Executive Assistant APS 5 or 6 - Maternity Leave Cover

About the Client: Our vision is an Australia that is prosperous because it is sustainable, with community and Country at the heart of our actions. We provide innovative and expert advice to the Australian Government grounded in science and evidence. We develop policy, deliver programs, manage assets, administer legislation, and regulate. We work collaboratively and in partnership with First Nations Peoples, communities, regions, industry, states and territories, other government departments, and international partners to achieve outcomes for the environment, the economy, and all Australians. The work we do today, matters for tomorrow.

About the Role: An APS Level 5 Executive Assistant (EA) performs complex administrative work in a Division Head’s office. They exercise discretion, judgement, and maintain confidentiality in a position of trust.
Division Heads rely on their EAs to anticipate business needs, rearrange priorities, and manage business flows through their office effectively so their work is delivered on time. EAs work under limited direction and are influential, adaptable, and agile.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor emails and respond to phone calls.
• Prepare responses to routine and moderately complex enquiries.
• Coordinate divisional responses and provide a document QA function.
• Track ministerial workflows.
• Track and follow-up on information to ensure deadlines are met.

• Present as the first point of contact for business in the Division Head’s office:

• Manage finances:
• Arrange travel and acquit expenses.
• Track the Division Head’s expenses and reconcile financial statements.

• Arrange meeting papers, minutes, reports, and briefs.
• Arrange meeting rooms.
• Arrange sustenance for meeting attendees.

• Organise and manage meetings, briefings, and events:

• Represent their Division Head and develop and maintain professional networks with stakeholders.
• Mentor, coach and guide less experienced EAs across the department.
• Provide administrative support to the division executive group.

The Successful Candidate:

• Demonstrated experience working in a senior manager’s office in the public or private sectors is highly desirable.
• Good knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite of applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or the ability to learn these quickly.

Skills & Experience:

• Ability to achieve results by showing initiative, agility, and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively and be influential by delivering information clearly in a variety of formats.
• Ability to collaborate across teams by using great interpersonal skills that enable you to speak up and engage with senior leaders and a broad range of stakeholders.
• Ability to think ahead by scanning current and emerging priorities, anticipating, and identifying the criticality of tasks, and managing outcomes appropriately.
• Exercise discretion by using good judgement and maintaining confidentiality.

What is on Offer for the Role:
Maternity leave Cover. July or August 2025 start. Contract til June 2026.

Work Type: Fixed Term Contract or Labour Hire
Location: Canberra and hybrid arrangement possible
Salary: APS 5 or 6 level
Security Clearance: Baseline Security preferred. Must be an Australian Citizen.

To Apply: Applications close Friday the 30th of May 2025. Please upload your resume to apply. Candidates will need to be willing to undergo pre-employment screening checks which may include, ID and work rights, security clearance verification and any other client requested checks. Please note you may need to complete selection criteria to complete this application process. We will be in touch with instructions for suitably skilled candidates. Please email [email protected] for any further information.

Why partner with Whizdom?
We’re Whizdom. We view you as an extension of our strong, dependable brand and have differentiators which really are different! The Whizdom way:

• We pay our contractors same day you submit your timesheet!
• We are Level 3, DISP certified and have signed the Veteran Employment Commitment and been awarded the highest level of compliance to this important initiative, proactively assisting veterans transitioning from the forces to civilian roles. We’ve been lucky enough to win industry awards for our high level of process compliance and are ISO 9001 certified. Our commitment to reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions has been accredited in line with large global organisations.
• We value diversity and welcome applications from Indigenous Australians, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and people living with a disability.

Our team of talented people are passionate about your experience, doing the right thing always, with a focus on your long-term career goals. We even give you a best in industry merch pack! Even if this role isn’t the exact fit for you, we would love a chat, contact us to find out more!