Assistant Director - Financial Frameworks and Compliance

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

VetPaths

Career development

Job summary

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Melbourne is seeking an EL1 Assistant Director to lead a small team delivering expert advice on Commonwealth financial governance and compliance.

You will drive business improvement, manage delegations and policies, and work with stakeholders to ensure sound budgeting and reporting across the department.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership experience delivering process improvements and innovation.
• Working knowledge of the Commonwealth Financial Management Framework incl. PGPA Act 2013, AAIs and delegations.
• Experience delivering finance/project requirements, testing, change management and training documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small team providing expert advice on Commonwealth financial legislation, policies and governance.
• Oversee financial compliance, delegations, AAIs and official hospitality policies.
• Drive business improvement and deliver training to strengthen financial capability and compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Financial governance

Stakeholder engagement

Public sector financial framework

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

Assistant Director - Financial Frameworks and Compliance

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Melbourne VIC

16h ago , from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

• Finance & Investment Division
• Canberra (ACT) or Melbourne (VIC)

Join us as an EL1 Assistant Director - Financial Frameworks and Compliance. Lead a small team delivering expert advice, strengthening financial governance and driving business improvement. Bring your leadership, stakeholder engagement and Commonwealth financial framework expertise to build capability, support sound decisions and promote compliance across the department.

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Finance & Government Business Division and the departments’ goal.
Our division ensures the department remains financially sustainable, compliant and well-equipped to meet its goals. We provide expert financial advice, tools and support to help teams manage budgets, make informed decisions and use public resources responsibly. By partnering across the department we help align financial processes with strategic priorities. We also support ministers and stakeholders with clear, accurate financial insights that drive effective policy and program delivery.

The Government Business Branch leads the department's engagement with government, providing strategic oversight, coordination and assurance across core government-facing functions. The branch is responsible for embedding a proactive and forward-looking approach to the Budget cycle, managing ministerial and parliamentary business, providing secretariat support to key ministerial and senior official committees, and administering portfolio appointments. The branch also drives business improvement, targeted training, finance-related legislative and policy compliance, and leads critical projects that support a high-performing, contemporary and trusted department. By bringing together strategic insight, strong relationships and disciplined delivery, the branch helps position the department to influence outcomes, respond effectively to emerging priorities and deliver on government expectations.

The Financial Frameworks and Compliance Team within the Business Improvement & Capability Section is responsible for providing expert advice on the Commonwealth Financial Management Framework, including the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (PGPA) Act 2013 and Rules, Accountable Authority Instructions, financial delegations, financial compliance and Official Hospitality/Business Catering. This includes the establishment and maintenance of an assurance framework and continuous business improvement functions.

This is where you play an important role.
The Assistant Director - Financial Frameworks and Compliance leads a small team providing expert advice on Commonwealth financial legislation, policies and governance requirements. The role oversees financial compliance, delegations, Accountable Authority Instructions and official hospitality policies while managing compliance breaches and annual reviews. It also drives business improvement and delivers training to strengthen financial capability and compliance across the department.

The duties of the role include, but are not limited to, leading a small team responsible for:

• managing the financial compliance helpdesk, ensuring accurate, complete and timely advice is provided
• finalising breaches of finance law and policies including providing compliance advice to stakeholders regarding requirements and obligations and implementing strategies to reduce levels of non-compliance
• coordinating the annual review and update of the department’s financial delegations' instruments
• coordinating the annual review and update of the department’s Accountable Authority Instructions
• coordinating the annual compliance survey
• preparing briefings and responding to questions relating to compliance, delegations, AAIs, official hospitality and business catering
• coordinating updates of the department’s Official Hospitality/Business Catering policy and instructions
• updating training/instructional materials and presenting training on compliance, delegations, AAIs and official hospitality/business catering
• coordinating review of Hospitality applications and reconciliations.

Please note that this recruitment process will initially be used to fill one vacancy in the section and that the role may be able to be performed from either of the locations listed on the Job Description. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

Who we are looking for
Knowledge and experience

• Extensive leadership experience including proven results leading a team to deliver process improvements and innovation.
• A working knowledge of the Commonwealth Resource Management Framework including the PGPA Act 2013, AAIs and financial delegations.
• Experience delivering and supporting finance and government business project business requirements, testing and change management, communications and training documentation.

VetPaths The Australian Public Service (APS) values the unique skills, perspectives, and experiences that veterans gain during their Australian Defence Force (ADF) employment and encourage veterans to apply. Support may be available to veterans transitioning to meaningful APS careers through participation in VetPaths, which offers veterans an opportunity to participate in a six-month program offering formal learning and development, career mentoring and activities for wellness and peer support. More information can be found here.

For additional information, please read the Job Description below.