General Manager, Invasive Plants and Animals

A rare and exciting opportunity has become available for aGeneral Managerto lead theInvasive Plants and Animalsprogram within BQ due to the current incumbent retiring. With relocation assistance and flexibility on location, (must be based in Queensland), this role presents a great opportunity for a senior executive leader who is passionate about the environment and keen to make a difference.Invasive Plants and Animalsdo not affect only the Environment, Human Health, and Social Amenity. Conservative estimates suggest that invasive animals cost the Australian economy between $720M and $1B annuallystemming predominantly from management (public and private) and lost production. Estimates of the annual cost to Queensland are around $600M. This cost stems from management and control efforts and lost agricultural production.

You will also have primary responsibility for driving performance within Biosecurity Queensland. You will lead and manage the policy function of the Invasive Plants and Animals Program (including policy development and community and stakeholder engagement) to achieve outcomes consistent with Biosecurity Queensland's strategic direction.You will engage in strategic thinking and be an effective influencer with a holistic understanding of the factors influencing the department's and Biosecurity Queensland's internal and external environment. You will provide strong organisational change leadership with a focus on driving capability uplift and modelling new ways of working. - Lead and manage the policy functions of the Invasive Plants and Animals Program (including policy development and community and stakeholder engagement) to achieve outcomes consistent with Biosecurity Queensland's strategic direction. Provide specialised and high-level policy advice to the Chief Biosecurity Officer, Director-General and Minister on biosecurity issues, particularly in relation to Invasive Plants and Animals. Represent the Invasive Plants and Animals Program on high level national biosecurity forums and committees and in community engagement processes to achieve biosecurity goals. Work across the program to help manage and build and effective organisation with a particular focus on policy co-ordination and budget and performance reporting. Ensure that the technical quality for the policy function of the program, including training, is at a high level and consistent with national programs. Develop and maintain effective relationships, networks and partnerships with stakeholders, including government, community and industry leaders. Negotiate and drive collaborative relationships across local government, industry and community bodies to ensure Invasive Plants and Animals Programs are effective, responsive and appropriately delivered. Foster an environment that values individual and team performance and continuous improvement and ensure that the program's management practices are consistent with contemporary 'best practice'. Provide leadership to effectively oversee the prevention, surveillance, emergency preparedness and response and ongoing management functions of the Invasive Plants and Animals Program. Streamline current service delivery capability of invasive plants and animals program to better meet client needs, deliver agreed biosecurity outcomes and ensure the delivery of services is complimentary and integrated with the other Biosecurity Queensland programs. Ensure Queensland's preparedness and response systems for invasive plants and animals incidents are of the highest standard and are integrated into the Queensland Government's security response framework. Ensure appropriate risk management strategies are in place to effectively respond to biosecurity incidents relating to invasive plants and animals.
The location is Brisbane (Flexibility for alternative location within QLD i.e., in vicinity of major DAF operating hub).
Applications to remain current for 12 months.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.