Assistant Secretary

Senior Executive Service Band 1 per annum plus superannuation
- Farm Resilience Division
- Adelaide SA, Brisbane QLD, Canberra ACT, Darwin NT Melbourne VIC, Sydney NSW

**Who we are**
The **Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry **is the lead agency for the food, fibre, fisheries and forestry sectors in Australia. We support the entire supply chain, helping to grow Australia’s economy and meet consumer demands both at home and in overseas markets. Our 5,500 employees work in a range of environments and locations around Australia from airports and abattoirs to laboratories and foreign countries daily to improve the value, productivity and profitability of the agricultural sector.

The **Farm Resilience Division (FRD)** provides strategic policy advice and support to build resilience in Australian agricultural communities including, but not limited to, drought. Our division includes four branches, which together focus on drought policy and preparedness, financial support for farmers and administering the Future Drought Fund.

The **Financial Policy and Business Support Branch **leads policies, programs, and advice about the primary industry business environment, supported by collecting accurate and timely data. This includes targeted assistance to primary producers and their families to help them better manage through hard times, including (but not limited) to drought. We deliver the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) program, the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS), Farm Management Deposits (FMD) Scheme and advise on financial, banking and taxation policy. We also manage concessional loan policy matters, including leading the department’s engagement with the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC).

The **Future Drought Fund (FDF) branch **consists of **Innovation and Adoption **and **Strategy and Delivery**. The FDF provide secure, continuous funding to help Australian farmers and communities become more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of drought. Established in September 2019, under the Future Drought Fund Act 2019, it is a $5 billion commitment with $100 million each year allocated to drought resilience programs.

The FDF's **Innovation and Adoption Branch **focuses on driving the development and adoption of new drought resilient technologies and practices. This includes supporting the Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs, development of the Climate Services for Agriculture Program, management of grant programs (including the Long-Term Trials program) and development of a FDF monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.

The FDF's **Strategy and Delivery Branch **supports the strategic policy direction and program design, delivering a range of programs including assisting regional communities Prepare for Drought Initiative and the Drought Resilience Innovation Grants. This branch is also responsible for supporting the First Nations Advisory Group and First Nations FDF drought and climate resilience activities.

The **Drought Policy Branch **provides whole-of-government coordination and advice on drought policy and strategic communication. This includes collaborating across government to improve how government plans for drought and coordinates drought response. The branch also develops and delivers strategic drought communication and engagement activities to support stakeholders to connect with drought policy & programs and engages with States and Territories on the National Drought Agreement and how we all plan for, and respond, to drought.

This recruitment activity may be used to fill future vacancies in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Group.

**The job**
As Assistant Secretary in the Farm Resilience Division your duties include (but are not limited to):

- Leading your branch in advising and supporting the Government on portfolio issues by developing considered policies and the delivery of effective programs.
- Working collaboratively to deliver outcomes and responding flexibly to current and emerging issues.
- Responding flexibly to stakeholder requirements and changing circumstances as they arise, to deliver new priorities within existing resources.
- Committing to developing a positive culture, creating a sense of community, caring for our staff and resources and developing future leaders.
- Contributing to the establishment and maintenance of governance frameworks.
- Representing the organisation at high-level discussions and negotiations with key stakeholders and external organisations.
- Managing the responsibilities and outcomes of the Group/Division/Branch within the approved budget allocation.
- Promoting diversity, modelling the APS Values and APS Employment Principles, and promoting compliance with the APS Code of Conduct and the Secretaries Charter of Leadership Behaviours (DRIVE).

**What we are looking for**
To be successful for one of these roles you will need to meet the Senior Executive Service capability for the SES Band 1 classi