Safe Work Australia is seeking experienced and adaptable leaders to fill Assistant Director roles across the Corporate Branch. Each Assistant Director will report to the Director leading their team, and will be responsible for delivering high-quality, compliant corporate services that enable the agency to achieve its priorities.

The specific focus of each position will be determined by agency priorities and the skills and experience of the successful candidates. Given the agency's small size, the roles involve flexibility in functional responsibility and tasks, and there may be opportunities to act in more senior roles and represent the agency in senior level forums.

Assistant Director roles sit across the Corporate Branch with responsibility for the following functions:

- Finance and Procurement – financial governance, budgeting, accounting and reporting, and central oversight of procurement and contracting.
- Strategy and Performance – corporate planning, performance reporting, governance, and risk and assurance.
- People Strategies – human resources services, including recruitment, workforce planning, learning and capability, work health and safety, and HR policy.
- IT and Operations – the agency's technology, information management, property, security and day-to-day operations.

As a small branch in a small agency, our roles are broad by design. Each Assistant Director has genuine reach across their function, real influence over how their team operates, and regular exposure to the agency's Executive.

The key duties of the position include:

In line with APS Executive Level 1 expectations, Assistant Directors will:

- lead, manage and develop a small team, setting clear priorities, managing performance and building the capability needed to meet agency requirements.
- oversee the delivery of corporate services within their responsibility, ensuring service delivery meets agreed standards and complies with relevant legislation, policy and frameworks.
- provide timely, practical and well-reasoned advice to senior executives and managers, applying sound judgement in interpreting legislation,



policy and guidance.
- prepare high-quality briefs, reports, submissions and correspondence, including contributions to agency governance committees and APS-wide reporting obligations.
- build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders across the agency, other APS agencies, central agencies, auditors and external service providers.
- develop, review and implement policies, procedures, systems and guidance, and drive continuous improvement in processes and service delivery.
- identify and manage risks, support the integrity of agency risk management and control frameworks, and contribute to audit and assurance activities.
- manage projects, contracts and resources within their area, including procurement and oversight of external providers where relevant.
- contribute to the leadership of the branch and agency, and model a positive, inclusive and safe workplace culture consistent with the APS Values and your WHS obligations as a leader.

Eligibility

Under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian citizens to be employed in the Australian Public Service (APS), unless the Agency Head has agreed otherwise in writing.

The successful candidate will be required to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance.

Successful applicants will be required to complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme, you will be invited to participate in further assessment activities if you choose to opt in, declare you have disability and meet the minimum requirements for the role. More information is available at apsc.gov.au/recruitability.

Notes





Applications should be submitted via our website by Sunday 25 October 2026 at 11:30pm AEDT.

Please note that online assessment activities and/or a panel interview will form part of the selection process. If you require any adjustments to participate in the assessment process, please let us know.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Helen Innes on (02) 6240 6*** or ***********@swa.gov.au. If you experience technical difficulties submitting your application, please contact ***********@swa.gov.au

This selection process may also be used to establish a merit pool, which may be accessed to fill similar ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies across Secure Work Australia over the following 18 months.

Getting to know the Safe Work Australia

Safe Work Australia (SWA) is a leading national policy body for work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation. We are a small Agency of around 100 people yet our work plays a significant role in the lives of 13.5 million working Australians and their families through the provision of guidance to create safer and more productive workplaces, and the prevention of work-related death, injury and illness. We provide generous terms and conditions and flexible working arrangements. We are committed to professional development, health and wellbeing, as well as maintaining an engaged and enthusiastic workforce. Our Agency has an active Workplace Inclusion Network and social club, and we participate in a range of corporate and charitable activities. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace. People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, LGBTIQ+ people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability and people with parenting or caring responsibilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Centrally located in the Nishi Building in Canberra, our office has easy access to a variety of cafés and restaurants. We are also close to Lake Burley Griffin which provides excellent views as well as walking and cycle paths.

📌 Assistant Director - Various Positions (Canberra)
🏢 Safe Work Australia
📍 Canberra