Assistant Director, Tas State Office

Agency Purpose
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent statutory authority established by the Australian Government to maintain an impartial and independent electoral system for eligible voters through active electoral roll management, efficient delivery of polling services, and targeted education and public awareness programs.
The AEC’s values and commitments
The AEC values and commitments are an essential component of our operating environment and frame how AEC staff work. The AEC's focus is on electoral integrity through the values of quality, agility and professionalism.
The Team
Based in our Tasmanian State Office in Hobart, you will join a high-performing team of leaders across the country, whose work is integral to the agency’s readiness to deliver federal elections and other electoral events, and the proper conduct of those events in accordance with the AEC’s Electoral Integrity Framework.
You will lead Tasmania’s Project Support Unit, which is responsible for planning, delivery, and evaluation of a range of projects that support state-wide election delivery, governance, and corporate support functions for the state. This includes contract and financial management, and providing other critical support to our divisional network, which is the operational arm of the AEC in Tasmania.
As part of a national organisation, you will also develop strong connections with colleagues and supportive networks across the country, as we all work to deliver an impartial and independent electoral system with high integrity.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a strong leader, who is agile, self-motivated, and results-driven, to manage the planning, delivery, and evaluation of a range of key election projects, as well as several corporate support functions for Tasmania.
You will work closely with the Assistant Director Operations, to ensure you and your team understand the needs of the Tasmanian network and take an integrated approach to the planning and delivery of key projects.
Reporting to the State Manager, you will be an active member of the Tasmanian leadership team; you will model exceptional behaviours and contribute to our culture and business planning and deliverables.
During the preparation phase of the electoral cycle, you will be responsible for leading project planning across several workstreams, including financial management, procurement, mobile polling, logistics and internal communications. You will take a strategic and coordinated approach to ensure project plans align with agency objectives, comply with policy and procedure, and incorporate best practice approaches to enhance outcomes.
Closer to and during election time, you will oversee the delivery of these projects, demonstrating you can manage multiple projects end-to-end and in a high-pressure environment. You will also be responsible for onboarding and managing a significant surge workforce within the Tasmanian State Office, which is integral to supporting our permanent project team during event delivery.
As Assistant Director, State Projects, you may be expected to personally manage high-risk projects and deliver quality outcomes with limited direction. These projects could include candidate nominations, ballot paper production, and media and advertising.
You will be passionate about leading and developing staff and committed to fostering a positive and resilient culture within the Project Support Unit and the Tasmanian team more broadly.
To excel, you’ll have a demonstrated ability to:
Model principles and values – Uphold key principles and values, set appropriate standards of behaviour, and always demonstrate integrity in your conduct and dealings with others.
Remain positive in a dynamic and challenging environment – Adapt to rapid change, cope with setbacks, and lead and support teams to achieve results under pressure, while taking care of your own health and wellbeing and that of your staff.
Lead, supervise and empower others – Provide clear direction and effective supervision, delegate appropriately, motivate and empower others, and provide development opportunities and coaching to build high-performing teams.
Exercise judgement to manage risk – Use sound judgement and highly-developed analytical skills to make evidence-based decisions, identify and manage risk, and achieve results within legislative, policy, and fiscal parameters.
Communicate with influence – Listen and communicate effectively, build rapport, and facilitate cooperation and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including across a geographically dispersed network.
Reflect and grow – Evaluate your own performance, seek regular feedback from peers and key stakeholders, and learn from your experiences.
Desirable
Prior experience leading teams through major logistical events or in high-impact operational settings would also be desirable.
Eligibility
AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.
Applicants may be required to undertake psychometric testing as part of this recruitment process.