Assistant Commissioner

Full job description
EL 2 - $141,563 - $164,475 per annum plus superannuation
National Energy Transformation Division
Brisbane, QLD, Canberra, ACT, Melbourne, VIC, Sydney, NSW
Identified position – This position is an ‘Identified’ position which signifies that the role has a strong involvement in issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The successful applicant must have an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and an ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People.

Who we are
The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) handles enquiries and complaints from community residents about wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities and new major transmission projects. The Commissioner is an independent non-statutory appointment by the Australian Government. The Commissioner reports directly to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and their Terms of Reference are available at www.aeic.gov.au

The Commissioner’s work directly contributes to the practical efficacy and social sustainability of Australia’s energy transition, both through helping local communities resolve concerns at a project-level and by undertaking broader efforts to promote transparency and best practices across projects, industry and governments.

The Office of the AEIC supports the Commissioner’s multi-dimensional impact, by providing professional expertise across the four key workflows of case-handling, stakeholder engagement, transparency and best practice, and operational support.

The Job
The Assistant Commissioner will play a vital collaborative leadership role in helping the Commissioner to translate strategic directions and decision-making into action and impact. As the departmental official responsible for the Office of the AEIC, the Assistant Commissioner will foster a shared sense of purpose across this small, collaborative and dynamic team, with a particular focus on:

Ensuring operational resources are available to support the Commissioner’s role.
Assisting the Commissioner in problem-solving of individual cases and emerging project-level and systemic issues.
Providing a process stewardship role of the Office’s case-handling function.
Championing engagement with First Nations communities.
Developing and managing senior stakeholder relationships with industry and across governments.
Ensuring information developed and disseminated to the community, stakeholders, industry and all levels of government (including relevant internal and public reporting) is of a high quality, current, verifiable, and readily available through a range of sources.
This position provides a unique opportunity to work with the Commissioner (and, where appropriate and necessary, act on their behalf) in engaging directly with communities, industry representatives and government agencies during an important time in Australia’s energy transformation.

What we are looking for
Knowledge and experience
A sophisticated understanding of the current challenges, risks and opportunities involved in Australia’s ongoing energy transformation.
Demonstrated significant experience working directly with local communities and cross-sector stakeholders, including direct experience navigating a diverse range of views while gathering credible information to facilitate practical outcomes.
Demonstrated experience in, and an appreciation, awareness and understanding of, matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Previously managed both individual staff and work teams, and had direct experience of providing support to senior executives.
A track record (in any sector) of building operational capability within a larger organisational setting.
Skills and capabilities
Well-developed strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, and team, project and process management skills.
The ability to gather, investigate, share and communicate information from a wide range of sources, and to innovate and explore new ideas and different perspectives.
A proactive approach to considering a wide range of issues, anticipating priorities and developing plans in support of the Commissioner.
A demonstrated ability to provide leadership and mentoring across the team, driving the strategic direction of the Office to deliver on business objectives.
Capability to effectively oversee the resourcing needs of the Office team.
Ability to establish timeframes and implementation plans for the work of the Office team to deliver quality outcomes.
Build and sustain productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders while anticipating and responding to the needs of stakeholders.
Ability to engage respectfully and effectively with internal and external stakeholders to resolve any operational blockages, case-specific concerns and/or points of difference on systemic issues.
Demonstrated public service professionalism and probity.
Desirable qualifications
Tertiary study in any field related to the work of the AEIC would be highly regarded.

Eligibility and other requirements
Citizenship - To be eligible for employment with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water you must be an Australian citizen.

Security Clearance - This position requires a Baseline Vetting security clearance. You will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.

Pre-employment Check - Your suitability for employment will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This process includes a requirement to undergo and satisfy a National Police Check, referee checks, character clearance and where required a pre-employment medical assessment, specified mandatory qualification(s) validation and a probation period of 6 months.

For additional information, please read the Job Description below.
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