatened species listing asse