Executive Officer

• Executive Level 2
• Canberra, ACT
• EL2: $147,352 - $176, % superannuation

About the Department of Education

We contribute to Australia's economic prosperity and social wellbeing by creating opportunities and driving better outcomes through access to quality education and learning.

The Role

As the Executive Officer (EL2) to the Deputy Secretary, you will play a pivotal role supporting the strategic and operational priorities of Higher Education, Research and International Group. Working closely with the Deputy Secretary, an Executive Support Officer and Executive Assistant, this role ensures the seamless coordination of the Deputy Secretary's daily business, facilitates the effective delivery of the Group's objectives, and supports broader departmental initiatives.

The Executive Officer will build strong and collaborative working relationships with Senior Executives and internal and external stakeholders and will build capability in team members and foster an inclusive and positive culture. The role requires a proactive, solutions-focused professional with the ability to navigate complex environments and drive operational efficiency in a high-tempo setting.

The Executive Officer (EL2) will report directly to the Deputy Secretary, Higher Education Research and International.

Duties and Responsibilities

In this role, your responsibilities will include the following:

• Providing sound and considered advice, identifying risks and sensitivities, and applying judgement to manage issues
• Responding to, and triaging urgent, complex and/or sensitive matters from Cabinet, the Minister's Office and Office of the Secretary
• Managing workflow through the Deputy Secretary office, by coordinating, responding, delegating and triaging requests, correspondence, and related tasks, and following up to ensure priorities and timeframes are met.
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including Senior Executive Service (SES) officers, Ministers' Offices, Departmental Liaison Officers, and other staff.
• Fostering an inclusive and positive team culture, provide leadership, and supporting team members to enhance their capability, professional development and contribute to a high performing team.
• Drafting, reviewing, and coordinating ministerial and SES briefings, correspondence, meeting papers, business plans, and presentations, ensuring quality assurance and alignment with strategic goals.
• Supporting the Deputy Secretary's involvement in Senate Estimates and Questions on Notice, including the preparation of briefs and coordination of responses to Questions on Notice.
• Providing meeting support, maintain accurate minutes, records, action items, and file notes to support data-driven decision making.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please submit your application in our online recruitment system. You will need to:

• Provide a summary (no more than 500 words) that outlines your skills, knowledge, and experience and why you should be considered for this vacancy. You should take into consideration the position overview (including any detailed position specific requirements) when drafting your response. Where possible include specific relevant examples of your work.
• Upload your Resume
• Provide contact details for 2 Referees.

The APS work level standards are structured to clearly differentiate between the work expected (i.e. responsibilities and duties) at each classification level. We encourage you to review these when writing your application.

Eligibility

Citizenship - to be eligible for employment with the Department, you must be an Australian Citizen or, in limited circumstances, in the process of obtaining it.

Security Clearance - our successful candidate is required to hold, or have the ability to obtain, and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 security clearance.