Assistant Secretary Health Protection and Policy 

Senior Executive Service Band 1 or Medical Officer Class 5
Salary may be negotiated with the successful candidate
Canberra – ACT

Please note: if the successful candidate is a Medical Officer (MO), unrestricted medical registration with the Medical Board of Australia is essential for a MO Class 5 appointment.

Introduction
Defence requires an exceptional senior executive to fill a position at the Senior Executive Service Band 1 or Medical Officer Class 5 level in its Joint Capabilities Group.

You will be a strategic thinker with significant leadership and management ability, possessing strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability as a persuasive leader. To be successful you will exemplify the Defence Values and Behaviours and engender a culture of innovation, collaboration and agility. You will be self-aware, positive in considering and respecting a diversity of ideas and perspectives of others.

As part of the Senior Leadership Group, you will play a key role in promoting and influencing a shared commitment to the strategic direction of Defence.
You will:

• Lead and manage a Branch practicing inclusive leadership and collaboration;
• Demonstrate strong judgement and capitalise on innovative alternatives to resolve complex problems;
• Effectively challenge the status quo when required; and
• Demonstrate resilience and personal accountability for the quality of advice and delivery of results through engaging, collaborating and partnering.

The Role
The Health Protection and Policy Branch enables optimisation of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) overall health status and performance, through:

• Broadening of the health surveillance program for assessing and understanding the impact of military service on the health of Defence members and identification of emerging threats;
• In-depth knowledge of the ADF’s overall health capability and capacity, including the potential impact of health-related risks in the ADF operational environment;
• Development of a synchronised approach to conducting and applying health-related research; and
• Collation and translation of research to develop robust policy to prevent, detect and respond to health threats and inform service delivery.

As the Assistant Secretary Health Protection and Policy, you will be responsible for leading and managing the Health Protection and Policy Branch and ensuring that initiatives and actions of the Branch are aligned to the ADF Health Strategy, including optimisation of the ADF through overall health status and performance, and achievement of a connected approach to single-service occupational conditioning programs.

You will broaden the health surveillance program for assessing and understanding the impact of military service on the health of ADF members and identification of emerging threats and oversee development of a synchronised approach to conducting and applying health-related research. You will ensure research and surveillance, policy, advisory/professorial and international engagement meets Government policy objectives and stakeholder requirements.

You will collaborate and liaison across the Australia Defence Organisation (ADO), whole of Australian Government and identified international bodies, including participation and facilitation with international engagement, research collaboration and information sharing on health protection and prevention to ensure alignment with international best practice and innovation.

You will lead the Senior Medical Advisors and Expert Advisory Group to deliver expert advice on health protection and prevention in the development and review of policy, including supporting the provision of expert clinical, technical and academic advice to the Surgeon General ADF and developing and maintaining of relationships with the universities and organisations that supply members to the expert advisory group.

The ideal candidate will possess a relevant post-graduate qualification in a health-related field and demonstrated experience in health executive leadership. They will have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to liaise, negotiate and resolve complex matters with high-profile stakeholders and strong professional judgement and the ability to apply a health protection and prevention approach to decision making. They will develop cooperative relationships with key Australian and International organisations so as to identify and promote ADF health policy, prevention and protection issues.

If the candidate is employed as an MO5, additional duties, obligations and clinical delegations will be associated with the position.

Additional Information
Application Closing Date: Sunday 18 September 2022

Engagement may be negotiated on an ongoing or non-ongoing basis. To be eligible, applicants must be Australian citizens. This is a security-designated position and the successful applicant will be required to hold or obtain a security clearance at the Negative Vetting 2 level.

For further information please review the job information pack, reference JCG/05932/22, on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=EB5AEE25-D6F9-38E1-FD12-C8D805AD773A.