EL 1 - Assistant Director FOI

The Role

As EL 1 Assistant Director within the Freedom of Information (FOI) case management, or FOI Review teams, you will work with considerable independence, and be accountable to perform and achieve complex management and coordination of FOI requests, or Review matters as part of a high-profile team, working directly with senior stakeholders across Defence and the Commonwealth.

As an Assistant Director, you will possess, or be able to quickly develop extensive knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks, government decision-making and Defence’s mission and policy requirements.

Assistant Directors perform an important leadership role, responsible for supporting senior decision-makers to develop case-management strategies, based on high level decision making and judgement.

The candidate will ideally have, or be able to quickly develop extensive knowledge relating to the application of the FOI Act, and the methodology, systems and procedures within Defence and have the ability to translate this into efficient, well-coordinated and quality outcomes.

About our Team

Defence’s three FOI Directorates sit within the Ministerial & Executive Coordination & Communication division and operates in a fast paced, exciting environment. Our three FOI Directorates work collaboratively to administer the FOI Act in Defence, including primary FOI application processing, reviews and providing practical and solution-focused advice on all aspects of FOI in a collaborative and supportive manner. Our FOI teams has a high performance culture. The successful candidate can expect to be challenged in their role and supported by an inclusive and considerate team and leadership group.

The team assists FOI applicants on their rights and obligations in accordance with the FOI Act and provides specialised assistance and guidance to decision makers, coordination staff on FOI matters and manage all aspects of FOI reviews. Due to the nature of the work, there are opportunities to work closely with the Defence leadership, including members of the Senior Executive and members of the Australian Defence Force on a range of topics relevant to the FOI requests Defence receives.

Our Ideal Candidate

You will demonstrate some, or all of the following characteristics :

• Have strong analytical, research skills and an ability to interpret and apply legislation, specifically the Freedom of Information Act 1982, in a logical manner.
• Experienced with stakeholder management, comfortable engaging and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders while building and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships.
• Have a positive and inclusive approach to working as part of a team in a large and complex organisation.
• A leader with experience developing individuals, you are comfortable providing coaching and mentoring your team.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment, and maintain an ability to consistently deliver outcomes under pressure and statutory timeframes.
• Experience working with significant autonomy, ideally within coordination or case management roles, to prioritise and deliver multiple complex tasks within difficult timeframes.
• You enjoy making things happen and learning as part of what you do.
• Strong leadership skills, the ability to plan, lead, and manage resources and achieve strategic outcomes. Effective people management skills are essential.
• Experience as an FOI practitioner within Federal or state government will be highly regarded.

Information Pack Opens in new window