Deputy Secretary

Description:

Who we are
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is the lead agency for the food, fibre, fisheries and forestry sectors in Australia. We support the entire supply chain, helping to grow Australia's economy and meet consumer demands both at home and in overseas markets. Our 5,500 employees work in a range of environments and locations around Australia from airports and abattoirs to laboratories and foreign countries to improve the value, productivity and profitability of the agricultural sector.

The role of the Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance Group includes operational, policy and science aspects of biosecurity, as well as departmental compliance and enforcement matters and collaboration with First Nations people. The group includes 7 divisions and around 3,000 staff, which together work closely with domestic and international stakeholders to prevent, respond to, and recover from the pests and diseases that threaten our economy and environment. Our priority is to lower biosecurity risks to Australia and assist industry to accelerate towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.

The key duties of the position include
The job
As the Deputy Secretary, Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry you will provide strong policy and programme management leadership to a diverse team. You will provide high level advice to the Minister, the Secretary and the departmental executive. You will work closely with key executives in other Commonwealth and state government agencies, and with industry and community stakeholders. A key focus will be on developing and advising on regulatory functions and responsibilities associated with a risk-based approach to biosecurity management, and business operations within a technical and highly complex environment.

As a Deputy Secretary, you will be a key leader in supporting and strengthening our national biosecurity system. You will enable the regulation of people, cargo, containers, mail, vessels and aircraft entering Australia to ensure an appropriate level of protection from biosecurity threats for our people, our environment and economy.

To be a strong contender for this important and demanding role you will need to have a demonstrable track record of leadership and management. The successful applicant will be responsible for playing a significant part in developing and implementing policy and programmes to facilitate Australia's agricultural, fisheries, food and forestry industries.