Director, Business Analysis and Cost Modelling

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Canberra; On-site; AUD 152,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Canberra seeks an EL 2 Director, to lead the Business Analysis and Cost Modelling function. You will drive activity-based costing, cost recovery policy adherence, and financial planning across the Finance & Investment Division, ensuring compliance and evidence-based decision making.

The role requires strong leadership, public sector financial expertise, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while delivering high-quality

Qualifications

• Experience in Australian Government financial management and cost recovery policy.
• CPA/CA qualification or equivalent accounting experience.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver high-quality outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to strengthen cost recovery through costing and analysis.
• Oversee deliverables, engage across business areas, and drive costing improvements.
• Guide pricing, budgeting and resource allocation decisions for senior managers.
• Lead a high-performing multidisciplinary team to deliver department priorities.

Skills

Activity-based costing

Cost recovery frameworks

Financial management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Policy understanding

Education

CPA/CA qualification

Job description

Director, Business Analysis and Cost Modelling

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Canberra ACT

4d ago , from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

• Finance & Investment Division

The Business Analysis and Cost Modelling Team is leading the department’s cost recovery maturity uplift through a rolling program of bottom-up activity-based costing, enhanced cost driver analysis and improved costing methodologies. The section is building sustainable capability to support transparent, evidence-based and compliant cost recovery arrangements strengthening decision making and financial sustainability.

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Finance & Investment Divisionand 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 Funding and Revenue Branch is responsible for leading and delivering cost recovery services and advice, external budgets and costing support, portfolio agency engagement on financial matters, levies policy and administration, levies compliance functions and oversee the delivery of the finance improvement strategy. Our work requires public service professionals in administrative, policy and financial roles that come together under the leadership of our directors. We are the perfect place to come if you are a policy, operational or administrative officer who is looking to add some corporate experience to your resume. Our work is often high profile, and we get to engage directly with the department's external stakeholders including industry, representative groups, and our Minister.

This is where you play an important role.
The EL 2 Director, Business Analysis and Cost Modelling provides strategic leadership to strengthen the department’s approach to cost recovery through evidence-based business analysis, activity-based costing and cost modelling. The role oversees key deliverables, supports engagement across business areas, and drives continuous improvement in costing methods, documentation and evidence to support departmental decision-making and compliance with the Australian Government Charging Framework. The role requires strong financial and/or cost recovery acumen, sound judgement, accountability and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence senior stakeholders and deliver high-quality outcomes in a complex and dynamic operating environment.

The role will include but not limited to:

• Leading a rolling bottom-up activity-based costing program across biosecurity and other cost-recovered regulatory activities.
• Translating reviews and audit recommendations into prioritised workplans, governance actions and executive reporting.
• Enhancing costing methodologies and cost drivers and embedding robust activity-based costing practices into organisational planning, resource allocation and performance management processes.
• Analysing cost recovery processes and charging arrangements, including future AFF Portfolio Charging Reviews (PCR), to identify improvements and support ministerial and executive reporting.
• Building capability through standard methods, templates, data assurance and coaching for cost centre teams.
• Providing strategic advice to the CFO and senior executives on pricing, budgeting and resource allocation decisions, while leading a high-performing multidisciplinary team to deliver departmental priorities.

Please note that 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 also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

Who we are looking for
Key skills and capabilities

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Strong understanding and expertise in activity-based costing methodologies and government cost recovery frameworks, including the Australian Government Charging Framework and the Commonwealth Budget Process.
• Strong understanding Australian Government financial management, reporting requirements and the key financial challenges facing Commonwealth entities as they relate to cost recovery.
• Ability to deliver complex work and quickly develop an in-depth understanding of relevant legislation, policy frameworks and government requirements to support compliance.
• Ability to analyse current and future service requirements, including cost recovery drivers, gaps, options, challenges, risks, opportunities and service impacts.
• Proven ability to build collaborative and productive networks across the department, government, industry and portfolio agencies.
• Proven ability to identify and analyse critical and emerging issues and provide strategic advice and high-level support to the CFO, senior executives and departmental governance committees.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and strategic directions, ensuring team planning and project outcomes align with agency goals and objectives.
• Relevant accounting qualifications, including professional accreditation.

