Who we are

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) supports accountability and transparency in the Australian Government sector through independent reporting to the Parliament. At the ANAO, you will make meaningful and valuable contributions to public sector administration through a full range of audit and assurance services.

We are a professional and high performing organisation underpinned by the values of integrity, respect and excellence. Our people are technical and analytical experts in their field and are driven to produce high quality outcomes.

The Performance Audit Services Group (PASG) provides Parliament with assurance about the quality of public resource management, and assists the public sector by identifying and promoting better administrative and management practices.

Learn what we do by coming along to an information session

An information session for prospective candidates will be held on Thursday 13 March 2025 from 5:00pm, at the ANAO office at 38 Sydney Avenue Forrest ACT. Current staff will be in attendance to discuss the role and answer your questions.

To book, please email [email protected] with your name and the position you are interested in by 4pm on Tuesday 11 March 2025. You can alternatively join the session virtually, please email to request for the MS Teams link.

The opportunity

• Evaluate and report to Parliament on the performance of government entities, leading investigation, evidence collection, research, analysis and report writing.
• Promote public sector accountability and transparency while gaining insights into different policy and program areas.
• Design and manage complex and engaging audit projects, examining topics of public interest and importance — like Defence capability, procurement, grants and the efficiency or effectiveness of government programs.
• Enjoy work-life balance and potentially have access to flexible working arrangements.

As an EL2 Senior Director in our Performance Audit Services Group (which includes the Defence Major Projects reports team), your role will be to:

• be responsible for the delivery of performance audits in accordance with approved plans, budgets and timeframes;
• manage a small team, develop the team’s capabilities and establish and communicate a shared strategic focus for the team;
• provide high level professional and technical advice on the audit topic;
• manage agency relationships positively and productively;
• prepare briefings for parliamentary committees on your audit;
• lead workshops with the Auditor-General and other audit executives to discuss and enhance your audit, and provide assurance that it meets all audit standards and quality requirements; and
• contribute to corporate activities, strategy setting, development of associated audit products and facilitate knowledge sharing across the ANAO to ensure we maximise our productivity and efficiency.

Who we are looking for

A performance audit is like a research project, so we are looking for inquiring, detail-oriented people who enjoy focusing on a single project for an extended period of time (8–12 months). The successful candidates will have experience in preparing evidence-based written reports and can think strategically, manage projects to time and budget, and draw conclusions from evidence.

We offer opportunities for motivated individuals who seek purpose in their work and are committed to achieving better outcomes for Australians. Our diverse team shares a focus on promoting public sector confidence.

Skills in areas like contract management, grants, procurements, economic/financial management, cyber/IT security, biosecurity, and data management are highly valued.

You will demonstrate professional excellence, delivering high-quality work on time and within budget, with precision and accuracy. Comfortable with scrutiny, you thrive working with data, writing effectively, and are known for your ethical values and integrity.

We are seeking candidates with the following demonstrated abilities:

1. Leadership and staff development: Leading and managing small teams and building a positive workplace culture; developing others to thrive in an environment where findings, judgements and products are subject to vigorous scrutiny or challenge; overseeing staff development through on-the-job audit delivery and formal performance review settings; and providing coaching and constructive feedback to support individual growth and performance excellence.
2. Project and audit management: Achievement in planning, directing and delivering performance audit products, investigations or inquiries to timeframe and budget while adhering to ANAO and international auditing standards; or demonstrated ability to manage and deliver other relevant projects on time and within budget.
3. Research, analysis and critical thinking: Exceptional research and analytical skills, including data analysis, and ability to integrate complex themes and policy considerations into strategic findings and actionable advice; and deals with concepts and complexity comfortably, uses analytical and conceptual skills to reason through problems, and has creative ideas.
4. Adaptability: Demonstrated ability to quickly understand new systems and the role and function of performance audit; and adapt efficiently to evolving challenges and has a continuous improvement mindset.
5. Effective communication: Represent and promote the ANAO and its audit products to client agencies and external bodies; communicating complex advice, clearly and effectively; and writing accessible reports for diverse audiences including the Parliament, public sector entities, and the wider community.
6. Collaboration and relationship management: Foster strong relationships with senior stakeholders and colleagues, navigate disagreements diplomatically, and promote a collaborative environment to ensure the achievement of collective goals and effective communication.

Desirable qualifications

Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline and/or extensive experience in evaluation, investigatory or administration review roles are highly desirable.

Eligibility

Citizenship – To be eligible for employment with the ANAO, applicants must be an Australian citizen.

Security Clearance – The Australian community requires the highest level of integrity from ANAO employees. The preferred applicant will be required to obtain and maintain a security clearance at the minimum Baseline level. For more information about the AGSVA security clearance process, please refer to the AGSVA website.

RecruitAbility - RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under RecruitAbility you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to

apply under RecruitAbility; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the position.

Assessment process/Reasonable adjustment

As part of the assessment process, you may be asked to participate in one or more of the following assessment activities:

• Interview (in-person or virtual); and/or
• Written assessment.

If you are shortlisted for assessment, please allow 1.5hrs out of your day. ANAO’s preference is for assessment to take place in person at our office in Forrest, ACT.

If you believe you may require reasonable adjustments to participate in the assessment process, please ensure this is indicated on your application. A member of our recruitment team will contact you to discuss the adjustments prior to the assessment process.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted using the online recruitment system.

Applicants are required to submit a current CV/resume and a statement of claims (500 words maximum) outlining why you are interested in this position and why you believe that you have the skills, capabilities, knowledge and experience to be considered for this role. Please provide examples which demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of the position. We highly recommend that you refer to the ANAO Core Capability Framework when preparing your statement of claims.

Contact

Name: Amy Willmott

Phone Number: (02) 6203 7569

Email Address: [email protected]

Closing date

Applications close: 11:30pm (AEDT) on Sunday 16 March 2025.

For more information, please refer to the attached job description and/ or attend an information session detailed above.

Please note:

• This recruitment process will be used to fill any existing vacancies and create a merit pool which will be used to fill vacancies over the next 18 months.
• The panel plans to conduct interviews during the 2nd and 3rd week of April 2025. Please take this into consideration if you have any leave or travel plans during that period.
• From 13 March 2025, a 3.8% salary increase will take effect as per the Australian National Audit Office Enterprise Agreement 2024-27.