NEMA Director, Strategic Government Partnerships and Committees

About this role

About the National Emergency Management Agency The National Emergency Management Agency's work has a real impact on the lives of Australians, particularly those living in rural and regional areas. The National Emergency Management Agency's guiding principle is “Locally led, locally understood and locally implemented” and we bring together local communities, government, non-government and key industry representatives to support disaster recovery and resilience across the country. Your work will help people who are recovering from natural disasters and prepare them for the future.

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was established on 1 September 2022 as a single, accountable Commonwealth authority that delivers a whole-of-nation approach to reducing disaster risk, planning, preparing for, responding to and recovering from all hazards across the emergency management continuum.

NEMA works closely with states and territories to deliver the best outcome for communities across Australia. To help communities respond and recover, while preparing Australia for future emergencies, we:

• Fund programs and initiatives, big and small, that help communities in times of emergency, as well as to recover and prepare, including through disaster recovery funding and the Disaster Ready Fund to help reduce the risk and impact of disasters • Have officers located across Australia, working in partnership with States and Territories to support disaster-affected communities to collectively build resilience, reduce risk and harm, and effectively respond to and recover from disasters • Provide national leadership to share knowledge, situational awareness, and trends in disaster efforts to inform, guide and shape the national picture and decision-making at the Commonwealth, State and local Government level – including through policy development and strategy to improve risk reduction, resilience and recovery • Provide round-the-clock all-hazards monitoring and operational coordination for domestic and international emergencies, including supply chain disruptions, critical infrastructure outages, biosecurity risks and widespread cyber-attacks, and through supporting preparedness and response activities, including through the operationalisation of the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework.

For further information on NEMA’s purpose, vision and values, please see the NEMA website.

Overview of the branch and section The Insurance Policy, Committees and Hazards Insurance Partnership Branch develops and implements strategic insurance and economic policies to support households and communities in high-risk areas to strengthen resilience and help reduce pressure on premiums. The branch leads the Hazards Insurance Partnership Forum, bringing together the insurance and reinsurance sectors, Australian Government agencies and financial regulators to identify opportunities to improve insurance affordability and availability over time. It also provides secretariat support to national committees including the National Emergency Management Ministers’ Meeting and the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Management Committee.

The Strategic Government Partnerships and Committees section works with all levels of government to identify and address national disaster management issues. The section supports Australia’s national governance arrangements through collaborative and effective partnerships.

About the role The Director, Strategic Government Partnerships and Committees, leads the delivery of dedicated and proactive secretariat support to NEMA's primary Tier 1 and Commonwealth forums, including the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC) and the National Emergency Management Ministers' Meeting (NEMMM).

The role drives agendas, provides high-quality administrative support and acts as a conduit between national and Commonwealth committees and NEMA policy, program and response areas to ensure key work streams are considered at the right time.

The Director liaises with federal, state and territory government agencies and other external stakeholders, builds strong working relationships and supports delivery of NEMMM priorities through active management of ANZEMC work plan deliverables.

The Director responds to changing priorities and provides administrative, project and policy advice to the senior leadership team.

At times, staff within NEMA may be required to work outside of standard business hours, particularly during the higher risk weather season.

Our ideal candidate We are looking for an individual who enjoys working in a small team and cooperating across federal, state, territory and local government agencies, as well as with other external stakeholders, to support senior executive and ministerial meetings. The successful candidate will be able to respond positively to changing priorities and deliver high-quality advice and secretariat support using the best available information within tight timeframes.

We encourage applications from First Nations people, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, mature age people and people from other diverse backgrounds. We are committed to providing a working environment that values diversity and inclusion and supports staff to reach their full potential.

• Managing highly complex and sensitive relationships with Commonwealth organisations, state and territory governments, local councils and other stakeholders to influence outcomes and deliver national emergency management priorities • Exercising a significant degree of independence to undertake highly complex work to deliver strategic ministerial and senior officials’ committee meetings, including preparing agendas, papers, briefings and responses to other requests • Leading the Strategic Government Partnerships and Committees section, setting strategic direction, building capability and fostering a positive, high-performing branch culture • Providing authoritative strategic advice and exercising sound professional judgement to resolve complex and sensitive issues, including where information is ambiguous, incomplete or high risk • Applying extensive knowledge of legislative frameworks, government decision-making processes, agency guidelines and regulatory requirements to make sound decisions that significantly impact agency operations and may affect work areas beyond the immediate area of responsibility • Anticipating emerging priorities, allocating section resources, monitoring progress and driving delivery of corporate outcomes, agency functions and programs within the section’s area of responsibility • Managing and leading a team.

Role requirements/qualifications

• Demonstrated extensive leadership and people management skills to inspire and guide a team • Demonstrated strong organisational skills, including time management and flexibility to manage competing priorities • Proven influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to develop effective relationships with a range of stakeholders • Experience delivering secretariat support is desirable.