NEMA Senior Planning Officer

Requisition Number: 131778 Position Number: 1 Classification: APS Level 6 Location: ACT Branch: National Crisis Operations Section: Crisis Planning and Response Security Classification: Negative Vetting Level 1 Salary: $91,305.00 to $102,606.00 ​Contact: ​Paul Murphy  Email: ************@nema.gov.au  Phone: 0461 379 *** Period of Vacancy: Ongoing Number of Vacancies: 1

Applications close: Sunday 07 April 2024 at 11:59pm (midnight) - AEST. Late applications will not be accepted.

Who can apply: Applications are sought from ongoing substantive EL1 NEMA staff.  Please note, this opportunity is available to all NEMA staff whose skills and capabilities meet the job requirements.

National Emergency Management Agency:

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was established on 1 September 2022 as a single, accountable Commonwealth authority that delivers a whole-of-nation approach to reducing disaster risk, planning, preparing for, responding to and recovering from all hazards across the emergency management continuum. 

NEMA works closely with states and territories to deliver the best outcome for communities across Australia. To help communities respond and recover, while preparing Australia for future emergencies, we:

• Fund programs and initiatives, big and small, that help communities in times of emergency, as well as to recover and prepare, including through disaster recovery funding and the Disaster Ready Fund to help reduce the risk and impact of disasters;
• Have officers located across Australia, working in partnership with states and territories to support disaster-affected communities to collectively build resilience, reduce risk and harm, and effectively respond to and recover from disasters
• Provide national leadership to share knowledge, situational awareness, and trends in disaster efforts to inform, guide and shape the national picture and decision-making at the Commonwealth, state and local Government level – including through policy development and strategy to improve risk reduction, resilience and recovery; and
• Provide round-the-clock all-hazards monitoring and operational coordination for domestic and international emergencies, including supply chain disruptions, critical infrastructure outages, biosecurity risks and widespread cyber-attacks, and through supporting preparedness and response activities, including through the operationalisation of the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework.

Overview of the Branch and Section:

The National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) Crisis Analysis and Planning Section conducts planning ahead of and in response to domestic and international all-hazards crises affecting Australia or Australian interests. The section also manages the activation of national emergency response plans and requests for Australian Government non-financial assistance, including providing logistics support and managing Crisis Coordination Teams.

The section engages broadly across Government, with the states and territories, and with capability owners that provide federal and jurisdictional assistance for domestic and offshore crises.

The section is part of the National Crisis Operations Branch (NCOB), which is in NEMA’s Emergency Management and Response (EMR) Group. The NCOB is responsible for capability development and intelligence analysis functions, including 24/7 situational awareness (through the National Situation Room) and open source interrogation and reporting. The NCOB provides awareness of unfolding and potential situations, predictions of potential community impacts and consequence assessments to support decisions for current and emerging crises.

These functions support NEMA Crisis Coordination Teams (CCTs) to prepare for, and respond to, nationally-significant events through the activation of national emergency response plans and coordination of Australian Government non-financial assistance.

About the role:

NEMA is seeking highly motivated, curious, critical thinkers who enjoy working in a dynamic environment and delivering positive outcomes for communities. You will have an interest in emergency management and a desire to build knowledge, capability and relationships to ensure the success of Australian Government assistance in times of crisis.

The Senior Planning Officer, within the Crisis Analysis and Planning Section, operates under limited direction to contribute to NEMA’s planning ahead of and in response to domestic and international hazards affecting Australia, or Australian interests. In a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment, the Senior Planning Officer delivers high quality planning products and advice, response options and logistics for domestic and international requests for assistance.

The Senior Planning Officer works in close collaboration with other Australian Government agencies, jurisdictions’ emergency and response agencies and domestic and international partners to inform and support decision-making and planning. The Senior Planning Officer also drafts high level advice, including ministerial briefings, and leads and supports capability development projects across EMR Group. All staff in the section support the CCTs, which may require wok outside of standard business hours, particularly during the higher-risk weather season.

Our ideal candidate:

The successful candidate will be a positive leader who is a self-starter. They will have experience in planning and/or logistics or have strong evaluation and analysis skills, sound judgement and a willingness to learn. With experience leading teams and/or projects, the successful candidate will also be proficient in drafting high level advice and briefings, including ministerial briefings.

We encourage applications from First Nations people, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, mature age people and people from other diverse backgrounds. We are committed to providing a working environment that values diversity and inclusion and supports staff to reach their full potential.

Specific duties/responsibilities:

• Demonstrate positive leadership in highly stressful and complex environments to contribute to strategic priorities
• Lead and support the Crisis Appreciation and Strategic Planning process
• Produce planning products for executive decision-makers
• Participate in and lead CCTs as required, including deploying domestically or internationally
• Collaborate effectively with key Australian Government, jurisdictional and international stakeholders to develop response options for requests for Commonwealth assistance during crisis response and recovery efforts
• Lead and support capability development projects across EMR Group
• Draft executive, ministerial and parliamentary documents, and meeting papers and records
• Lead and support the development and review Australian Government planning products and activities to promote, exercise and validate them
• Maintain relationships with external stakeholders to support NEMA operational outcomes, including state and territory governments, Australian Government and International partners
• Participate in emergency management forums, exercises, post-event workshops and reviews.

Role requirements/qualifications:

The successful candidate will possess:

• Strong comprehension, evaluation and analysis skills
• Highly-developed written and oral communication skills including the ability to liaise confidently with stakeholders and provide high level advice and briefings
• Demonstrated sound decision-making and judgement
• The ability to produce high quality work within tight deadlines
• Excellent time management skills and the flexibility to re-prioritise work in response to an unpredictable and dynamic environment
• The ability to gain a Certificate of Suitability for AFP Building Access
• Previous planning, emergency response, and/or logistics experience will be highly regarded.

Applicant response:

As part of your application, you will be required to prepare a one page response document (minimum 11pt font in MSWord or PDF format), which you will upload in the next section.

Please ensure you read the instructions carefully, noting failure to address identified requirements may lead to your application being deemed ineligible.

Please prepare a one-page Applicant Response in relation to the advertised role, outlining:

• how your skills, knowledge and experience will be relevant to this role
• why you are interested in the role and what you can offer us
• any specific examples or achievements that demonstrate your ability to perform the role.

How to apply:

As part of your application, you will need to provide:

• Your CV
• Your Applicant Response document
• Details of referees
• Include your full name and the Requisition Number - 131778 in the footer of any documents being uploaded.

Eligibility and Specific Conditions of Employment

To be eligible to work with the NEMA you must:

• Be an Australian Citizen
• Fulfil the Agency’s minimum requirements by satisfactorily answering all screening questions during the application process
• Obtain and maintain the required AGSVA clearance
• Satisfy a probation period
• Undergo a health assessment (if applicable).

Technical Assistance

Notes

Remuneration: The Agency offers an attractive remuneration package, including salary, superannuation benefits and flexible working conditions appropriate to the level of the position.