Assistant Directors EL1, (Multiple roles) Information Rights Division

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 (Privacy Act) and other legislation, such as the My Health Records Act 2012 (Cth);
• freedom of information (FOI) functions, in particular review of decisions made by agencies and ministers under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act); and
• Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 (Cth).

About The Roles

The Information Rights Division oversees the case management of all privacy and FOI cases from enquiries through to resolution. It is also responsible for the OAIC’s interactions with members of the public and comprises three branches:

• Intake and Eligibility Branch
• FOI Case Management Branch
• Privacy Case Management Branch

Multiple opportunities exist for EL 1 officers across the Division.

EL1 Assistant Director/Senior Review Advisor, FOI

Assistant Director roles involve taking a lead role in the OAIC’s Freedom of Information (FOI) casework functions, which includes review of agencies and ministers’ FOI decisions (IC reviews), FOI complaints, extension of time applications and vexatious applicant declaration applications.

The successful candidates will be flexible and will be experienced in administrative decision making, and case managing complex complaints or IC reviews in a high-volume work environment. They will have excellent attention to detail, analytical skills, and the ability to manage a high-volume case load under limited direction, while providing ongoing professional support to other staff as part of a small team.

Duties may include:

• planning and conducting review of a caseload of complex or sensitive Information Commissioner reviews and/or FOI complaints
• working with parties to attempt to informally resolve Information Commissioner reviews or FOI complaints, including through facilitating revised decisions or agreements between the parties
• preparing correspondence, case plans, briefs, recommendations and making or drafting administrative decisions in relation to IC review applications or FOI complaints under the FOI Act
• providing advice in writing, by phone or face to face on the application of the FOI Act and associated legislation including preparing detailed correspondence, reports and other relevant documentation
• mentoring and supervising staff and providing ongoing professional support
• contributing to the development of policy and office procedures, and assisting with the development of guidance
• contributing to team and section performance objectives
• actively participating in regular case management meetings, including weekly Commissioner-input meetings
• representing the OAIC at external meetings, conferences and forums
• preparing high-level executive briefings in preparation for parliamentary proceedings and high-level stakeholder engagements.
• Other tasks as required.

EL1 Assistant Director, Privacy Case Management Branch

Assistant Director roles involve taking a lead role in the OAIC’s privacy casework functions. The Assistant Director will manage a team undertaking functions across the complaint continuum, from analysis of complaints, preparation of investigation reports to drafting determinations. The Assistant Directors will support the Director with the management of the team caseloads, including assessment and monitoring of risks and workloads.

An Assistant Director within the Early Resolution team will:

• Oversee and conduct preliminary inquiries into privacy complaints
• Resolve disputes between parties to privacy complaints, including by using dispute resolution and mediation techniques
• Draft administrative decisions about privacy complaints as a delegate of the Information Commissioner
• Respond to complex complaints and deal with escalations
• Advise other teams of trends in enquiries and complaints

An Assistant Director within the Investigations team will:

• Supervise the use of evidence gathering powers to determine whether there has been a contravention of relevant laws and finalise statutory notices
• Manage their own assigned cases, including having carriage of complex matters arising from serious harms
• Conduct strategic engagement with complainants, respondents and third party stakeholders including other regulators and complaints handling bodies in relation to individual cases
• Contribute to strategic planning and process improvement within the team
• Manage briefings to the Executive, Commissioners and the Strategic Regulatory Committee
• Support the Director with statistical and performance reporting to Executive and Commissioners
• Engage with teams across the OAIC to deliver strategic enforcement outcomes.

An Assistant Director within the Determinations team will:

• Prepare draft determinations under s 52 of the Privacy Act, as well as preliminary views and other instruments
• Manage complaint/investigation files and correspondence to parties
• Prepare briefs for Commissioners and the OAIC Executive
• Provide strategic advice about process improvements, trends and systemic issues arising from privacy complaints and investigations
• Manage the development, implementation and updating of policies, procedures and guidelines which support the OAIC’s privacy case management function
• Prepare decision records for publication, coordinate meetings and other tasks as required.

EL1 Assistant Director, Intake and Eligibility

Assistant Directors take a lead role at the very forefront of the OAIC’s complaint functions. The Assistant Director will manage a team responsible for enquiries and triage of complaints for both privacy and FOI. The Assistant Director’s responsibilities will include reviewing and conducting quality control of correspondence for the team, assisting with case triage and allocation and undertaking proactive reviews of the team’s case load to progress matters and identify areas of regulatory risk.

An Assistant Director within the Intake and Eligibility team will:

• Manage a team responsible for intake and triage of privacy complaints, FOI IC review applications, FOI complaints, and notifications under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme
• Oversee the assessment of matters, including assessing complexity and risk associated with applications, and demonstrate judgment to escalate matters and manage risk appropriately
• Provide advice in writing, by phone or face to face on the application of the Privacy Act, FOI Act and associated legislation
• Drive continuous improvement activities such as the development of innovative systems and processes
• Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure effective outcomes

Capabilities, Skills & Experience

We are seeking applications from candidates with the following skills and attributes:

• Experience in merits review and/or administrative law
• Knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1988 or the ability to quickly acquire this knowledge
• Strong ability to interpret and apply legislation
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail

The Panel would look favourably on candidates who also have the following:

• Tertiary qualification in law
• Experience in managing high volume matters and/or complex matters
• Experience in managing a team undertaking high volume case work
• Experience conducting investigations in a regulatory environment
• Stakeholder management experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate with influence

For identified roles, you will need to either hold a Certificate IV in Government Investigations (or higher) or be willing to obtain this within 6 months of commencement.

The roles will be required to be undertaken in line with the appropriate Work Level Standard.

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. Under section 25 of the Public Service Act 1999 the Office may re-assign the duties of an employee from time to time.

Security requirements

You must be able to obtain and maintain a minimum 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 (and preferred), 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 a minimum Baseline level, 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 maximum one-page statement of claim (one-page-pitch) addressing your interest, motivation and fit for the role. Your pitch should include the use of practical and professional examples relevant to the role and the job specific capabilities, skills and experience outlined above.
3. Your application form, CV (maximum 3 pages) and one-page-pitch should be collated as one document (where possible) and sent in a single email to: jobs@oaic.gov.au.
   Please format your email subject field and all application documents as follows:
   “OAIC-2025-025 - EL1 Assistant Director – First name Last name”.