Assistant Director (EL1), People and Culture (Generalist)

About the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Working with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) will put you at the forefront of data protection and access to information regulation. As an independent statutory agency, the OAIC’s work is of national significance and plays an important role in shaping Australia’s information handling landscape across the economy - from government, digital platforms and the online environment, to health, finance and telecommunications. Our mission is to uphold and promote Australia’s privacy and freedom of information laws.

We are an agency within the Attorney-General’s Department portfolio with responsibility for:

• privacy functions under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Digital ID Act 2024
• freedom of information functions, in particular review of decisions made by agencies and ministers under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
• privacy and confidentiality functions in relation to the Consumer Data Right (CDR) under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA).

About The Role

The People and Culture team within the OAIC Enabling Services Branch is responsible for the delivery of Human Resources (HR) services to the agency and its workforce.

We are seeking applications from candidates with a passion for working across the broad remit of HR services in a generalist capacity.

The Assistant Director, HR Generalist will be responsible for providing expert HR services and advice across a broad range of P&C functions including but not limited to; recruitment, learning and development, workforce planning and HR policies. As a senior HR professional, you will actively engage with both internal and external stakeholders to drive best practice HR initiatives. The role will also involve managing a variety of strategic HR projects, supporting workplace culture initiatives, and ensuring compliance with government policies and regulations. You will provide advice and guidance on HR issues, manage HR programs, and contribute to the development of a positive workplace culture through workforce planning and professional development initiatives.

Job Specific Capabilities, Skills & Experience

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, negotiate effectively, be highly organised with excellent communication, problem-solving, judgement and decision-making skills
• Being self-motivated, reliable, professional and fostering productive working relationships
• Helping uplift processes and ways of working
• Managing a diverse range of key HR projects and anticipating and responding to stakeholder needs and expectations to provide advice and support to OAIC branches
• Contributing to the development, implementation and monitoring of HR policy and programs with internal stakeholders
• Researching, interpreting and applying knowledge of various policies and procedures to the OAIC’s environment
• Modifying, adapting and developing established methods, systems or policies to emerging or existing issues.
• Developing and supporting culture and inclusion initiatives, such as the promotion of events and communications.
• Undertaking regular process improvement reviews to identify the need for additional services and/or resources to support the objectives of the OAIC
• Ability to work with a range of systems, such as SAP, Outlook, internal HR programs
• Develop, implement and monitor learning and development programs, workforce strategy, policy and programs.
• Ability to manage the OAIC’s Learnhub, which includes all administrative tasks with loading internal and external training for OAIC staff
• Ability to guide, mentor and develop staff
• Other duties as required

These duties are to be performed in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct and APS Values and Office policies, including Workplace Diversity and Work Health and Safety. You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with the APS Work Level Standards for the Executive Level 1 classification. Under section 25 of the Public Service Act 1999 the OAIC may re-assign the duties of an employee from time to time.

Security requirements

You must be able to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance.

Position location

The OAIC operates a hybrid work model with a combination of remote working and office attendance.  Whilst the OAIC office is located in the Sydney CBD, we will consider candidate applications from all other locations within Australia.

The OAIC values face-to-face interaction and fostering connection between our people and with our stakeholders. The OAIC’s hybrid work model expects in office attendance when the type of work or task is better suited to being completed from an office, for example, staff inductions and onboarding, planning days, relationship building activities and project or collaborative work.

Remuneration and benefits

EL1 salary: $122,146 - $130,659 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation

The OAIC is committed to enabling its people to perform at their best and offers the following benefits:

• Opportunity to work at the cutting edge of privacy and data protection, paving the way for future career opportunities.
• Access to ongoing professional development, with a capability framework to guide skill enhancement.
• Genuine flexibility to help achieve a balance between work and home life.
• Additional paid leave over the Christmas to New Year period as well as access to other leave (e.g. for study or moving).
• Contribution to your wellbeing through subsidies for eye health, flu vaccinations and a wellbeing allowance.

The OAIC is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage and welcome applications from people living with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and mature age people.

Eligibility

• Section 22 of the Public Service Act 1999 requires that APS employees must be Australian citizens.
• There are restrictions on employment of people who have, within the previous 12 months, accepted a redundancy benefit from an APS agency or a non-APS Commonwealth employer.
• For the duration of your employment with the OAIC you will be required to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance at the Baseline Level 1 and meet required background, identification and character checks.

How to Apply

1. Please complete the application form found at the end of this job pack as part of your submission.
2. Please provide a statement of claim of up to 2 A4 pages, addressing your interest, motivation and fit for the role. Your statement should include the use of practical and professional examples as relevant to the role and the job specific capabilities, skills and experience outlined above.
3. Your application form, CV (maximum 4 pages) and statement of claim should be collated as one document (where possible) and sent in a single email to: recruitment@oaic.gov.au.  Please ensure your email includes your full name in the email subject field, along with the job reference number found on the front page of this pack.