Position Number: P00999
Directorate: Office of the CEO
Service: Governance and Compliance
Location: Katoomba
Date
Created/Updated
October 2025
RBF Band 9
POSITION PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
This role delivers the organisational governance and compliance frameworks for Council.
The primary focus of this role is the management and determination of applications for
council-held government and personal information. The role also conducts policy,
delegations, compliance and legal management functions for the Council. The role leads
business improvement initiatives in relation to privacy policy, and compliance
management. The role is responsible for ensuring Council operates in accordance with
best practice in governance, privacy protection, and access to information ensuring
legislative compliance and reporting within strict legislative timeframes. The role is
responsible for the implementation of councils privacy compliance and external reporting
requirements. This role will be sought to provide internal advice on the privacy and
disclosure of information requirements on council to ensure information is protected
correctly and in accordance with legislation and council policy positioning. The role is
involved within the organisational policy management including through the preparation,
review, and implementation of policies and procedures through comprehensive research
and benchmarking. This role also provides service delivery more broadly by playing a key
role in responding to internal and external enquiries, and by supporting the management
of the legal services panel. The role is also responsible for delivering positive customer
engagement with internal and external stakeholders by providing advice, instruction, and
training programs.
RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to (title): Program Leader Governance
Reports to (position number): P00909
Staff Responsibility: 0
Key Internal Relationships: Service Managers and Leaders, Directors and
the CEO
Council employees
Key External Relationships: Government agencies for example, Office of
Local Government, Information Privacy
Commisssioner, NSW Ombudsman
Date last reviewed: Page 2
Solicitors
Customers/residents
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. To contribute to help Council deliver its sustainability goals.
2. To manage and implement the requirements of the Government Information Public
Access (GIPA) Act and access to council information, including to receive and assess
applications for access or review, conduct comprehensive research, interpret
legislation, and make decisions under the provision of the Act.
1. To manage Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act (PPIPA) compliance and
processes, including processing applications for personal information, facilitating
internal and external review(s) and reporting obligations, system development, training
and maintenance, and to provide advice on transparency and privacy protections for
council.
1. To develop and implement complaint handling processes, including complaint
management system development, monitoring and maintenance, analysis and
reporting, and to provide support, training, reporting, and advice.
1. To deliver the organisational policy and compliance management framework, including
to develop and advise internally on legislative compliance oversight processes, legal
referral and expenditure processes, delegated authority, policy drafting, review and
implementation, and compliance matters across the breadth of council functions.
1. To facilitate internal review processes and administration, including conduct
comprehensive research, understand legislation and policy, analyse information or
data, prepare complex correspondence and maintain strict confidentiality
requirements.
1. To undertake internal and external research, including with respect to council records,
legislation, standards, government circulars, industry guidelines and model policies in
the preparation and review of projects, compliance, policy and procedures.
1. To undertake other duties as required, including varied administrative and research
functions for legal support, committee governance, complaint and complainant
management functions, public register reporting, responding to a wide range of
internal and external enquiries, special project facilitation and/or involvement with
preparing and implementing training programs.
Guiding Principles
* We act as one organisation responding to the changing needs of our LGA and
community
* We are strategy led, driven by our Community Strategic Plan with clear priorities and
focus
* We are service focused, we continuously improve service provision and provide
excellent customer service
* We collaborate and work together to achieve our outcomes
* We ensure safety and well-being is at the centre of our organisation, operations and
culture
* We are a financially sustainable organisation, living within our means, ensuring best
value resource allocation
These Guidelines complement the Council's adopted Values of: Work Together; Work
Safe Home safe; Service Excellence; Value for Money; Trust and Respect; and,
Supporting Community
Date last reviewed: Page 3
Workplace Health & Safety
Ensure compliance with WHS obligations and responsibilities as outlined in Councils
policies and procedures and under the relevant WHS legislation. These include but are
not limited to: identifying potentially unsafe situations or work practices and notifying your
Supervisor or Manager (or the Health, Safety Manager/Area Safety Representative);
never performing a task that you believe is dangerous or for which you do not have the
experience, or have not received appropriate instructions and training or where the correct
equipment to carry out the task safely is not available; always work in a safe manner and
in accordance with safety instructions, where applicable; use the work equipment supplied
for the job, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions), and any personal
protective equipment, which the Council deems necessary and has provided; be safety
aware and report any actions to your line manager which will assist the Council to meet
its legal workplace health and safety obligations.
You have the right to cease or direct cessation of unsafe work. In addition, you are required
at all times to comply with Councils Asbestos Management Plan and Policy.
