Australia nationals: Assistant Director, Snowy & Upper Murrumbidgee

Drive the implementation of priority Australian Government investments and reform for the upper Murrumbidgee River.
Work in a motivated and professional team with other passionate people who love solving problems.
Make a difference for the environment and communities.

Who we are
The Water Reform Division provides policy advice to implement significant water reforms including delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, efficient and effective water markets, amendments to the Water Act and strategic alignment of water science.

The Engagement and Environmental Outcomes Branch is part of the Water Reform Division and has three teams:

Engagement Strategy & Delivery.
Constraints Strategy.
Snowy & Upper Murrumbidgee.

The Snowy & Upper Murrumbidgee Section is responsible for the delivery and implementation of new Australian Government commitments to improve the health of the upper Murrumbidgee River and make a difference in the short and long term. Following the release of our Improving the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee: Draft Strategy, we are expanding our team and are looking for a high performing and collaborative Assistant Director to work across multiple work streams and programs to progress Australian Government investment in the Upper Murrumbidgee region. For more information – https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/programs/water-reform/improving-health-upper-murrumbidgee

The Job
We are looking for a high performing Assistant Director to join our team. This is a great opportunity to join a high profile team within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, with involvement in multiple work streams and programs. As an Assistant Director of the Snowy & Upper Murrumbidgee section your responsibilities will include:

Leading and contributing to program and policy development, with a focus on delivering against government commitments.
Writing and reviewing high level communications and correspondence including briefings, reports, submissions and meeting papers.
Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including state/territory governments, scientists and academics, non-government organisations, community groups, First Nations groups, and industry.
Liaising, collaborating and negotiating across the department, Australian Government and Snowy Hydro on cross-portfolio matters.
Providing accurate, clear and timely advice to colleagues as required on a range of topics, including anticipating problems and identifying potential solutions.
Overseeing governance forums and participating in interjurisdictional meetings on technical and policy issues.
Progressing the design and implementation of key investments and programs under the Improving the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee: Draft Strategy may include but is not limited to the development of departmental policy positions, program design and delivery (Federation Funding Agreements), technical advice, stakeholder engagement and collaboration, First Nations partnerships, and governance design and review.

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including location. For candidates with preferences to work outside of the Canberra location, we specify at minimum, the Assistant Director will travel to Canberra for key meetings, field trips and section planning.

What we are looking for
Knowledge and experience
You will need to have an outstanding record of achieving results, a highly strategic, solutions orientated approach, sound judgment, enthusiasm and the drive to achieve quality outcomes for the department, the Australian Government and for the environment and communities.

Skills and capabilities
Our ideal candidate will have:

demonstrated high level ability to anticipate, identify and analyse current and emerging issues and the ability to translate this into advice and solutions,
high level written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey complex issues succinctly through various communication products including briefs, reports, etc,
confidence in liaising and negotiating with both internal and external stakeholders and representing the team and broader Water Portfolio and the ability to develop productive working relationships with a range of stakeholders,
an ability to work independently, identify priorities, goals and objectives, and manage risks to deliver consistently high quality outputs to meet targets and critical deadlines,
leadership qualities, including an ability to work effectively in a high performing team environment, supervise and support staff, and deliver feedback to build capability.

Desirable Qualifications
One or more of the following qualifications and/or experience is highly desired:

Water resource policy.
First Nations engagement and partnerships.
Technical water knowledge relevant to water licensing, surface water, allocations, regulations or riparian restoration works and monitoring.
Project/program management.
Design and administration of Federation Funding Agreements.
Experience delivering government commitments and priorities.
Experience driving strategic government processes or reform.

Eligibility and other requirements
Citizenship – To be eligible for employment with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water you must be an Australian citizen.

Security Clearance – This position requires a Baseline Vetting security clearance. You will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.

Pre-employment Check – Your suitability for employment will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This process includes a requirement to undergo and satisfy a National Police Check, referee checks, character clearance and where required a pre-employment medical assessment, specified mandatory qualification(s) validation and a probation period of 6 months.

For additional information, please read the Job Description below.

Candidate Information Pack (Docx)

Candidate Information Pack (PDF)

Job Description