Assistant Director-General - People

Our Organisation

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is the Australian Government’s foreign signals intelligence, offensive cyber and cyber security agency.

The ASD motto, Reveal their secrets - Protect our own, summarises our roles: we collect foreign intelligence; we conduct offensive cyber operations; and we provide advice and assistance on information and cyber security.

To achieve its mission, ASD requires people with strong integrity and a mix of specialist skills, adaptability, imagination, resilience and creativity. These abilities are needed to out-think and out-imagine some of the most testing adversaries and problems imaginable.

ASD is currently undergoing a significant transformation – doubling in size, expanding its presence both nationally and globally, and delivering significant new and enhanced intelligence and security capabilities for Australia. As a senior leader in ASD, you will have an important role leading this change.

Position Description

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is seeking a highly motivated and outcome driven Senior Executive Service (SES) Band 1 to fill the position of Assistant Director-General People.

This role is part of the Chief Operating Officer Group, responsible for managing ASD’s corporate support services and overseeing the organisation’s strategy, governance and daily administration and business operations. The Group leads ASD’s finance, people, learning and development, audit, risk, compliance, property, strategy, governance, legal, security and integrity teams.

A merit pool will be created from the list of suitable applicants which may be used to fill other corporate positions in the event one becomes vacant.

As the Assistant Director-General People, you will provide strategic leadership of ASD’s people function across multidisciplinary teams to support organisational priorities and mission delivery. You will oversee recruitment, workforce planning and data, work health and safety, workplace relations, and the effective stewardship of the SES cohort.

Working in a complex and sensitive operating environment, you will ensure strong workforce governance, deliver high-quality people outcomes, and drive evidence-based decision-making across ASD. You will also provide authoritative and trusted advice to senior leaders on complex workforce, industrial relations, and people matters, including leading a key priority of the negotiation and implementation of ASD’s determinations.

More broadly, as part of the Senior Leadership Group, you play a key role in promoting and influencing a shared commitment to the strategic direction of ASD as the Australian Government’s foreign signals intelligence, offensive cyber, and cyber security agency and will work with colleagues across the Defence portfolio and Government to achieve results.

Responsible for managing significant staff and budget, resources, leveraging strategic relationships and engaging collaboratively with customers and stakeholders, you will work closely with international partners, and manages an Australia-wide workforce. You will also have the opportunity to enhance current practices in pursuit of greater efficiencies, driving transformation and continuous improvement.

Successful applicants will exemplify ASD’s values and engender a culture of achievement, collaboration and agility. You will be self-aware and will encourage and respect the diversity of ideas and perspectives that defines ASD’s workforce.