Who we are

The Audit and Assurance Branch (AAB) assesses and improves compliance through the delivery of regulatory audit and assurance activities. Responsibilities include the conduct of a range of audit and other regulatory activities to manage biosecurity, imported food, export, illegal logging and other regulatory risks. We implement a best practice approach to assurance to provide confidence about how effectively and efficiently the department’s regulatory systems are managing risks. The branch supports and contributes to the broader department’s compliance policy in developing and delivering a risk-based approach to regulation.

The Audit and Assurance Branch is seeking to fill several positions and create a merit pool to fill future EL1 vacancies. To assist you in your application and our assessment, if you have a preferred role, please indicate your preference in your application. Focus your application on your ability to perform the preferred role and highlight your leadership qualities and experience.

The Assistant Director of Audit Operations provides strategic leadership and support, fostering a cohesive national team culture. This role oversees the team's performance and contributions, ensuring the efficient, effective, and nationally consistent execution of regulatory audit and assurance activities. The department utilises audits and other assurance tools to regulate entities and ensure that Biosecurity and Trade risks are effectively managed.

The Assistant Director, Regulatory Assurance Operations performs regulatory assurance and control testing activities to test the effectiveness of current regulatory controls, identify control gaps or vulnerabilities and to provide confidence about how effectively and efficiently departmental systems, activities and measures are managing regulatory risks.

The Assistant Director, Technical and Response ensures auditors have access to accurate, consistent and timely technical advice, and is the conduit between AAB and national programs. The role provides training, verification, subject matter expertise and auditing resources for market access audits and program investigations. You will be contributing to the regulatory management of the compliance arrangements for the department.

The Assistant Director, Audit Strategy and Planning oversees the receipt, assessment and allocation of all audits to the operational audit team. The role includes assessing intelligence reports and assigning risk prioritisation. The role has a highly strategic component including the analysis of audit data to develop and implement risk-based strategies directing AAB resources to priority risk settings providing assurance risk is effectively managed. There is significant stakeholder engagement with import and export industries and policy owners.

Assistant Director, Capability and Governance provides capacity and capability across a range of business improvement initiatives and projects, governance, internal and external communications, as well as managing whole of branch reporting and budgetary requirements. The role delivers nationally consistent training, auditor induction, and the administration of Audit and Assurance Branch’s Auditor Management Framework ensuring all auditors are competent and able to delivery regulatory services in line with national standards.

The Job

Audit Operations:

• Provide strategic leadership and support, fostering a cohesive national team culture. Oversee the team's performance and contributions, ensuring efficient, effective, and nationally consistent execution of regulatory audit and assurance activities.
• Ability to prioritise and manage tasks in fast-paced environments while influencing, liaising, consulting, and negotiating with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to convey complex and technical issues and ideas clearly and accurately to a broad range of audiences.

Regulatory Assurance Operations:

• Developing and maintaining regulatory assurance frameworks to support the Regulatory Assurance Strategy.
• Leading the planning, co-ordination and reporting of assurance activities to provide insights and confidence to senior executives and staff about the effectiveness of our regulatory systems.
• Building and maintaining productive working relationships across the department to gather information and evidence for assurance reports.
• Utilising strong analytical skills to gather and analyse complex data and prepare reports and advice for senior executives and governance committees.

Technical and Response:

• Ensuring auditors have access to accurate, consistent and timely technical advice, and is the conduit between AAB and national programs. The role provides training, verification, subject matter expertise and auditing resources for market access audits and program investigations.
• As the integration point or connector between audit operations across the department with focus on the Approved Arrangements policy areas and the other programs within the Biosecurity Group and Trade Group.
• You will assist and/or participate in technical training, competency assessments, verification activities and technical advice at audit.

Audit Strategy and Planning:

• Lead a team overseeing the management of the national audit workload allocation across import and export audit types.
• Develop risk-based audit strategies based on audit types and data analysis directing resources to risk priorities.
• Assess and manage noncompliance and intelligence reports related to approved arrangements in line with risk-based approach that supports the application of appropriate regulatory tools.

Capability and Governance:

• Lead nationally consistent administrative and governance tasks that support and inform decision making and ensure adequate and competent resources are available to deliver services in line with the appropriate standards.
• Develop and implement internal and external communication tools and strategies to build engagement and showcase AAB and drive business improvement projects for implementation across the branch.
• Lead a team in the development and delivery of nationally consistent training, competency, and administrative tasks to ensure competent resources are available to deliver services in line with the national standards.
• Review and maintain AAB competency pathways to ensure AAB’s training approach is current, fit for purpose, consistent and in-step with policy, workload needs and the broader department.

Please note that the merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

What are we looking for

Knowledge and experience

The following knowledge and experience are desirable:

• Experience in regulation, policy, project management, program, business support or coordination positions.
• Experience in managing high performing teams in a changing and challenging environment.
• Operational experience in a regulatory environment and/or in industries related to agriculture.
• Audit, assurance and/or technical knowledge related to import and/or export industries relevant to the department.
• Experience in policy development, maintenance, and refinement, including the ability to investigate and source key information to support decision making.
• The ability to build and maintain productive working relationships.

The successful applicant must:

• Hold and maintain a valid Australian motor vehicle drivers licence.
• Note that the physical requirements of the role(s) may involve a combination of outdoor and office-based work.
• Wear an official uniform supplied by the department, including during field operations (as applicable), in accordance with the department’s uniform policy.
• Wear appropriate protective personal equipment and clothing to comply with departmental Work Health & Safety policies and procedures.
• Be prepared to travel intra and interstate as required.