About the role
The Deputy Electoral Commissioner is a statutory appointment under subsection 19(1) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) and a member of the AEC's Senior Executive Committee (SEC). The Deputy Electoral Commissioner is accountable for delivering on strategic outcomes for the AEC, including overseeing complex and highly sensitive projects and broader governance for the agency.
The Deputy Electoral Commissioner is also our National Election Manager (NEM). The NEM role is responsible for the efficient and effective planning, preparation and delivery of electoral events under immense public and political scrutiny and within immutable, legislated deadlines. This encompasses all facets of electoral delivery including enrolment, education and awareness programs, polling and counting services, as well as the engagement of a temporary election workforce of over 100,000 positions.
The role also sets and oversees the direction of one of the AEC's flagship modernisation programs – the Tier 1 Indigo Program. A significant and complex organisational transformation program, the role ensures activities are delivered to schedule, within budget parameters approved by Government, and in a way that minimises risk to electoral delivery.
Together, these two major activities require significant and careful planning, risk management, and involve budget oversight of approximately $1 billion.
With the Electoral Commissioner (EC), the Deputy Electoral Commissioner plays a principal role in representing and providing evidence on behalf of the AEC at parliamentary hearings and enquiries, including Senate Estimates and the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM).
On behalf of the EC, the Deputy Electoral Commissioner also leads the AEC's international engagement efforts. This includes leading engagements with senior-level officials internationally, including Ministers of other nations, to share best practice in electoral management. The role also oversees the AEC's efforts in supporting democracy within the Indo-Pacific region by building the technical capacity of electoral management bodies (EMBs). The Deputy Electoral Commissioner also leads the AEC's engagement with equivalent staff in EMBs across Australia to lead best practice in electoral delivery and operations.
The role has five direct reports, leading over 2000 staff across multi-disciplinary teams, located across Australia.
As required under subsection 26 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth), the Deputy Electoral Commissioner performs the role of EC anytime the EC is absent from duty or otherwise unable to perform the functions of the office, or the appointment is vacant.
Primary Accountabilities
The responsibilities of the Deputy Electoral Commissioner include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Lead and oversee the delivery of complex, interdependent and time critical operational projects and outcomes, which are subject to high levels of public and political scrutiny and assurance.
* Perform the role of the AEC's NEM, which is accountable for ensuring the AEC's election management capability meets the directed level of election readiness (DLER) and setting plans across all aspects of service delivery to maintain trust and integrity of the electoral system.
* Actively govern, direct and oversee the delivery of federal electoral events over a three-year period, under a significant degree of public and political scrutiny and within an increasingly complex operating environment.
* Drive trust and proactively enhance the reputation of the AEC as an impartial and independent EMB by leading programs that target dis and mis- information and uphold the highest standards of electoral integrity.
* Direct the AEC's Australian Electoral Officers (AEOs), who are statutory appointments under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 responsible for discharging relevant State and Territory operations.
* Perform the role of Chair of the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce (EIAT), comprised of senior-level officials across the Commonwealth public sector and national intelligence community, to develop strategies and processes that ensure cohesive and effective management of risks to, and matters or incidents, impacting electoral integrity.
* Direct and oversee broader service delivery operations for the AEC, including public engagement and education, electoral roll management, and industrial elections and ballots.
* Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior-level stakeholders across Government, including (but not limited to) the Minister, the Department of Finance, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and State/Territory EMBs.
* Drive the investigation and identification of opportunities for change or enhancement of internal policies, processes, services, structures or procedures.
* Actively represent the AEC on high-level cross agency working groups, committees and international fora, as well as within parliamentary committees including the JSCEM.
* Maintain and seek to enhance the AEC's international engagement efforts by sharing best practice and supporting democracy within the Indo-Pacific region by building the technical capacity of EMBs and leading engagements with senior-level officials internationally, including Ministers of other nations.
* Contribute to the development of the strategic directions and priorities for the agency and deliver business outcomes and priorities to a very high standard, including influencing and contributing to the delivery of major public facing projects and initiatives.
* Further enhance the AEC's positive culture and foster a working environment that enables excellence and timely delivery, often to immutable legislated deadlines.
* Work closely and collaboratively with the EC and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to manage strategic, enterprise and operational risks; further enhance trust in the AEC; maintain the AEC's outstanding reputation as a high reliability organisation that delivers electoral events and associated services with the highest level of service standards and integrity.
* Perform additional duties or assume responsibility of functions as directed by the EC from time to time.
Job Requirements and Qualifications
The Deputy Electoral Commissioner will be expected to demonstrate the following skills and experience:
* Demonstrated senior executive experience and a proven track record of leadership within a dynamic, complex and multifaceted public sector or regulatory environment.
* Extensive experience in developing and leading a national capability, or a highly dispersed workforce, that successfully delivers highly complex and large-scale operations in a challenging operational environment under significant scrutiny.
* Proven ability to lead multi-million-dollar projects, ensuring key deliverables are achieved within immutable deadlines, budget, and under significant scrutiny.
* Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a high-performance culture that delivers high quality, timely results, particularly to immutable legislated deadlines.
* Exceptional capability in successfully engaging with very senior stakeholders in a complex legislative and operational environment, both nationally and internationally.
* Ability to communicate persuasively under pressure, and with influence, often with very senior stakeholders at equivalent or higher levels within Government.
* Highly developed planning, complex problem-solving, decision-making and risk management skills.
* Knowledge of, or ability to, quickly gain knowledge of Australian electoral law and practice.
* Significant experience in a senior executive capacity in the planning, preparation and delivery of electoral events, large-scale national events or operations, or equivalent experience in a similar context.
Key Competencies
* A highly capable and inclusive senior leader who delivers high quality, timely results by working well with people.
* An effective decision maker who can synthesise complex information to prioritise what is most critical.
* A skilled negotiator and communicator who initiates and maintains effective lines of communication in diverse forums and holds the trust and respect of stakeholders.
* An accountable leader who leads by example and upholds and models the APS and AEC's values.
* A strategic thinker who anticipates emerging issues, looks beyond short-term time horizons, and thinks through options and consequences from different angles and perspectives.
* A senior leader who actively builds organisational capability and upholds performance standards.
* A Senior leader who displays integrity, tenacity, resilience and courage.
* A senior leader that can work effectively with the Electoral Commissioner and the Chief Operating Officer to create a unified senior leadership platform.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this position, you must be an Australian citizen. Exemptions may apply in certain circumstances, such as if you are expecting to gain citizenship. In addition, there may be an exclusion period if you have received a redundancy benefit from a previous APS employer.
This position is a position of trust. The occupants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance to the level of Negative Vetting Level 2 or hold a current security clearance of appropriate level.
Any person who is, and is seen to be, active in political affairs may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered. Candidates will be required to provide assurances regarding potential conflicts of interest (political, financial and personal) and their personal financial affairs.
The AEC observes strict impartiality and independence in all electoral processes, and any person in this role must be, and be seen to be, neutral. Sensitivity to the needs of a diverse client base is essential.
To download a copy of the candidate job pack, please click the Apply Now button. You will be redirected to the AEC Jobs site.
For further details on this opportunity, please contact Vidya Vasudevan at
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