Executive Officers work directly with the Chief Operating Officer, the Deputy Electoral Commissioner and the Electoral Commissioner to provide strategic advice, coordinates executive priorities, and ensures the effective alignment and delivery of organisational objectives.
The key duties of the position include:
This is an opportunity to operate at the centre of Australia's democratic system, supporting senior leaders to deliver federal elections, regulatory activity and transformation programs under intense public scrutiny and on an unknown timetable.
Few executive roles operate in an environment where national events, legislative obligations and public confidence converge so directly.
Executive Officers play a pivotal role in enabling effective leadership and decision making across the organisation. The roles deliver high level executive support, governance and secretariat services, and strategic coordination of communications and initiatives that directly contribute to the achievement of the agency's strategic and operational objectives.
Operating in a fast paced, high-profile environment, these positions manage work of significant complexity and sensitivity. The Executive Officers apply sound professional judgement and specialist expertise to provide trusted, strategic advice and guidance to senior leaders on critical and emerging agency matters.
Key responsibilities include:
* Leading and managing executive workflows, priorities and deadlines.
* Acting as a trusted senior point of contact, independently resolving complex, sensitive and urgent matters.
* Providing high level analysis and advice to senior executives, coordinating complex inputs to policy, projects and strategic initiatives.
* Drafting and overseeing high impact correspondence and communications supporting organisational priorities.
* Leading and mentoring executive support staff, setting standards and driving consistent, high-quality outcomes.
* Coordinating governance committees and senior leadership forums, ensuring effective decision making, recordkeeping and follow through.
* Building and managing senior stakeholder relationships, representing executive offices in high level internal and external engagements.
* Exercising sound professional judgement, making decisions with an informed understanding of risk, context and organisational impact.
* Supporting the Senior Executive Team to ensure all requirements associated with key election and transformation program deliverables are achieved.
Who we're looking for
We are seeking experienced executive professionals who thrive in complexity and operate with authority, discretion and influence at the most senior levels.
You will be someone who has:
* Proven experience delivering results under pressure, managing competing priorities, tight timeframes and high levels of scrutiny.
* Strong influence and negotiation skills, with a demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships across senior leadership, geographically dispersed teams and key external stakeholders.
* Exceptional strategic, conceptual and analytical capability, with the ability to provide clear, trusted advice to support organisational change and innovation.
* Demonstrated leadership in executive support environments, including mentoring staff, building capability and embedding professionalism and high performance.
* Sound judgement, integrity and discretion, trusted to operate autonomously, consistently delivering outcomes within legislative, governance and budget frameworks and delegations.
* Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly acquire knowledge of, complex Commonwealth regulatory and legislative environments.
* Relevant qualifications in management, business, communications, public administration or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
Eligibility
* AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
* Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
* Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
* Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.
Getting to know the Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is at the heart of Australian democracy. The AEC is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums, maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll and making sure the Australian public is informed about all electoral matters. Our goal is to see that all eligible Australians actively participate in our democracy. The AEC values of electoral integrity through quality, agility and professionalism drive strategic and corporate planning and assist in organising the agency in a way that will effectively deliver the business into the future. The AEC is an equal opportunity employer which upholds the APS employment principles and actively encourages a diverse and inclusive workplace. The AEC's statutory functions in relation to the conduct of elections and referendums require that the AEC and its employees must be, and must be seen to be, impartial and politically neutral. As a result, the AEC Enterprise Agreement and Political Neutrality Policy state that it is an inherent requirement of AEC employment that employees, and prospective employees, are not publicly active in any political affairs and do not publicly engage in such activities. This includes advocating any issues associated with a referendum. Should a prospective employee fail to meet this inherent requirement, they will be ineligible for employment with the AEC.