El 1 - Assistant Director - Strategic Communications

• $115,899 - $130,733 (plus Super)
• Russell - ACT

The Role
Within the Media and Communication function, an EL1 Assistant Director - Strategic Communications is accountable under broad direction to perform and achieve complex to very complex communication, media and issue management work within an integrated workforce. They will require an in-depth knowledge of and compliance with legislative frameworks, government decision-making and Defence’s mission and policy requirements.

An EL1 Assistant Director - Strategic Communications will exercise a considerable degree of independence and perform a leadership role. They will exercise sound decision-making and judgement to provide expert policy advice. They will have in-depth knowledge of the media and communication function and are responsible for the development, implementation, compliance and review of policies and procedures relevant to their work within that function. They will engage in complex to very complex problem-solving and issues management and may coordinate and perform detailed or sensitive projects that impact on strategic, political or operational outcomes for Defence.

An EL1 Assistant Director - Strategic Communications is accountable to plan, lead and manage a range of human and physical resources and exercise the associated people and financial responsibilities to achieve business outcomes. They will potentially manage a small team. They will develop and implement work plans, set performance indicators, and review individual, team and business performance, focusing on identifying opportunities for building team capability and continuous improvement. They will set work that align with the strategic objectives and communicate expected outcomes.

An EL1 Assistant Director - Strategic Communications will be responsible for actively managing key stakeholder relationships and will be required to identify relevant stakeholders’ expectations and concerns to develop and communicate methodologies and practices to achieve outcomes. They will be accountable to contribute towards ongoing self-improvement and professional development of their work area.

This position may have people management responsibility and as such you may be required to exercise your people management skills and knowledge to lead a high performing and cohesive team.

The EL1 Assistant Director - Strategic Communications will be required to:

• Provide specialist advice to stakeholders on the design, development and implementation of a communication plans and the associated communication and media products; 
• Liaise with internal stakeholders to respond to media enquiries in a timely manner;
• Support stakeholders with media engagement;
• Be able to tell a story through developing communication products including news articles, social media posts and media releases in response to agreed business outcomes;
• Identify communication and media risks and opportunities within the business environment and take account of these in planning, decision making and priority setting;
• Build and sustain effective relationships with stakeholders to deliver agreed business outcomes;
• Work collaboratively and negotiate effectively with stakeholders and subject matter experts to deliver agreed business outcomes;
• Employ understanding of the strategic environment and priorities within Defence to deliver communication and media products and activities; and
• Interpret and comply with legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks.

About our Team
Land Capability Division, Chief of Staff Branch, Land Engagement and Communications Office currently provides enabling and media and strategic communication support to the Capability System whilst supporting Land Capability Division. This further requires messaging both internal and external to the Department of Defence.

Our Ideal Candidate
Our ideal candidate will possess the following attributes:

• Proven experience as a communications specialist (including communications strategy development);
• Experience in editing;
• Digital literacy; and
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Information Pack (PDF) Opens in new window