Assistant Director – Apprenticeships Policy and Operations

• Executive Level 1
• Canberra, ACT | Sydney, NSW | Darwin, NT | Adelaide, SA | Hobart, TAS | Melbourne, VIC | Perth, WA
• $125,220 - $138,394

About the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
We are committed to empowering futures, ensuring rights and enriching lives. We support people to have safe, secure and well-paid work with the skills for a sustainable future as we ourselves strive to be a model employer.

We provide the framework for fair and productive relationships between employers and employees. We also oversee skills development and training initiatives to support those entering the workforce or re-training to take advantage of emerging employment opportunities.

With us, your work directly contributes to shaping the employment landscape. Whether you are engaging in policy development, program implementation, or direct support services, your efforts will have a tangible impact on job seekers, employees and the economy by giving them a framework to build a future anchored and realised through employment.

It is our ambition to do things differently, to create the ‘department of great jobs’– where our people reflect our purpose.

The Role
The Apprenticeships and Foundation Skills Division is responsible for designing policies and administering programs on behalf of the Australian Government to help people develop the skills they need to gain employment and build their careers. We also work with stakeholders to build strong sustainable skills and training systems to allow Australians to skill and reskill in response to changing technology and workforce needs.

We are seeking motivated and high performing individuals to fill positions at the EL1 level in the Apprenticeships Policy Branch and the Apprenticeships Operations Branch.

Apprenticeships are an important part of the vocational education and training system, and critical to delivering a skilled workforce that will drive inclusive and sustainable growth to meet Government’s key priorities, including the Net Zero transition, delivering housing supply and a Future Made in Australia. You will be leading policy development and implementation of Commonwealth Programs for Australian Apprentices including incentives and support services.

Your work will contribute to gender equality, Closing the Gap for First Nations people, and opportunities for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, and regional and remote learners.

Duties and Responsibilities
Responsibilities and key duties of the Assistant Directors may include:

• Analysis, interpretation and evaluation of information and data from a broad range of sources to inform future policy and/or program direction, and ensure ongoing program performance.
• Drafting high-quality documents appropriate for a range of audiences, including briefings, Cabinet submissions, minutes, correspondence and reports with high complexity and to a high standard.
• Leading the development of policy, program and performance frameworks.
• Maintaining high quality program reporting and assurance.
• Supporting consultation and ongoing engagement with key stakeholders.
• Ensuring high priority and urgent tasks are managed efficiently and effectively within agreed timeframes.
• Providing leadership in the management of the planning, organising, and coordination of policy and/or program advice.
• Supervision of staff.

How to Apply
Applicants are required to provide a summary (no more than 500 words) that outlines skills, knowledge, and experience and why you should be considered for this vacancy. You should take into consideration the position overview (including any detailed position specific requirements) when drafting your response. Where possible include specific relevant examples of your work.

The APS work level standards accommodate the diversity of roles across the APS and are structured to clearly differentiate between the work expected (i.e. responsibilities and duties) at each classification level.

In the eRecruit (the department’s online recruitment system) you will also need to:

• upload a Curriculum Vitae
• provide contact details for 2 Referees.

Eligibility

Don’t meet all the role requirements?
At DEWR we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and seek to recruit staff with a wide range of backgrounds, skill levels, disciplines and working styles. If this role resonates with you and you are excited about making an impact, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Citizenship - to be eligible for employment with the Department, you must be an Australian Citizen or, in limited circumstances, in the process of obtaining it.

Security Clearance - our successful candidate is required to hold, or have the ability to obtain, and maintain a Baseline security clearance.