EL1 - Assistant Directors, Regional Development, Affirmative Measures, First Nations

Australian-Department-of-Infrastructure-and-Regional-Development; Alice Springs; Hybrid; AUD 127,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Hybrid work options

Career development opportunities

Study assistance program

Job summary

The Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development is seeking EL1 Assistant Directors for Regional Development in Northern Australia and Local Government. You will provide strategic leadership across policy development, governance, infrastructure project advice, and high-level stakeholder relations.

You will lead a small team and drive outcomes across northern Australia. The role requires delivering persuasive briefs to senior executives, embedding First Nations perspectives,

Qualifications

• Executive level 1 Work level standards understanding.
• Embed First Nations perspectives into infrastructure policy and delivery.
• Ability to evaluate complex information and make sound decisions.
• Lead and foster growth mindsets within a small team delivering concurrent projects.
• Deliver persuasive written briefs to senior executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance frameworks and NAIF interactions with the Board and ministerial appointments.
• Drive strategic policy advice and align investment policy with the Northern Australia Action Plan.
• Coordinate central triage and delivery of complex ministerial and parliamentary requests.
• Manage secretariat functions for NAMF and oversee external engagement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Governance

Executive communication

Job description

Career Opportunities: EL1 - Assistant Directors, Regional Development, Aff…

Requisition ID48312-Posted05/11/2026-$126,838-$144,278- Location of Position (5) -Ongoing/Non-Ongoing-Full Time/Part Time

EL1 - Assistant Directors, Regional Development, Northern Australia and Local Government, Aff…

Title:

EL1 - Assistant Directors, Regional Development, Northern Australia and Local Government, Aff…

Classification(s):

Employment Type:

Ongoing/Non-Ongoing, Full Time/Part Time

Business Division:

Regional Development, Northern Australia & Local Government

Branch / Section:

Office of Northern Australia

Location:

We want to recruit the best people to our department. Our roles support flexible work arrangements including the opportunity to work from one of our departmental offices and hybrid (mixture of office and home-based work).

These roles are located in Cairns; Darwin; Perth; Townsville.

A merit pool may be formed and used to fill future similar vacancies in these locations and other locations within the same metropolitan area.

The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the 'Racial Discrimination Act 1975'. This vacancy is only available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait people.

The opportunity we have available

The Office of Northern Australia is a multi-disciplinary branch driving the economic and social advancement of Northern Australia. We oversee the Government’s $7 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) special investment vehicle, coordinate cross-jurisdictional frameworks, and deliver the Northern Australia Action Plan. We are seeking agile, collaborative Assistant Directors to provide strategic leadership across policy development, governance, infrastructure project advice, and high-level stakeholder relations. In this role, you will lead a dedicated team and shape policies that deliver lasting regional and cultural outcomes.

What you will do

As an EL1 Assistant Director, you will lead a small team or manage complex work streams to achieve the strategic objectives of your section. Typical duties include:

• Leading governance frameworks: Managing the Department’s interaction with the NAIF Board, overseeing ministerial appointments in line with the Cabinet Handbook, and updating the shared Risk Appetite Statement (RAS).
• Driving strategic policy advice: Directing legislative reviews of the NAIF Act, establishing investment policy alignment, and leading economic or social initiatives under the Northern Australia Action Plan.
• High-level coordination: Overseeing central triage and delivery of complex Ministerial, Parliamentary, and Cabinet requests.
• Stakeholder & event leadership: Managing secretariat functions for the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum (NAMF) and directing major external engagement activities like the Annual Statement to Parliament.

Inherent requirements for the role

The inherent requirements for this role include:

• The successful candidate for this position will be able to demonstrate their capability against the Executive level 1 Work level standards .
• Support the department’s commitments to the National Closing the Gap Agreement and the Our Stories on Country Agreement by embedding First Nations perspectives into infrastructure policy, program delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven capability to evaluate complex information, make sound decisions, and apply work level standards under pressure.
• Demonstrated experience leading and fostering growth mindsets within a small team delivering concurrent, tight-deadline projects.
• Ability to deliver persuasive written briefs and engage confidently with senior executives and cross-portfolio jurisdictions.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is committed to supporting the employment and career development of people with disability. Our participation in APS RecruitAbility means we will progress an applicant with disability to a further stage in the recruitment process, where they opt into RecruitAbility and meet the minimum requirements for the vacancy.

The RecruitAbility minimum requirements are listed above under ‘inherent requirements for the role’.

You will be asked to indicate if you wish to opt into RecruitAbility in the application form. You must tick the 'opt in' box to participate in RecruitAbility. Simply declaring that you have a disability will not automatically include you.

We provide reasonable adjustments such as access, equipment or other practical support at relevant stages of the recruitment process. Please advise in the application form or get in touch with the contact officer if you need any adjustments made.

The department believes every role contributes to cultural safety and that building staff cultural capability helps us deliver better policies, programs and services for First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their willingness to develop their cultural capability as part of the assessment process. In making it a requirement across all roles in our department, we are taking a practical step in delivering our commitments under Our Stories on CountryAgreement and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-28 .

As an EL1 you will be expected to:

• Lead the integration of cultural considerations into work area outcomes.
• Build trusted relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.
• Champion cultural capability within teams and challenges culturally unsafe practices.

What else can we offer?

We are dedicated to fostering personal and professional development, empowering individuals to set goals, acquire new skills, and cultivate unique qualities that define who they are. Some of the benefits we offer include:

• Access to our Study Assistance Program providing paid leave and financial support for courses relevant to our work.
• Diverse career pathways, learning and development investments, and a positive performance culture.
• Professional Coaching Schemes and tailored leadership opportunities.
• Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours, home-based work, and job sharing.
• Generous leave entitlements of 20 days personal circumstances leave per year and 150 hours of paid annual leave.

Eligibility requirements

This is an Aff‑

This is an Aff… This vacancy is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

This is an Aff… First Nations applicants only position. The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an Aff… Section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To be eligible to apply under the affirmative Measures initiative, applicants must:

• be an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person
• identify as an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person, and
• be accepted by their community as being an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person

Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:

• Citizenship: candidates must be an Australian citizen at the time of submitting your application.
• Health Assessment: The preferred candidate may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
• Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website .
• Police check: The successful candidate must complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.
• Integrity and Performance check: The successful candidate must satisfy the requirements in an Integrity and Performance check which is completed by your most recent employer.

Applications for this opportunity close at 11.59pm AEDT, Sunday, 22 November 2026.

Timeline and assessment

A selection panel will be established to assess your suitability against the advertised role.

If a merit pool is established, it will be valid for 18 months from date it first appeared in the APS Gazette.

Applications open: 6 November 2026

Application shortlisting: 27 November 2026

Further assessments: 4 December 2026

Offers and announcements:Week starting 21 December 2026

The above is indicative only, please reach out to the contact person if you have any questions on the recruitment process or timeframes.

Your application will be assessed against the inherent requirements of the role , the Work level standards and in comparison, to other candidates who applied . Once the entire applicant pool has been assessed, the panel will create a shortlist of applicants. If your application is shortlisted, you may be asked to undertake further assessment, this may include interviews and reference checks.