Mandatory Qualifications:

• Experience in Australian Government financial management, cost recovery policy and accounting is required.
• A CPA/CA qualification or equivalent extensive experience in accounting, is required.

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.

• EL 2 - $151,938 - $176,530 per annum plus superannuation
• Finance & Investment Division
• Canberra, ACT

The Business Analysis and Cost Modelling Team is leading the department’s cost recovery maturity uplift through a rolling program of bottom-up activity-based costing, enhanced cost driver analysis and improved costing methodologies. The section is building sustainable capability to support transparent, evidence-based and compliant cost recovery arrangements strengthening decision making and financial sustainability.

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Finance & Investment Divisionand 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 Funding and Revenue Branch is responsible for leading and delivering cost recovery services and advice, external budgets and costing support, portfolio agency engagement on financial matters, levies policy and administration, levies compliance functions and oversee the delivery of the finance improvement strategy. Our work requires public service professionals in administrative, policy and financial roles that come together under the leadership of our directors. We are the perfect place to come if you are a policy, operational or administrative officer who is looking to add some corporate experience to your resume. Our work is often high profile, and we get to engage directly with the department's external stakeholders including industry, representative groups, and our Minister.

This is where you play an important role.
The EL 2 Director, Business Analysis and Cost Modelling provides strategic leadership to strengthen the department’s approach to cost recovery through evidence-based business analysis, activity-based costing and cost modelling. The role oversees key deliverables, supports engagement across business areas, and drives continuous improvement in costing methods, documentation and evidence to support departmental decision-making and compliance with the Australian Government Charging Framework. The role requires strong financial and/or cost recovery acumen, sound judgement, accountability and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence senior stakeholders and deliver high-quality outcomes in a complex and dynamic operating environment.

The role will include but not limited to:

• Leading a rolling bottom-up activity-based costing program across biosecurity and other cost-recovered regulatory activities.
• Translating reviews and audit recommendations into prioritised workplans, governance actions and executive reporting.
• Enhancing costing methodologies and cost drivers and embedding robust activity-based costing practices into organisational planning, resource allocation and performance management processes.
• Analysing cost recovery processes and charging arrangements, including future AFF Portfolio Charging Reviews (PCR), to identify improvements and support ministerial and executive reporting.
• Building capability through standard methods, templates, data assurance and coaching for cost centre teams.
• Providing strategic advice to the CFO and senior executives on pricing, budgeting and resource allocation decisions, while leading a high-performing multidisciplinary team to deliver departmental priorities.

Please note that 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 also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

Who we are looking for
Key skills and capabilities

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Strong understanding and expertise in activity-based costing methodologies and government cost recovery frameworks, including the Australian Government Charging Framework and the Commonwealth Budget Process.
• Strong understanding Australian Government financial management, reporting requirements and the key financial challenges facing Commonwealth entities as they relate to cost recovery.
• Ability to deliver complex work and quickly develop an in-depth understanding of relevant legislation, policy frameworks and government requirements to support compliance.
• Ability to analyse current and future service requirements, including cost recovery drivers, gaps, options, challenges, risks, opportunities and service impacts.
• Proven ability to build collaborative and productive networks across the department, government, industry and portfolio agencies.
• Proven ability to identify and analyse critical and emerging issues and provide strategic advice and high-level support to the CFO, senior executives and departmental governance committees.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and strategic directions, ensuring team planning and project outcomes align with agency goals and objectives.
• Relevant accounting qualifications, including professional accreditation.

• Relevant accounting qualifications, including professional accreditation.

Mandatory Qualifications:

• Experience in Australian Government financial management, cost recovery policy and accounting is required.
• A CPA/CA qualification or equivalent extensive experience in accounting, is required.

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.

• EL 2 - $151,938 - $176,530 per annum plus superannuation
• Finance & Investment Division
• Canberra, ACT