El1 Assistant Director

EL 1 - $115,663 - $124,403 per annum plus superannuation
- Environment Approvals Division
- Adelaide, SA,Brisbane, QLD,Canberra, ACT,Darwin, NT,Hobart, TAS,Melbourne, VIC,Perth, WA,Sydney, NSW

**Who we are**

This is an exciting time to join the Environment Approvals Division within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The government has announced that it will establish a national Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as a strong independent environmental regulator with a mission to improve trust and transparency in the operation of national environmental laws. It is expected that the work of the division will transition to the independent EPA in the period ahead.

We are a modern regulator that works to a high professional standard to deliver better practice regulation. We use the best scientific evidence and sound judgement, and work with a wide range of stakeholders, to solve complex environmental challenges on a daily basis. Our work is engaging and meaningful and contributes to maintaining a resilient and healthy environment for all Australians.

Our primary role is regulation under Australian environmental laws. We manage environmental impact assessments to deliver ecologically sustainable development, and associated policy, data, governance, assurance and stakeholder engagement support functions.

Our work spans across Australia’s terrestrial and marine environments, including Antarctica, to protect and manage Australia’s unique plants, animals, habitats and places. And we work with a range of sectors including renewable energy (e.g., onshore and offshore wind farms), major infrastructure, airports, agriculture, residential housing, and mining and gas.

We engage with First Nations people and communities as part of the environmental impact assessment process. We also engage with a broad range of stakeholders including mining, business and industry peak bodies, farmers, environmental consultants, environmental non-government organisations, local communities, as well as state, territory and local governments.

The Branches and Sections in the Environment Approvals Division are generally responsible for the following:

- undertaking environmental impact assessments, providing robust and informed regulatory advice and ensuring all key decisions are completed effectively and within statutory timeframes
- supporting our stakeholders to comply with their conditions of approval, and
- supporting regulatory functions through the provision of high-quality governance, policy advice, training materials and business systems and reforms, including in response to internal and external audit.

The Environment Approvals Division is looking for Assistant Directors to fill a number of roles leading and managing Sections responsible for regulation and policy development.

**The Job**
As an Assistant Director, you will lead and manage a small team that has responsibility for a range of functions related to regulation under Australian environmental laws. In this role you will lead a team to:

- undertake analysis, evaluation and prepare reports, as required, on matters related to environmental impact assessments
- produce high-quality written and/or graphical materials for a range of audiences, including briefs and correspondence, meeting papers, technical documentation, and web content
- contribute high-level expertise to support strategic direction and planning relevant to your Section, Branch, and the Division
- contribute to management activities relevant to the team, including stakeholder management, quality assurance, scheduling, monitoring, evaluation, risk, issues management, project management, and reporting
- undertake staff development, mentoring and performance evaluation, and
- contribute to policy development and identifying opportunities for business process improvement.

**Skills and Capabilities**
We are seeking experienced and high performing applicants who demonstrate they will/do:

- display strong leadership and people management skills
- lead a small team to develop solutions to complex problems and inform evidence-based decisions, exercise good judgement, and deliver outcomes within specified timeframes
- adapt quickly and respond to changing priorities, and demonstrate resilience in fast moving working environments
- possess strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills and ability to represent the organisation in stakeholder negotiations, including state and national forums
- build and sustain productive working relationships, internally and externally, and
- respond to change in a positive and flexible manner and display a commitment toward continuous improvement.

**Knowledge and experience**
- experience in leadership and management
- experience working in a complex regulatory environment
- knowledge of environmental science/management or related fields
- experience providing advice on strategic issues and working with internal and external