Senior Secretariat & Governance Officer | APS6 | NV1 Required

- Level: APS6 equivalent.
- Start: 18 January 2027, negotiable up to 1 February 2027.
- Initial term: Until 30 June 2027.
- Extension: Option for a further six months.
- Hours: 35–40 hours per week.
- Location: Russell, Canberra — fully onsite.
- Rate: $64–$75 per hour plus superannuation, depending on experience.

The opportunity
Canberra Consulting is seeking an experienced Senior Secretariat & Governance Officer to support senior committees and governance forums within a Commonwealth national security and capability environment.
Your work will help senior leaders make informed decisions by ensuring meeting papers are accurate, agendas are coordinated, decisions are captured and actions are followed through.
This chance suits someone who enjoys taking ownership of committee processes, building productive stakeholder relationships and keeping a busy meeting cycle running smoothly.

The role
You will provide end-to-end secretariat and administrative support, including:

- Coordinating meeting schedules, venues, attendance and distribution of papers.
- Preparing, formatting and quality-checking agendas, meeting packs, minutes and action registers.
- Liaising with stakeholders to obtain papers and inputs within strict deadlines.
- Accurately recording meeting decisions and tracking actions through to completion.
- Maintaining committee records, registers and document repositories.
- Planning ahead for upcoming meetings and improving administrative processes and templates.

What you will bring




You must have demonstrated experience providing formal committee or board secretariat support, including agenda preparation, minute-taking and action tracking.
You will also bring:

- Strong written communication and attention to detail.
- The ability to manage competing priorities and meet firm deadlines.
- Confidence coordinating inputs from senior stakeholders and following up outstanding actions.
- Sound judgement when handling sensitive information.

Experience supporting senior Defence or national security governance forums, familiarity with Defence writing standards, and knowledge of capability projects or programs will be highly regarded.

Mandatory eligibility — please read before applying
To be considered, you must:

- Be an Australian citizen.
- Hold a current Australian Government security clearance at NV1 level or above.
- Be available to work fully onsite at Russell, Canberra.
- Demonstrate relevant committee secretariat experience, in Federal Government or Defence.

Permanent residency or other Australian working rights do not meet the citizenship requirement. Applicants with no current clearance, a Baseline clearance only, or an application for NV1 in progress do not meet the minimum clearance requirement.

Apply
Submit your current CV, clearly outlining your committee secretariat experience. Please confirm your Australian citizenship, current security clearance level and availability to commence.
Suitable candidates will be asked to complete selection criteria responses as part of the submission process.

📌 Senior Secretariat / Governance Support Officer (Canberra)
🏢 Canberra Consulting
📍 Canberra