Assistant Director, Protective Security

ACT; Canberra; Hybrid; AUD 128,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid & flexible working

Work from home option

Job summary

ACT Government in Canberra is seeking an experienced Assistant Director, Protective Security within Digital Canberra. The role focuses on Governance (GOVSEC) and oversees protective security across the directorate, ensuring alignment with the ACT Protective Security Framework and whole-of-government requirements.

You will translate strategic security objectives into operational outcomes, drive policy development, and work with internal teams and external partners to strengthen security maturity

Qualifications

• Role requires leadership in protective security governance and risk management.
• Develop and maintain protective security policies and procedures.
• Provide practical, risk-based security advice to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate governance, personnel, physical and information security activities.
• Develop and maintain security policies and reporting frameworks.
• Coordinate audits, risk assessments and uplift initiatives.
• Advise stakeholders to strengthen security capability across the Directorate.

Job description

Closes: 19 October 2026

Classification: Senior Officer Grade C

Salary: $127,597 - $136,873 plus superannuation

Position No: 72485

Directorate: Digital Canberra

Advertised (Gazettal date): 28 September 2026

Contact Officer: Benjamin Mathwin on [e-mail] or [phone]

Details: Do you want to enrich your community by providing digital government services that are so easy, they just happen? That’s what Digital Canberra is here to do. We deliver and support digital government services that are easy to access, save time, and are safe to use. Join Digital Canberra and help deliver smart, secure, and seamless digital services that improve the people that live and work in our beautiful city and surrounding area.

At Digital Canberra, you’ll work with passionate technologists, policy experts, and designers to build and sustain services that matter. We value curiosity, collaboration, and creativity, and we’re committed to helping you grow.

Digital Canberra is seeking a experienced Assistant Director, Protective Security.

The Assistant Director, Protective Security plays a key role in supporting the delivery of Digital Canberra's protective security program, with a primary focus on Security Governance (GOVSEC) and oversight of the Directorate's broader protective security functions. The role coordinates the implementation of governance, personnel, physical and information security activities to ensure alignment with the ACT Protective Security Framework and whole-of-government requirements. Working across policy, risk, compliance and assurance functions, the Assistant Director develops and maintains protective security policies and procedures, coordinates security reporting, audits, risk assessments and uplift initiatives, and provides practical, risk-based security advice to stakeholders. The position translates strategic protective security objectives into operational outcomes, contributes to continuous improvement of organisational security maturity, and supports the development of business cases and initiatives that strengthen security capability. Working collaboratively with internal teams, external partners and whole-of-government forums, the Assistant Director fosters strong stakeholder relationships and helps ensure the consistent, coordinated and effective application of protective security practices that enable secure and resilient technology services across the ACT Government.

Refer to the position description for further information about this role. You may wish to speak to the listed Contact Officer if you have any queries once you have reviewed the position description.

What We Offer You

At Digital Canberra, we offer a rewarding government career that has a direct, positive impact on the Canberra community. You may be strategic, helping us lead technology investment decisions to build a genuinely connected Canberra. Or you may enjoy the hands‑on satisfaction of working with the latest technology to keep our hospitals, schools, and government running. At Digital Canberra, you will make a difference!

As part of the ACT Public Service (ACTPS), Digital Canberra offers some of the best hybrid and flexible working arrangements in Australia. Flexible working in the ACTPS means we provide the opportunity to work remotely (from home) or from a choice of office locations around Canberra, although the exact arrangements will be discussed with your hiring manager, based on operational needs.

Canberra is Australia’s capital – a welcoming, unique city with a quality of life that many cities aspire to. It’s the perfect place to raise children, take advantage of world-class cultural institutions, and enjoy the great outdoors. Canberra is primed for technology evolution. As a young and growing city, the shape of our community and our digital government services will continue to change.

Just like our city, Digital Canberra is inclusive. Our work spans many technology disciplines, and our workforce is culturally and linguistically diverse. We welcome candidates who have the right to work in Australia, which may include temporary and permanent visa holders (subject to your visa conditions and security clearance restrictions).

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people with diverse thoughts, lived experience, and perspectives can thrive and contribute their unique talents to the ACTPS and ACT community. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans, younger and older workers, and people with diverse genders, sexes and sexualities to apply.

Eligibility/Other requirements

The position requires the successful applicant to be an Australian citizen and possess or acquire and maintain a security clearance at the Negative Vetting 1 (NV1) level as an eligibility qualification for the position. If screening is not successful, your employment will not commence or, if already commenced, your employment will be reassessed.

Notes

A Merit Pool will be established from this selection process and will be used to fill vacancies over the next 12 months. Opportunities for flexible working options could include hybrid working, being a combination of working from home, designated office based and FlexiSpace working locations across the ACT, part‑time hours, job‑sharing, flexible start, and finish times.

The ACT public service is committed to closing the gap, underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. More information can be found here ACT Closing the Gap Implementation Plan - ACT Government Transparency Portal.