The Organisation

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) protects Australia and Australians from threats to their security. ASIO’s people are ordinary Australians but they do extraordinary things – they are our most important asset. To be successful, we need talented people who are highly capable, dedicated, adaptable and resilient.

We seek to reflect the community we protect. ASIO is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive setting, where all staff are valued and respected. We welcome applications from all eligible candidates, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious affiliation, age or disability. We are culturally and linguistically diverse, language skills enhance our collective ability to protect Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply. We are secretive about what we do, not what we value.

At a time when Australia’s security environment is dynamic, diverse and degrading, our work is more important than ever. Join the mission and make a difference every day.

The opportunity

ASIO is seeking an exceptional senior executive to fill the role of Chief of Staff (SES Band 1) in the Office of the Director-General of Security. As a central member of ASIO’s Senior Executive leadership cohort, the Chief of Staff supports the Director-General of Security as a principal advisor, enterprise integrator, and operational leader.

The role leads cross-portfolio engagement and the management of relationships between ASIO, the Minister’s Office, Cabinet, other intelligence agencies and central APS agencies. The position provides whole-of-ASIO and portfolio oversight, steers strategic executive governance, and aligns operational execution across all ASIO’s Deputy Director-General Groups with the strategic intent of the Director-General of Security.

You will provide authoritative, politically astute counsel on high-risk, contentious, and complex policy and operational matters. You will also lead the Office of the Director-General of Security, ensuring the integrity of briefings, managing ministerial workflows, and overseeing enterprise-level activities.

ASIO looks for candidates who are curious, resilient and enjoy problem solving. To be successful in this role, you will need:

1. Strategic leadership skills: Demonstrated ability to provide high-level strategic direction, synthesise complex issues, and align ASIO delivery with broad government objectives.
2. The ability to deliver results: Proven track record of driving system-wide outcomes, establishing robust governance frameworks, and managing high-tempo priorities under intense parliamentary and public scrutiny.
3. Exceptional influence and political acumen: Sophisticated negotiation, relationship management, and communication skills to influence and advise senior stakeholders constructively.
4. Integrity, Resilience and Discretion: Highest level of personal integrity, emotional intelligence, and discretion when leading through classified, sensitive and complex security and policy challenges.

A merit pool may be created to fill future vacancies which have the same or similar requirements to this position. This merit pool will be valid for up to 18 months.

Responsibilities

As the SES Band 1 Chief of Staff to the Director-General of Security, you will:

1. Be a central leader in ASIO’s Senior Executive leadership cohort, fostering a high-performance, collegiate culture within the Office of the Director-General of Security and across the broader executive cadre, exemplifying leadership behaviors, promoting integrity, security and safety, and enterprise-first thinking.
2. Provide strategic advice and counsel, including deliver candid, authoritative strategic advice to the Director-General of Security and the ASIO Executive Committee on complex security, policy, and operational matters. You will identify whole-of-government dependencies, systemic operational bottlenecks, and emerging political and reputational risks.
3.



Serve as a conduit and intermediary to the Minister’s Office, heads of Five Eyes and National Intelligence Community agencies and APS agencies, ensuring advice is targeted, timely, and aligned with commitments.
4. Oversee enterprise governance, including by directing the executive governance architecture, providing oversight of the Executive Committee forward work program, and tracking delivery of strategic initiatives.
5. Oversee executive briefing integrity and strategic interventions, including maintaining ultimate oversight of standards for the quality, coherence, and evidence of all briefs and submissions.

What you will bring

We are seeking candidates with the following capabilities:

1. Promotes a security culture: Support the identification, assessment and management of security and organisational risk, including promoting and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace environment in which staff feel comfortable seeking support and raising concerns.
2. Strategic thinking: Translates broad government policy direction and the Director-General of Security’s vision into clear executive action, thinking across organisational boundaries to integrate strategic goals with operational execution.
3. Achieves results: Harnesses organisational capability and marshals resources to deliver against complex, contentious commitments under resolute legislative requirements and tight executive timeframes.
4. Productive working relationships: Builds coalitions across diverse stakeholder landscapes and manages complex dynamics with diplomacy, authority, and tactical negotiation skills.
5. Personal drive and integrity: Demonstrates resilience, integrity and respect under sustained pressure, takes responsibility for difficult calls, utilising reasonable discretion, ethical rigor, and probity.
6. Communicates with influence: Persuades and engages with authority at the highest levels of government, distilling multifaceted, complex issues into actionable executive directives.

