Director Human Resources

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

Job summary

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is seeking a Director of Human Resources to lead strategic HR initiatives. This role involves supporting a high-performing team, aligning HR services with departmental priorities, and fostering a culture of inclusion. Ideal candidates will demonstrate strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and analytical capabilities. This position is located in Canberra with an emphasis on strategic HR services across the department, ensuring alignment with APS expectations and frameworks.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership experience delivering strategic HR services and/or programs in a complex environment.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
• A commitment to creating a respectful, inclusive workplace culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and support a high-performing team.
• Provide strategic, evidence-based HR advice to senior executives.
• Lead the design and evaluation of initiatives relevant to culture and inclusion.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Analytical capability

Continuous improvement mindset

Integrity and discretion

Education

Experience in human resources or a related field

Job description

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have.

People Strategy and Capability Branch

The People Strategy and Capability Branch help ensure the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry has the workforce it needs to deliver on its priorities. We design and deliver strategies and programs that build staff capability, strengthen leadership, and support a positive and inclusive culture. Our work includes targeted recruitment initiatives, learning and development delivered through the DAFF Academy, graduate and entry-level programs to grow future talent, and support for SES to enhance executive leadership across the department.

We also play a key role in fostering inclusion and belonging by supporting employee networks and initiatives that celebrate diversity, promote respectful workplace behaviours, reward and recognise our people and strengthen DAFF’s culture. Through capability development and culture-building activities, we aim to create a workplace where all employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute to our purpose.

We have three roles to fill within the Branch.

Director, Culture Wellbeing and Inclusion - Canberra

The Director, Culture, Wellbeing and Inclusion provides strategic leadership and direction in shaping an inclusive and high-performing culture across the department. The role is responsible for developing and implementing strategies, frameworks and initiatives that enhance employee experience, strengthen organisational culture, and promote inclusion in alignment with the department’s values and APS expectations.

The position leads a team delivering initiatives and programs that support employee engagement, mental health, inclusion and belonging, and respectful workplace culture.z

Director, SES Unit and Leadership - Canberra

The Director, SES Unit and Leadership provides high-level strategic advice, coordination, and support on senior executive employment, capability, and workforce management. The role ensures consistent, compliant, and strategic management of the department’s SES cohort, aligning workforce decisions with broader organisational objectives and APS-wide frameworks.

This position leads a small, high-performing team responsible for delivering specialist HR services to the department’s Senior Executive Service, including recruitment, performance, remuneration, mobility, talent development and leadership initiatives. The Director is also responsible for the implementation of learning and development for the department’s leadership cohort. The Director works closely with Deputy Secretaries, the Chief People Officer and the Assistant Secretary, People Strategy and Capability to shape SES capability, culture and succession strategies that enable strong, values-based leadership across the department.

Director, Recruitment – Canberra preferred Melbourne or Brisbane considered

The Director, Recruitment leads the department’s end-to-end recruitment function, providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure the department attracts, selects and onboards a high-performing, diverse and capable workforce. The role is accountable for ensuring recruitment practices are contemporary, inclusive, efficient, and aligned with the department’s workforce strategy, culture, and APS employment frameworks.

The Director oversees a national team responsible for delivering effective recruitment operations across the department, while also partnering with business leaders to design and implement forward-looking workforce attraction and mobility strategies. The position plays a key role in strengthening the department’s employer brand, embedding APS values in hiring practices, and contributing to the development of future workforce capability.

This is where you play an important role.

As the Director Human Resources, you will:

• Lead, develop and support a high-performing team, setting clear direction and expectations, modelling integrity, inclusion and respect.
• Provide strategic, evidence-based HR advice to senior executives to enable delivery of organisational priorities and APS expectations.
• Lead the design, implementation and evaluation of strategies, frameworks and initiatives relevant to the portfolio (culture and inclusion; SES employment and leadership; recruitment and attraction).
• Build and maintain effective partnerships with stakeholders across the department, influencing outcomes through strong relationships and clear, practical advice.
• Ensure governance, risk management and compliance obligations are met, including adherence to APS employment frameworks and sound decision-making practices.
• Use data, insights and feedback to monitor performance, identify trends, report outcomes, and drive continuous improvement.
• Manage budgets, contracts, and external provider relationships (as applicable) to ensure value-for-money outcomes and high-quality service delivery.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Demonstrated leadership experience delivering strategic HR services and/or programs in a complex environment.
• Sound judgement, integrity and discretion, with the ability to manage sensitive matters and operate effectively in a high-trust setting.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, including the ability to partner with senior leaders and achieve outcomes across diverse business areas.
• Strategic and analytical capability, including the ability to interpret policy and data and translate it into clear advice, options and deliverable actions.
• Curiosity and a continuous improvement mindset, with a willingness to ask questions, test ideas and learn quickly in a changing environment.
• Proven ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes to timeframes.
• A commitment to creating a respectful, inclusive workplace culture and delivering consistent, client-focused HR services.
• Experience in human resources (or a related field) and/or relevant qualifications.