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#991 Assistant Secretary, Australian Naval Classification Authority, SES Band 1, Department of Defence

#991 Assistant Secretary, Australian Naval Classification Authority, SES Band 1, Department of Defence

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE VACANCIES PAGE.

Defence is seeking dynamic senior executives to drive the organisation forward and deliver on Defence’s mission – to defend Australia and its national interests.

As part of the Senior Leadership Group, you will play a key role in promoting and influencing a shared commitment to the strategic direction of Defence, as most recently detailed in the National Defence Strategy.
You will:

  • Lead and manage a branch practicing inclusive leadership, collaboration and integrity;
  • Demonstrate strong judgement and capitalise on innovative alternatives to resolve complex problems;
  • Effectively challenge the status quo when required;
  • Demonstrate resilience and personal accountability for the quality of advice and delivery of results; and
  • Demonstrate exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.

The ideal candidate will be a collaborative leader, exemplify the Defence Values and Behaviours, and engender a culture of innovation and agility. They will be self-aware, positive in considering and respecting a diversity of ideas and perspectives of others. They will demonstrate the capability to provide timely and accurate advice to senior leaders and Government on complex matters. They will have outstanding judgement, strategic awareness, and parliamentary and media acumen.

The Assistant Secretary Australian Naval Classification Authority (AS ANCA) is responsible for the independent naval classification of the over 1500 naval vessels in Australia operated by various Groups and Services in Defence. The role prescribes ANC Rules across the entirety of Defence and Defence Industry and interfaces with other safety and environmental regulators to deliver a coherent and consistent framework for certifying the initial and continuing compliance of all naval vessels.  The role requires significant stakeholder engagement at the Senior Executive level across the entirety of Defence, Government, Industry and international partners with respect to the naval classification of Australia’s naval vessels.

The key feature of the role is anticipating, negotiating and co-ordinating stakeholder needs while collaborating with, stakeholders to design, construct, acquire, maintain and operate Australia’s naval vessels in accordance with the ANC Rules and within the scope of the naval vessels ANC Certificate. As problems arise, the ability to provide specialist advice to inform strategic capability, safety and environmental compliance decisions at senior levels of Defence and Government is paramount. The relationships and interfaces across Defence, Government, Industry and coalition partners are extremely complex and require highly developed judgement/decision making skills to balance the diverse requirements of various stakeholders.

You will be required to manage issues that are technically complex, commercially ambiguous and politically sensitive; and resolve conflicting views of various senior stakeholders, to ensure that Australia’s ships are designed, constructed, operated and maintained in accordance with international conventions and national legislative requirements. The National Naval Shipbuilding Program is a significant and enduring investment by Government and involves very high risk to the reputation of Defence and the Government due to the extensive nature of government expenditure on the deliverable. This role is critical and provides the necessary and independent assurance that Australia’s naval vessels have been designed, constructed and certified as compliant to the required safety and environmental protection rules and regulations.

The role requires significant early engagement in the acquisition of new naval vessels and will inform investment decisions around sovereign design requirements for capability, safety and environmental compliance outcomes. Persuasive advice, argument and evidence is required in this role to resolve divergent views and often conflicting priorities in a politically charged environment. Similarly, pragmatism and a sovereign perspective is required as problems are encountered in the design, construction and maintenance of naval vessels.

You will possess deep specialist engineering and regulatory experience in the design of naval vessels and the political and social acumen to work with senior executives across the top of Defence, Government and Defence Industry. The position requires significant judgement in relation to Government investment and interest in the National Naval Shipbuilding Program, and how the ANC Rules and ANC Certificates are implemented with pragmatism and care to support the delivery of stipulated Defence and Government outcomes.

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