You are not required to address each capability separately in your application. Consider providing examples that illustrate multiple capabilities at once.

Refer to ASIO’s Core Capability Framework to understand what is expected at each level for each capability.

What we offer you

ASIO provides a number of advantages to its staff including:

1. A market-competitive salary, including a 7.5% allowance for maintaining a TOP SECRET-Privileged Access security clearance.
2. Employer superannuation contributions of 15.4%.
3. A variety of leave options in addition to the standard 4 weeks annual leave, including stand down between Christmas and New Year.
4. Flexible working arrangements. Please note due to our unique working environment, work from home options are not available.
5. Study assistance, including financial support and study leave for tertiary education.
6. Access to 7 staff-led diversity and inclusion networks.
7. Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Eligibility

To be eligible to work at ASIO, you must be:

1. An Australian citizen.
2. Assessed as suitable to hold and maintain a TOP SECRET-Privileged Access (TS-PA) security clearance.
3. Be available to support the Director-General during periods of official travel domestically and internationally, and for extended hours during other essential periods (e.g. active crisis response periods).

Reasonable adjustments

Please let us know if you require any additional assistance or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process in order to fully participate in the recruitment process or the workplace.



This may include reasonable adjustments to assessment methodologies to enable full participation.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted using the online recruitment system: www.beaumontandbeaumont.com.au/11802

ASIO officers’ identities are protected by law. Under section 92 of the ASIO Act, the only declared ASIO officers are the Director-General and Deputy Directors-General. Due to the need to protect our people’s identities, ASIO holds all employment applications in the strictest of confidence. It is essential that you do the same. Please do not discuss your application with others as doing so may adversely affect your potential employment.

Click on ‘Apply online’ to commence your application. Your application must be complete and include the following:

1. A written pitch of up to 500 words that addresses the required capabilities for the role. Use examples to demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the capabilities.
2. A current CV, no more than 2 pages in length, outlining your employment history, the dates and a brief description of your role, as well as any academic qualifications or relevant training you have undertaken.
3. A completed ASIO Employment Suitability Questions document.
4. Details of 2 referees, which must include a current or former supervisor. ASIO will not contact your referees without advising you prior to doing so.

Before applying read the ASIO People Capability Framework and Core Capability Guide, both available on the ASIO website. To increase your chances of success, tailor your application responses to align with the relevant capabilities and levels outlined in these frameworks.

Use of AI in recruitment processes

We do not use AI to screen, rank or shortlist candidates, assess candidate suitability or merit, or make recommendations or selection decisions. Candidate assessment and recruitment advice remain the responsibility of our consultants and the Selection Advisory Committee, based on the evidence gathered through the recruitment process.

All applications are reviewed by a selection panel. We recognise some applicants may use AI technologies to draft applications or prepare for interviews. If you wish to use AI, we recommend doing this only for initial drafts and ensure that your application is personalised and accurately reflects your skills, experience and qualifications.

Additionally, be aware of the privacy policies of any AI tool you use. Be mindful of the information you are entering into AI tools (personal details, work history, etc) and how using it may link you to potential ASIO employment, noting that you are expected to be discrete and maintain confidentiality with your application.

If you are invited to attend interview, the use of AI tools and recording devices during interview is strictly prohibited. Should AI tools or recording services be detected, your application, and any future applications may be discontinued.

The recruitment selection process

Our selection process is rigorous and extensive. All employment decisions and selection processes at ASIO are based on merit principles and candidates must be prepared to undergo various selection stages. The stages may include application assessment, eligibility checks, online testing, skills-based assessment and interview.

We ask all applicants for their patience throughout the process.

Employment conditions

Employment is under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979. Conditions of service are similar to those applying in the Australian Public Service. We recognise entitlements accrued under the Public Service Act 1999 and provide for continuation of superannuation under the Commonwealth schemes. Salary packaging arrangements are also available.

Australian Workplace Equality Index

ASIO has achieved the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Gold Standard in 2024, 2025 and 2026, recognising ASIO’s inclusion work and positive culture. ASIO was the first national intelligence agency to achieve this status.

For more information about ASIO, please visit: www.asio.gov.au.

📌 Chief of Staff to Director-General of Security (Canberra)
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