EL1-APS6 Executive Officer/Executive Assistant

About the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Working with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) will put you at the forefront of data protection and access to information regulation. As an independent statutory agency, the OAIC’s work is of national significance and plays an important role in shaping Australia’s information handling landscape across the economy - from government, digital platforms and the online environment, to health, finance and telecommunications. Our mission is to uphold and promote Australia’s privacy and freedom of information laws.

We are an agency within the Attorney-General’s Department portfolio with responsibility for:

• privacy functions under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Digital ID Act 2024
• freedom of information functions, in particular review of decisions made by agencies and ministers under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
• privacy and confidentiality functions in relation to the Consumer Data Right (CDR) under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA).

Key relationships

You will be expected to develop and maintain effective and productive working relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders including portfolio agencies, government, academia, private sector and the Minister’s Office. You will represent the OAIC at high levels within and outside government. You will be required to build and maintain strong working relationships across the OAIC, particularly with the Commissioners and SES staff.

About The Roles

You will maintain a high level of integrity and discretion and abide by the APS Code of Conduct, combined with a demonstrated understanding of the principles and practices of work health and safety, equity, and diversity in the workplace.

You will support the Commissioner to meet the Commissioner’s priorities with a high attention to detail and embody the 4 Pillars (4 Ps) of being proactive, purpose-driven, proportionate, and people-focused in everything you do.

This is a high performing executive support team and to be successful in these roles you will need the ability to think strategically with limited direction and thrive in a busy workplace with competing priorities. These roles are best suited to candidates who are customer focused, enjoy interacting with people, and are able to prioritise and manage multiple tasks concurrently, solving problems as they arise.

Role/s will be required to be undertaken in line with the appropriate Work Level Standard.

EL1 Executive Officer main responsibilities:

1. Manage a small team of executive assistants
2. Provide high-level administrative and operational support to the Commissioner, including but not limited to:
   • diary and mailbox management
   • support for meetings
   • travel arrangements
   • engagement with Members of Parliament, Commonwealth agencies and industry stakeholders
   • correspondence management
   • workload management
3. Build and manage strong relationships and regularly engaging with internal and external subject matter experts
4. Manage the coordination and settlement of briefing materials to ensure that the Commissioner is well supported for all upcoming engagements.
5. Manage complex and highly sensitive matters with strategic or operational significance as required by the Commissioner.
6. Act as a key point of liaison and establish and maintain strong relationships between the Commissioner and internal and external stakeholders.
7. Provide secretariat support for various committees
8. Other duties as required

Please note, due to the nature of this role and to ensure the Commissioner is well supported, a Sydney location is preferred.

APS6 Executive Assistant duties may include:

1. Provide high-level administrative and operational support to assigned senior executive, including:
   • Diary and mailbox management
   • Support for meetings
   • Routine day-to-day IT support
   • Travel arrangements
   • Engagement with Members of Parliament, Commonwealth agencies and industry stakeholders
   • Correspondence management
   • Workload management
2. Coordinate briefing materials and ensure that the assigned senior executive/s are well supported for all upcoming engagements.
3. Work as part of a small executive team to ensure high quality outcomes.
4. Work with internal and external subject matter experts, taking responsibility for sometimes complex and highly sensitive matters with strategic or operational significance as required by the Commissioner.
5. Act as a key point of liaison and establish and maintain strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
6. Prepare offices for meetings, including printing and room set-up as required.
7. Act as secretariat when required.
8. Maintain a high level of discretion
9. Other duties as required

Role/s will be required to be undertaken in line with the appropriate Work Level Standard.

Job Specific Capabilities, Skills & Experience

We are seeking applications from candidates who have:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to deescalate situations with stakeholders if required.
• Experience operating in a government environment, ideally as an executive assistant or executive officer.
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills.
• Demonstrated experience managing competing priorities in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment.

These duties are to be performed in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct and APS Values and Office policies, including Workplace Diversity and Work Health and Safety. Under section 25 of the Public Service Act 1999 the Office may re-assign the duties of an employee from time to time.

You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with the APS Work Level Standards for your relevant classification.

Security requirements

You must be able to obtain and maintain a Negative Vetting Level 1 security clearance.

Position location

The OAIC operates a hybrid work model with a combination of remote working and office attendance.  Whilst the OAIC office is located in the Sydney CBD, we will consider candidate applications from all other locations within Australia. However, a Sydney location is preferred due to the nature of the tasks required to perform these roles in the OAIC’s office.

The OAIC values face-to-face interaction and fostering connection between our people and with our stakeholders. The OAIC’s hybrid work model expects in office attendance when the type of work or task is better suited to being completed from an office, for example, staff inductions and onboarding, planning days, relationship building activities and project or collaborative work.

Remuneration and benefits

APS6 salary: $96,920 - $106,728 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.

EL1 salary: $122,146 - $130,659 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.

The OAIC is committed to enabling its people to perform at their best and offers the following benefits:

• Opportunity to work at the cutting edge of privacy and data protection, paving the way for future career opportunities.
• Access to ongoing professional development, with a capability framework to guide skill enhancement.
• Genuine flexibility to help achieve a balance between work and home life.
• Additional paid leave over the Christmas to New Year period as well as access to other leave (e.g. for study or moving).
• Contribution to your wellbeing through subsidies for eye health, flu vaccinations and a wellbeing allowance.

The OAIC is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage and welcome applications from people living with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and mature age people.

Eligibility

• Section 22 of the Public Service Act 1999 requires that APS employees must be Australian citizens.
• There are restrictions on employment of people who have, within the previous 12 months, accepted a redundancy benefit from an APS agency or a non-APS Commonwealth employer.
• For the duration of your employment with the OAIC you will be required to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance at the Negative Vetting Level 1 and meet required background, identification and character checks.
• Note: All duties are to be performed in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct and APS Values and OAIC policies, including Workplace Diversity and Work Health and Safety. Under section 25 of the Public Service Act 1999 the OAIC may re-assign the duties of an employee from time to time.

How to Apply

1. Please complete the application form found at the end of this job pack as part of your submission.
2. Please provide a statement of claim of up to 2 A4 pages, addressing your interest, motivation and fit for the role. Your statement should include the use of practical and professional examples as relevant to the role and the job specific capabilities, skills and experience outlined above.
3. Your application form, CV and statement of claim should be collated as one document (where possible) and sent in a single email to: jobs@oaic.gov.au.  Please ensure your email includes your full name in the email subject field, along with the job reference number found on the front page of this pack.