The Role

• Are you ready to take on a leadership role where no two days are the same?
• Where your work directly supports critical operations, enables capability, and helps shape the future of Defence?

We’re looking for dynamic, solutions-focused individuals to join our high-performing teams as Assistant Base Managers and Estate Management & Planning Managers. As a leader in this space, you’ll play a critical role in shaping the way we manage and operate Defence sites across Australia, leading teams, managing complex issues, and delivering outcomes that directly enable Defence capability.

Our teams are at the heart of keeping Defence sites running safely, securely, and effectively. These roles provide critical on-the-ground support to ensure Defence bases operate smoothly, while also being ready to respond when things don’t go to plan. We also play a key role in supporting Defence exercises and operations, which could include facilitating access to training areas or ensuring essential services are in place for deployed personnel. Our teams are responsible for supporting Defence’s response to critical incidents and high-risk weather events, ensuring our sites are safe, secure, and resilient.

Whether it’s preparing for bushfire season, responding to flood impacts, or supporting emergency exercises, our people play a vital role in managing risks and protecting Defence capability. You’ll manage relationships with Defence personnel, contractors and other government agencies to ensure essential services are delivered, infrastructure is maintained, and future needs are being planned for. It’s fast-paced, people-focused work with a strong sense of purpose and community impact.

Assistant Base Managers

Provide leadership and coordination across Defence bases. You’ll be responsible for developing and leading high performing teams who ensure the day-to-day safe and secure operations of Defence sites. They are the eyes and ears on the ground, ensuring the smooth running of base operations, managing critical incidents, supporting Defence activities and exercises, and working closely with a broad range of stakeholders, including Defence personnel, service providers, contractors, and local communities.

Assistant Base Managers are problem solvers, trusted advisors, and personnel managers who help ensure Defence sites are safe, secure, and ready to respond to any challenge, from supporting Defence exercises and operations to managing the impacts of severe weather or critical incidents.

Estate Management & Planning Managers

Provide strategic oversight and leadership for the planning, development, and management of the Defence estate. They work closely with Defence planners, infrastructure teams, service providers, and local stakeholders to manage the built environment, land, and infrastructure assets that enable Defence capability.

Estate Management & Planning Managers are critical in ensuring Defence sites meet both current operational needs and future growth requirements. Estate Management and Planning Managers lead estate planning, infrastructure delivery coordination, risk management, and project support helping shape long-term investment and development across the Defence estate.

About our Team

Northern and Central Zone is a branch of Service Delivery Division within the Security and Estate Group. Service Delivery Division is at the forefront of enhancing Defence capabilities and personnel readiness through innovative service delivery and support mechanisms. Our work directly contributes to the operational excellence and welfare of Australia's Defence force, offering unparalleled opportunities to make a meaningful impact. Northern and Central Zone is a critical business enabler of Defence capabilities, prioritising base resources and ensuring service delivery standards across the Defence Estate.

Northern and Central Zone is instrumental in facilitating critical Defence exercises and operations, focused on optimising support for the ADF. Northern and Central Zone manages the most significant and largest training areas and ranges in Australia, enabling substantial multinational and bilateral exercises such as Pitch Black and Talisman Sabre. We provide essential, on-the-ground services and support to Defence personnel at locations throughout Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

Our Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for leaders who are adaptable, solutions-oriented, and calm under pressure. You’ll be someone who can think on your feet and anticipate future challenges, work collaboratively across a wide range of stakeholders, and bring a strong customer service mindset to everything you do. Our ideal candidate is proactive in managing risks and safety, comfortable in an operational environment, and ready to respond when incidents or issues arise.

These roles require leaders to influence and drive a culture of safety, accountability and service excellence. Successful candidates will have a proven record of achieving organisational goals whilst contributing to a high-performance service delivery culture. The skills that we seek in you:

• Demonstrated strong leadership capability with the ability to guide teams, influence stakeholders, and drive positive outcomes.
• People and team management with the ability to build team capability through coaching, feedback and mentoring in an operational or service delivery environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with Defence personnel, contractors, service providers, and community partners.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically and strategically, identify issues and drive continuous improvement activities.
• Confidently manage competing priorities while maintaining a focus on safety, security, and operational continuity.
• Understand the importance of customer service and delivering high-quality support to Defence personnel, with proven experience in anticipating stakeholders' needs
• The ability to forward plan a workload and the agility to reprioritise at short notice.
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable working in fast-paced and complex operational environments.
• Confident managing risk and compliance in a large and complex estate environment.

In turn, we will provide you with the following:

• Performance-related salary progression.
• Up to 15% superannuation.
• Standard hours of 37.5 hours per week.
• Negotiated flexible work arrangements.
• Ongoing training and development.
• Annual leave of 20 days per year.
• Personal/carers leave of 15 days per year.
• An additional day of leave per calendar year in addition to regular leave.
• Christmas stand down (a paid break during the Christmas and New Year period in addition to standard leave).
• A range of Parental and Reservist leave.
• Several health, well-being, diversity and inclusion networks.
• Defence Employee Assistance Program provided by Converge International.

We are looking for enthusiastic leaders to join our team immediately. These roles are ideal for energetic and motivated people and operational leaders who are focused on ongoing self-improvement and professional development. A Merit Pool of suitable candidates will also be created for future placement.

Application Closing Date: Thursday 15 May 2025

For further information please review the job information pack, reference SEG/03323/25 on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=7D7832E4-9E89-A8A3-C956-E3C1F2513A78