Director Government Engagement

About the role

The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) is the government agency responsible for providing improved and equitable financial outcomes for consumers, business, and the community through application of bankruptcy and personal property securities laws, regulation of personal insolvency practitioners, and trustee services.

The team achieves this through the performance of three core functions:

The Government Engagement team sits within the Strategy and Government Division and has a core responsibility to demonstrate and drive agency-wide achievement of the following strategic priorities:

• Regulatory Stewardship: We demonstrate a strong and balanced regulatory posture, adopt a collaborative, whole-of-system and intelligence-based approach to regulation.
• Impact and Influence: We amplify our effectiveness through a strong and trusted voice, visible action, and meaningful insights.

Government Engagement

• Provide strategic direction and coordination on Government Engagement for the agency.
• Increase AFSA’s advocacy through active and targeted alignment with government bodies.
• Support the Office of the Chief Executive to identify opportunities and risks for the agency and government at the strategic and tactical levels.
• Provide high quality strategic and tactical advice to the Chief Executive, Attorney-General’s Department and the Attorney-General that supports the agency and government’s priorities.

Ministerial and Parliamentary Services

• Provision of guidance and advice regarding ministerial submissions, briefs, correspondence, and ombudsmen complaints.
• Coordination and submission of all ministerial documents on behalf of the agency.
• Coordination and guidance for all parliamentary processes, for example Senate Estimates and Parliamentary Committee Hearings.

Government Strategy and Improvement

• Undertake strategic government business-related improvement projects as required.
• Develop and support implementation of arrangements for co-regulator and other Government Engagement including maintaining oversight and updates of MoUs and Letters of Exchange.
• Advisory role for best practice processes and policy across the agency, for example the complaints framework.

Purpose of the Position

The position ofDirector Government Engagement is a critical leadership role responsible for establishing and maintaining AFSA’s relationships and visibility across government. You will be using the understanding and insights gained from these relationships to ensure AFSA is delivering against broader government priorities, while also providing insights unique to AFSA’s role to co-regulators, policy and program delivery agencies to support the achievement of collective social and system outcomes.

This is a rare opportunity to inform and influence an innovative and impactful agenda within a forward-thinking government agency. Influencing an organisation and system-wide cultural change piece of this scale will take your career to the next level. You’ll be pivotal to shifting the agency from being the expert to being a genuine partner of government.  

Key accountabilities

The Director Government Engagement is accountable for managing and monitoring the team to ensure effective performance/service delivery in accordance with established policies and procedures, ensuring quality and implementing remedial action as required, specifically:

• Providing insights and supporting the National Manager to identify opportunities and risks for the agency and government at the strategic and tactical levels. 
• Preparing high quality and timely briefings to the Chief Executive, agency governance bodies, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Attorney-General. 
• Representing AFSA at domestic and international government and non-government forums.
• Ensuring business resources, processes and practices meet specific business objectives.
• Nurturing a risk aware and informed culture where staff engage with strategic and tactical risks. 
• Implementing appropriate strategies to mitigate and/or monitor risks to achieve positive agency outcomes.
• Coordination and guidance for all parliamentary processes, for example, Senate Estimates and Parliamentary Committee Hearings.
• Providing advice on best practice processes and policy across the agency, for example the complaints framework.

All duties will be performed in accordance with: 

• the APS Values, Code of Conduct and Employment Principles.
• WHS obligations, taking responsibility for own health and safety and that of others.
• AFSA’s risk management framework and relevant legislation, including guiding others to identify and mitigate foreseeable risks. 

Skills and Capabilities

Fosters a service culture

• Demonstrates a holistic approach to their work and the work of AFSA, understanding client touch points across the services AFSA delivers, demonstrates, and models genuine care, empathy, and concern for the needs of clients, colleagues and stakeholders and reflects this in the language they use. Demonstrates respect when having difficult conversations to explain what is and is not possible.

Shapes strategic direction

• Understands environmental trends and integrates knowledge into business strategies focused on service, value, quality, people and efficiency, has the confidence and willingness to represent AFSA’s position in various professional forums, designs internal processes keeping in mind the potential impact on internal and external stakeholders.

Achieves results

• Supports the timely delivery of quality outcomes through teamwork, planning, prioritizing, organizing and working to agreed objectives, procedures, timeframes and assigned resources, establishes clear plans and timeframes for project implementation.

Communicates simply and clearly

• Demonstrates an ability to convey a message succinctly and with effect, regardless of medium (written, verbal, digital). Understands and appeals to the target audience through use of plain English while avoiding jargon.

Develops productive relationships

• Builds and sustains positive working relationships with team members, stakeholders and clients to achieve positive outcomes. Acts with honesty, integrity, and respect in dealings with others. Has the ability to understand others' perspectives, respectfully deal with conflict, manage boundaries, and appreciate others' strengths and skills.

Working with ambiguity

• Demonstrates proactivity, emotional intelligence and self-direction in the face of uncertainty or new situations and high levels of persistence and resilience when dealing with complex issues. Apply a solution-focused approach to solving problems and collaborate with others to achieve fit for purpose solutions.

Qualifications, accreditations and experience 

Tertiary qualifications and experience in a government environment that demonstrates:

• Leadership mindset – Takes initiative to build capability and influence change through mentorship and leading by example. 
• Critical thinking and judgement – Take a macro view and looks beyond the boundaries of own responsibilities to provide unbiased, comprehensive, and accurate advice. 
• Political Astuteness – Uses past experience and organisational/environmental awareness to analyse what information is important and how it should be used in the decision-making process. 

Why AFSA? 

You will enjoy excellent conditions including:

·       generous superannuation (15.4%).

·       hybrid working environment.

·       a modern work environment.

We are a workplace committed to providing an environment that values diversity and supports staff to reach their full potential.

We encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities.

At AFSA we encourage every employee to balance their family commitments and personal interests with flexible working options.

Eligibility:

Please note that this opportunity is open only to Australian Citizens.

The successful applicant must have or be willing to undergo and maintain a security clearance to the level of Baseline Vetting as a condition of employment.

To satisfy character requirements all AFSA employees must undergo a police records check.

Where a person has received a redundancy benefit from APS agency employment and their corresponding redundancy benefit period has not expired, they may be ineligible for employment.

How to apply? 

The closing date for this position is 11:59PM AEST, Friday 24 May 2024.

Applications for this vacancy are submitted online through theAFSA Careers Portal.

If accessing the AFSA careers portal for the first time you will need to register. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to confirm your registration. Make sure to check your Junk folder if you don't see this email in your Inbox. Please note that the registration process only needs to be completed one. 

Once you have confirmed your registration, to complete your application, you need to: 

• Click the 'Apply' button below which will open the AFSA careers portal.
• Provide evidence in the education/qualifications section of your application, if applicable  
• Complete a short questionnaire (mandatory).
• Attach your resume and statement of claims (cover letter 1-pages) addressing the skills and capabilities and required qualifications, accreditations, and experience outlined in the position description (mandatory)
• Provide the full name, employer, and contact details of at least two referees, one of which must be your current or most recent manager.
• Ensure that all mandatory fields (marked with a red banner) are completed.

Applicants who fail to provide the above requested information, will not be assessed by the selection panel.