Executive Officer to the Head of Division

National Environmental Protection Agency; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

National Environmental Protection Agency in Sydney seeks an Executive Officer to support the Head of Division within the Environmental Permitting and Compliance Division. The EO will exercise initiative, manage a high-volume workload, and ensure timely, high-quality briefings, correspondence and planning input.

The role requires strong communication, organisational and analytical skills, plus ability to liaise with senior staff and external stakeholders, delivering professional, compliant

Qualifications

• Experience assisting senior executives and managing high-volume workloads.
• Ability to prepare complex briefing materials, counsel and correspondence for senior management.
• High-level communication skills, both written and oral, with a professional tone.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance competing priorities and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Coordinating information and advice to the Head of Division.
• Preparing and coordinating briefing notes, talking points, presentations and correspondence for the Head of Division.
• Coordinating the Division’s input to annual reporting, planning and risk management.
• Managing the Head of Division’s office with support from the Executive Assistant.
• Coordinating Division input for Senate Estimates and related hearings.
• Providing day-to-day support to the EA and developing staff through mentoring and feedback.
• Undertaking projects and duties as directed by the Head of Division.

Skills

Work under limited direction

Organisation & time management

High level communication

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder liaison

Analytical skills

Professional judgement

APS values & conduct

Job description

Executive Officer to the Head of Division

National Environmental Protection Agency – Sydney NSW

We are Australia’s national environmental regulator and were established on 1 July 2026. The National EPA was established as part of environmental reform to strengthen oversight, rebuild trust, and modernise national environmental regulation. The National EPA brings together regulatory functions of Australia’s national environmental laws into one independent agency.

The Environmental Permitting and Compliance Division (EPCD) is responsible for administering legislation and regulatory schemes designed to protect Australia's land, water, air, wildlife and heritage. These schemes are integral to sustainable stewardship and cover international wildlife trade, air quality, waste management, sea dumping, and contaminated sites. We have compliance and enforcement responsibilities across all Commonwealth Environmental laws including the EPBC Act and for underwater cultural heritage. Our division is comprised of the Wildlife Trade and Regulatory Capability Branch, the Compliance and Enforcement Branch and the Waste Environmental Permits Advice Branch.

The Executive Officer (EO) will, under limited direction, provide a high-level of executive support to the Head of Division to ensure divisional deliverables and input are provided on time, to a high standard and with the required engagement and work area input. The EO will use a high degree of initiative in performing the role and will be proactive in identifying ways to support the Head of Division.

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinating the provision of information and advice to the Head of Division.
• Preparing and/or coordinating briefing notes, talking points, presentations and correspondence for the Head of Division.
• Coordinating the Division’s input to key agency deliverables and responses including annual reporting, corporate and business planning and risk management.
• Managing the Head of Division office, with support from the Executive Assistant, to ensure matters are appropriately actioned/tracked.
• Coordinating the Division’s involvement in Senate Estimates, including coordinating the preparation of divisional briefing material, providing support during hearings (where applicable) and coordinating the timely response to questions on notice.
• Providing day to day support and management to the EA, with support from the Head of Division, by building capability through identified development opportunities, mentoring, coaching and giving effective feedback.
• Undertaking projects, activities and duties as directed by the Head of Division.

For more information about us please visit our website.

The key duties of the position include:

To be successful in this role, the EO will have had demonstrated experience in assisting senior executive, be used to managing a high volume of work including correspondence preparation, managing competing priorities and understand organisational processes. High-level communication skills, both oral and written, will be integral to the EO’s ability to perform successfully. The EO will regularly assist with preparing and coordinating briefing materials for various forums. This can include preparing complex or sensitive correspondence, documentation, reports, submissions and meeting papers.

Skills and capabilities:

• The ability to work under limited direction, using discretion and initiative.
• Excellent organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to manage priorities and track and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills and demonstrated ability to produce high level correspondence, briefing notes and reports for senior level managers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including experience building and sustaining positive relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in liaising with a diverse range of stakeholders including agency Executive, agency staff and external authorities and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated high-level analytical skills, professional judgement and strategic thinking.
• The ability to identify and deal effectively with sensitive issues.2
• The ability to display a high level of professionalism and champion the behaviours in line with the APS Values and Code of Conduct.

For detailed information about the job-specific capabilities for this role, please view the Job Description which can be downloaded from the relevant job posting on our website.

Eligibility

Citizenship - to be eligible for employment with the National Environmental Protection Agency you must be an Australian citizen.

Security Clearance - this position requires a Baseline Vetting security clearance. You will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.

Pre-employment checks - your suitability for employment will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This process includes a requirement to undergo and satisfy a National Police Check, referee checks, character clearance and where required a pre-employment medical assessment, specified mandatory qualification(s) validation and a probation period.

Getting to know the National Environmental Protection Agency

We are Australia’s national environmental regulator and were established on 1 July 2026. The National EPA brings together regulatory functions of Australia’s national environmental laws into one independent agency. This includes the assessment and approvals functions of the updated Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). We deliver transparent, timely, and evidence-based environmental regulation. We are a non-corporate Commonwealth entity lead by a Chief Executive Officer and part of the environment portfolio of the Australian Government.