Application closing date: Monday, 28 July 2025 • 11:59pm, Canberra time
Estimated start date: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Location of work: ACT
Working arrangements: Contractors will be required to work onsite until an ASD's Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA) is obtained. Flexibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Candidates must be willing to undergo ASD's Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA) within 12 months of commencement of engagement.
Length of contract: Until 30 June 2026
Contract extensions: 1x 12 months
Security clearance: Must be able to obtain NV1 clearance (Candidates already with NV1 clearance is preferred)
Rates: $90 - $120 per hour (inc. super)
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is a statutory agency in the Defence portfolio that defends Australia against global threats and advances our national interests through the provision of foreign signals intelligence, cyber security and offensive cyber operations as directed by the Australian Government.
The role is general will require the successful candidate to create and edit print and digital text. They will conduct research around topics and audiences, identify content gaps, use search engine optimisation, style guides and accessibility guidelines. Some specialisation in technical, scientific or instructional writing, simplifying complex information for optimal consumption by users is required.
The Cyber Security Technical Writer role specifically is to research, develop, review and publish cyber security guidance and technical advice. Technical writers require a deep understanding of cyber security, preferably with experience in one of the following fields: machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud or operational technology.
Technical writers must possess the ability to write actionable, accurate cyber security guidance that is tailored to a variety of audiences. Technical Writers must be able to work autonomously, or within a team. They will contribute to deliverables that support ASD's overall strategic mission.
The Cyber Security Technical Writer will perform the following duties and responsibilities:
* Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to support technical publications. Including through the following phases of a publication's development: research, scoping, technical consultation, review and publishing.
* Produce, coordinate and provide novel and unique advice and assistance on contemporary cyber security issues.
* Research emerging technology and apply contemporary knowledge to identify information gaps, cyber security trends, vulnerabilities and threats. From this research, develop actionable cyber security mitigation strategies.
* Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary environment.
* Provide support to enterprise tasks, sometimes urgent or ad hoc, such as section governance, supporting briefings, facilitating publication clearances, actioning requests from senior executives, reviewing documents and supporting parliamentary reporting requirements.
Job Skills and Qualifications
* At least 5 years' experience in cyber security
* Excellent communication skills
* Strong leadership experience and an ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders
* Excellent organisational and time management skills
* Ability to prioritise workloads
* Ability to think critically
* Experience managing projects
Essential Criteria
1. COMM: Communicates with credibility at all levels across the organisation to broad audiences with divergent objectives.
2. ITSP: Develops, communicates, implements and reviews the processes which embed strategic management in the operational management of the organisation.
3. TECH: Provides professional advice that informs operational leadership and influences the translation of strategy into operations in their specialist area. Oversees the provision of specialist advice by others. Consolidates expertise from multiple sources, including third-party experts, to provide coherent and professionally sound advice to further organisational objectives. Supports and promotes the development and sharing of specialist knowledge within the organisation.
4. SCCTY: Sound understanding of principles and guidelines in Information Security frameworks and cyber threat mitigation strategies. Intimate working knowledge of ASD's Essential Eight maturity model, particularly the requirements of maturity level 2, and the Information Security Manual and applying to mitigate relevant cyber security threats.
5. INAS: Provides advice and guidance to enhance adoption of and adherence to information assurance architectures, strategies, policies, standards and guidelines. Defining and operating a framework of security controls and security management strategies.
6. AUTO: Works under broad direction. Work is self-initiated, consistent with agreed operational and budgetary requirements for meeting allocated technical and/or group objectives. Defines tasks and delegates work to teams and individuals within area of responsibility.
Desirable Criteria
1. EMRG: Assesses and documents the impacts, threats and opportunities to the organisation. Creates reports and technology roadmaps and shares knowledge and insights with stakeholders.
2. KNOW: Develops and implements knowledge management processes, practices and behaviours. Provides advice, guidance and support to help people to adopt and embed knowledge management. Contributes to the definition of policies, standards and guidelines for knowledge management. Evaluates and selects knowledge management methods and tools. Promotes collaborative technologies, processes and behaviours to facilitate sharing of ideas and work-knowledge. Shares ideas and examples of existing practices. Implements knowledge management at programme, project and team level.
3. RLMT: Deals with problems and issues, managing resolutions, corrective actions, lessons learned and the collection and dissemination of relevant information. Implements stakeholder engagement/communications plans. Collects and uses feedback from customers and stakeholders to help measure the effectiveness of stakeholder management. Helps develop and enhance customer and stakeholder relationships.
4. GOVN: Understanding of governance, risk and compliance management practices and approaches and experience applying them within service delivery.
HOW TO APPLY
Please provide an updated CV (a maximum of 3-5 pages) to reflect your suitability to the role based on the job description. You will also need to complete a response to *EACH* of Essential and Desirable criteria above with no more than a maximum of 3000 characters per criteria.