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

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

Benefits offered by this job

Study Assistance Program

Diverse career pathways

Professional Coaching Schemes

Flexible working opportunities

Leave entitlements

Job summary

The Office of Northern Australia is seeking agile EL1 Assistant Directors to provide strategic leadership across policy development, governance, infrastructure project advice, and high-level stakeholder relations. You will lead a dedicated team and shape policies that deliver lasting regional outcomes.

Roles are located in Cairns, Darwin, Perth and Townsville with flexible and hybrid work arrangements. Merit pools may be used for future vacancies within the same metro area.

Qualifications

• Capability against Executive level 1 Work level standards.
• Embed First Nations perspectives into infrastructure policy and program delivery.
• Ability to deliver persuasive written briefs to senior executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance frameworks and oversee ministerial appointments in line with Cabinet Handbook.
• Direct legislative reviews of NAIF Act and investment policy alignment.
• Coordinate ministerial, parliamentary and cabinet requests for complex programs.
• Manage secretariat functions for NAMF and external engagement activities.

Skills

Leadership

Policy development

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

Career Opportunities: EL1 - Assistant Directors, Regional Development, Northern Australia and Local Government (48275)

Requisition ID48275-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

Title:

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

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.

We actively seek to reflect the diversity of the Australian community in our workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople, people with disability and/or who are neurodivergent, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including people of all genders and gender identities. We uphold gender equality as a core organisational value. If you’re interested in the role but feel uncertain, we still encourage you to apply if you feel your passions, transferable skills and valuable experience align with this position.

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 the Our Stories on Country Agreement 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

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.

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.