El1 - Assistant Director, Freedom of Information

**Contact Officer**:
**Closing Date**:
**11.59pm AEST, Wednesday 2 October 2024**

**Our Department Values**:
Our values set the direction for what it means to work in our department. They inform the standard and expectations of behaviours, skills and capabilities and the attributes we currently have, will continually work to achieve and develop, and that we use to acknowledge and attract, retain and recruit into our department.

**The opportunity we have available**:
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Section is a dedicated and cohesive team of FOI Practitioners responsible for processing requests under the FIO Act for access to documents, internal reviews and for managing Information Commissioner reviews. The team manages the entire FOI process and provides advice and assistance to Decision Makers and Action Officers throughout the Department. The team works autonomously with an agile mindset and works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. We aim to ensure strong compliance with the Department’s statutory obligations under the FOI Act and support the Department to make sustainable decisions on access to documents.

As the Assistant Director, you will contribute to the leadership of the FOI Section, including managing a small team of FOI Case Officers; providing advice and assistance to staff at all levels throughout the Department, and supporting the continuous improvement of FOI capability across the Department.

**What will you do?**:
The Assistant Director’s role is varied and dynamic, but typical duties include:

- Manage, lead and mentor a team of FOI Case Officers, maintaining a positive working environment.
- Set priorities and monitor case-loads, managing resources effectively to ensure compliance with statutory timeframes.
- Analyse and distil complex information, anticipating issues and contributing to ongoing issues management.
- Provide high quality technical FOI advice to authorised Decision Makers and Action Officers.
- Manage Internal Reviews and Information Commissioner Reviews, where required to do so.
- Assist and support portfolio Ministers and agencies with the processing of FOI requests, where required to do so.
- Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including portfolio Ministers’ offices, portfolio agencies and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
- Contribute to the ongoing improvement of the FOI process within the Department.

**Who are we looking for?**:
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate your ability to:

- Think strategically, evaluating information from a variety of sources, quickly identifying critical issues to formulate appropriate advice and guidance, exercising good judgement and making sound decisions.
- Achieve results and quality outcomes, showing initiative and leadership, effectively prioritising and managing competing priorities under pressure, often within critical timeframes.
- Communicate with influence both in writing and verbally, delivering information in a variety of formats, tailoring language to different audiences with a high level of attention to detail.
- Engage and collaborate with stakeholders, using your exceptional interpersonal and engagement skills to build and maintain productive relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, valuing different perspectives, contributions and backgrounds.
- Effectively work in a team, engaging with risk and committing to action, displaying resilience and self-awareness, a high level of integrity and professionalism, with a willingness to learn.

**What else can we offer?**:
We are dedicated to fostering personal and professional development, empowering individuals to set goals, acquire new skills, and cultivate unique qualities that define who they are. We believe that this not only leads to a more fulfilling and happier life but also enhances the overall quality of our work. Some of the benefits we offer include:

- Exposure to high profile and interesting projects, with networking opportunities across the breadth of the Department’s work in the major infrastructure, transport, communications and arts sectors, supporting our regions, cities and territories and across the wider APS FOI Community.
- Improve your leadership skills, through the department’s Professional Coaching Scheme and tailored leadership opportunities for staff members.
- Flexible working opportunities, including part time hours and home-based work.
- We offer generous leave entitlements of 20 days personal circumstances leave per year, with one month’s accrual of leave credited on commencement and 150 hours of paid annual leave (based on a full-time employee), plus a range of other miscellaneous leave options to support you.

Join our department and embark on a journey of growth, fulfillment, and well-being. Experience personal and professional development, prioritise your health, and be part of a vibrant and positive culture that empowers individuals