Assistant Director

About the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) was formed on 1 January 2019. We work to improve the lives of older people by maintaining the integrity of the aged care system.

As the single independent regulator of Australian Government aged care services, we offer a variety of interesting and challenging jobs across most capital cities.

It is an exciting time to join the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, with major reforms underway to improve aged care in Australia. You will be contributing to our role as the national regulator to safeguard and protect older Australians receiving aged care services.

Meet some of our people and learn more about the Commission and our Regulatory Strategy on our website

About the Team

Intake and Complaints works with people receiving aged care services, their supporters and service providers to resolve concerns and make positive improvements for people receiving aged care. The Complaints sections sits within ICRG which supports managing risk, complaint resolution, sharing intelligence and where required, an integrated regulatory response.

About the Role

The Assistant Director plays a critical leadership role in the operation of the Intake and Complaints function within the Commission. The Assistant Director provides direction and guidance to Complaints Officers, exercises delegations in the resolution of complaints under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018, monitors quality assurance and performance of the team.

The Assistant Director is also responsible for supporting the continuous improvement within ICRG by understanding and responding to operational requirements of internal business areas. This includes establishing and maintaining service level agreements.

The Commission is undergoing continuous reform as well implementation of the recent external capability review. As a result, ICRG may take on new responsibilities over time. Flexibility and the ability to engage positively with change is required.

Key Accountabilities

As the Assistant Director, you will be required to:

• Provide strong leadership and management skills and build the capacity of staff to undertake their roles efficiently and professionally and to meet expected standards of service and quality
• Make delegated decisions under the Commission Act and Rules based on a good understanding and knowledge of relevant legislation
• Ensure the Complaints teams operate within the Commission's guidelines and operating procedures
• Work constructively with external stakeholders and support staff to remain resilient when dealing with conflict and/or challenging behaviours
• Identify and respond appropriately to risk
• Manage high volumes of work considering risk, agreed priorities and KPIs
• Actively contribute to the Commission's strategic directions and achievements against our corporate priorities
• Foster and support staff wellbeing and contribute towards maintaining a positive culture that is customer centred and aligned with recruitment, training, HR and procurement processes
• Prepare briefings and reports for senior management of the team's performance
• Work collaboratively with colleagues within the ICRG and across the Commission to implement the organisation's priorities and support development of an integrated end-to-end regulatory model

Key capabilities

Our ideal candidate will possess the following capabilities:

• Strong leadership and management skills and the ability to build capability and provide support to staff dealing with high workloads and sometimes stressful external stakeholder interactions
• Capacity to work in a busy environment, working with competing priorities and ability to effectively manage and prioritise workload to deliver agreed outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to use sound judgement analytical skills and ability to understand and apply legislation and make delegated decisions
• Ability to build organisational capacity and responsiveness by driving and implementing strategic initiatives
• High-level negotiation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with, and maintain professional relationships with a range of stakeholders to achieve operational priorities and strategic direction of the Commission
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills including communicating coherently and concisely to a range of audiences, and an understanding of best practice complaints management and risk-based regulation including the ability to identify and respond appropriately to risk
• High proficiency in applying legislation, or the ability to quickly acquire knowledge of aged care legislation and Aged Care Standards

Role specific requirements

· required to provide evidence of seasonal influenza and COVID 19 vaccinations

· attend a two-week onsite induction for the role.

Desirable skills, experience and qualifications

· Experience in complaints management, dispute resolution, legal, aged care, clinical experience, or financial experience (including with financial fee structures of aged care providers) is highly desirable but not mandatory.

Position Notes:

• Salary offered will be between $118,588 to $135,251 per annum depending on skills and experience. In addition, 15.4% superannuation will be paid.
• Only candidates who hold Australian citizenship can apply. Appointment is conditional on successfully completing a national police check. For more information, please visit
• Non-ongoing opportunity will be offered for an irregular/intermittent term. Opportunities will be offered for varying periods up to 12 months.

In your application, please provide a statement of claims against the position eligibility requirements (selection criteria) in no more than 600-words, including what strengths you would bring to the role, and a copy of your CV.

Please complete the application and submit by Sunday 19 October 2025 at 11:00 pm AEST.

Please contact our recruitment team on or for assistance with accessing our website or with lodging your application.

Specific questions about the role can be directed to ICRG Support by emailing with the position title in the subject line.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Commission is committed to fostering a workplace with flexible work arrangements to support a diverse, respectful and inclusive culture for all staff.

The Commission recognises the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and is committed to the implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan. The Commission values the unique knowledge and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees which strengthens and supports our focus on protecting and enhancing the safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life of aged care consumers.

RecruitAbility
applies to this vacancy. Under RecruitAbility you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under RecruitAbility; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the position. For more information, visit

We provide reasonable adjustments such as access, equipment or other practical support at relevant stages of the recruitment process. Please email

if you need any adjustments made.

Further information:

For further information about the Quality Commission, office locations and other related resources, please visit

For more information on the Australian Public Service, please visit