Canberra, ACT
**Who we are**
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is the lead agency for the food, fibre, fisheries, and forestry sectors in Australia. We support the entire supply chain, helping to grow Australia's economy and meet consumer demands both at home and in overseas markets. Our 5,500 employees work in a range of environments and locations around Australia from airports and abattoirs to laboratories and foreign countries to improve the value, productivity, and profitability of the agricultural sector.
The **Office of the Secretary** is a small team which works closely with the Secretary on high profile issues across the department, as well as the department's Executive to oversee the broader strategic direction of the organisation. The Office of the Secretary is a dynamic, fast-paced and demanding environment that manages multiple, often sensitive issues, with competing and tight timelines. The Office of the Secretary plays an important role in providing high level support to the Secretary and operates with limited supervision.
**The job**
The Secretary of the Department of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is looking for a Chief of Staff (Office of the Secretary) who will work closely with the Secretary on high profile issues across the department as well as the department's Executive to contribute to the broader strategic direction of the organisation.
The Chief of Staff is a trusted strategic advisor to the Secretary on a wide range of matters and will help shape the agenda of the department, whilst leading the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Secretary and their priorities and providing a critical conduit across the department and the Australian Public Service (APS).
The role is complex and involves a broad range of responsibilities, including being the first point of contact for the Minister's office on behalf of the Secretary and ensuring a productive and proactive relationship with the Minister's Office. The role works closely with the Office of the Chief Operating Officer to coordinate whole of DAFF organisational priorities and reforms.
This is a great opportunity for you to be front and centre of the Government's broader APS Reform Agenda and contribute to enterprise-wide priorities that will give you exposure to work across the department, government and with external stakeholders. You will have the opportunity to work across the department supporting senior executive - utilising your strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and be a trusted strategic adviser in a dynamic, fast-paced, and demanding environment.
The duties of the role include:
- Serving as a strategic advisor to the Secretary, participating in meetings, challenging ideas, offering a different perspective and drawing connections between areas to identify risks or opportunities the Secretary may need to be aware of.
- Managing cross-coordination support, appointments and reporting on department and whole of portfolio information to the Minister's Office and Departmental executive.
- Actively engaging with the Executive team to provide high level strategic briefings, advice, and support to the Secretary, often on complex and sensitive issues.
- Leading the daily operations of the Office of the Secretary to drive execution of action items and top priorities for the Secretary, including identifying and managing potential obstacles and ensuring timely and effective completion to deliver positive results.
- Managing the Secretary's Executive Officer by setting clear direction, identifying workplans, executing performance reviews, providing mentorship and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Leading the Secretary's communication priorities and all public-facing engagement, including identifying of opportunities to deliver key messages to stakeholders, developing speeches for external audiences, and responding to media engagement.
- Working with the Office of the Chief Operating Officer DAFF's Governance team to coordinate the activities of the Secretaries Board and the Secretary of PM&C as head of the APS where required.
- Supporting the Secretary, as Chair of the Department's Executive Board and Finance and Performance Committee, in providing direction to the setting of short
- and longer-term strategic planning.
- Collaborating with the Chief of Staff Network across the federal government.
- Leading the department's internal Executive Officer network to enhance cross-collaboration, information sharing and creating/promoting a positive workplace culture.
**Please note** that this role is being advertised as either ongoing or non-ongoing. If an offer of non-ongoing employment is made, the successful applicant could be employed for an initial period of up to 12 months, which may be extended in accordance with subsection 333E (1) of the _Fair Work Act 2009_. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is