COMMUNICATION
• The Jobholder is required to make autonomous decisions as influenced by Council
policy, Council's operational plans and/or strategies and relevant legislative
framework(s).
* This job requires written communication skills which enable the job holder to write
detailed decisions and/or correspondence (including compiling key information to
create chronological outlines of matters), reports and submissions that require
original sentence and paragraph construction (in compliance with legislative
constraints).
* The jobholder is required to anticipate and pre-empt customer requirements and do
the utmost to meet the request of customers/ applicants while concurrently weighing
and upholding council policy and code implications and legislative responsibilities. In
addition, the jobholder is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness
of customer service provided and provides researched advice on modifications to
improve service and to resolve disputes.
* Required to provide responsive service to internal customers as a regular
responsibility of the job. Service includes answering queries, providing access to
government information, sourcing and interpreting advice, referring queries to
appropriate personnel or external bodies, and working with legal representation in the
processing of information and/or customer/ applicant responses.
* Responsible for frequent coordination of and communication with other workers to
gain cooperation and improvement towards work production and service quality.
* Communication may be with other staff, the general public, staff of other
organisations, or with legal providers. This correspondence may require the jobholder
to provide information and explain/ interpret situations and advice, recommend,
mediate and/or resolve conflict. The jobholder will participate in regular team and
service meetings, including regular group-think discussions to resolve extensive
technical problems - often requiring legal interpretation and resolute decision-making
processes.
* The jobholder will be required to communicate with Councillors, Directors,
Managers/Team Leaders, other Council employees, members of the
public/residents/ratepayers, and other government departments, or consultants,
solicitors and other professionals. The jobholder will provide and obtain information,
provide an opinion e.g.. future action(s), advice, suggestions on a particular approach,
Date last reviewed: Page 4
and may be required to bring about a desired result which often incorporates an
element of compromise.
* The Jobholder may be responsible for training, development and implementation,
including team building and team development.
JUDGEMENT & PROBLEM SOLVING
* Problems are solved using research, analysis, and evaluation of information which
may not be readily available. Analytical judgement is important as there is often
no right or wrong solutions in some instances.
* The jobholder must evaluate a variety of issues in more complicated
situations. Considerable investigation and adaptive thinking will be
required. The jobholder must make judgements or recommendations
based on advanced analytical or creative thought and be willing to take
feedback from internal and/or external stakeholders to help guide a
decision-making process.
* Regular organisation and planning is required to ensure activities and resources
are coordinated for day-to-day work and for long-term decisions or projects that
are required to run on schedule. Ongoing planning is required to ensure strategic
outcomes for the coordination of resources covering multiple work cycles, or for
long term project completion.
* Understand the customers' priorities to enable anticipation of their needs and
demonstrate initiative in adapting team plans and goals to meet them.
* In addition, the job holder is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the
effectiveness of customer service provided and recommends modifications to
improve service and to protect customers' personal privacy.
AUTHORITY
* The jobholder may work away from Council premises and is required to make
autonomous decisions usually influenced by Council policy, Council's operational
plan, the situation and relevant legislative framework. Independent action is
required for this role.
* The jobholder may provide supervision of an employee or team of employees or
lead a team of professional or specialist staff on special projects and
assignments.
SKILL, EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
ESSENTIAL
1. The jobholder will have a functional position requiring a high degree of expert
knowledge in a major field of critical importance covering several separate disciplines.
Jobs at this level require a broad education, including technical proficiency in a
specialised area, University Bachelor degree (or equivalent) or extensive business
experience.
1. Demonstrated experience in document development, including engaging in extensive
research, writing, stakeholder consultation and interpreting complex matters for a
general audience.
1. Demonstrated experience in taking a lead role in dealing with customers and complex
complaints, including dispute resolution and negotiation.
Date last reviewed: Page 5
1. Demonstrated experience in administration, including the ability to manage a number
of overlapping, complex and time-critical tasks.
1. Demonstrated experience in research, interpreting legislative information and analysis
of data in the preparation of reports and correspondence requiring attention to detail
and accuracy on a time-critical basis.
1. Demonstrated experience and success in self-driven projects as well as team-work
and collaboration.
1. Demonstrated experience in applying the Government Information (Public Access) Act
2009 (NSW) and Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW).
DESIRABLE
1. Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying legislation.
1. Demonstrated experience in taking a lead role in delivery of outcomes that require
analysis of complex issues for a general audience.
1. Demonstrated experience in applying governance, policy and compliance processes
in a local government context.
Date last reviewed: Page 6