Assistant Director, Strategic Policy and Departmental Liaison

The Opportunity

Are you excited about developing and implementing strategic approaches to regulatory reform? Do you enjoy working with stakeholders to develop reform proposals? Does analysing and reviewing complex policy issues, identifying emerging issues, and developing evidence-based options, bring you joy?

The APVMA’s Office of the Executive General Counsel is seeking applications for an Assistant Director, Strategic Policy and Departmental Liaison to work in a dynamic cross-disciplinary team including technical specialists and scientists to strengthen Australia's regulation of agricultural and veterinary chemicals.

Located in either Canberra ACT or regional Armidale NSW, you will gain experience in the Australian Public Service, have access to a variety of flexible working arrangements, and manage the APVMA’s contribution to, and consideration of, new and revised legislative, regulatory and policy proposals.

The Role

The Assistant Director, Strategic Policy and Departmental Liaison will operate under limited direction as part of the Reform team to develop and implement the APVMA’s strategic approach to regulatory reform. This currently includes examination of APVMA’s legislation, regulations, and policies to ensure that they are operating efficiency and effectively and remain fit for purpose and managing the ongoing consideration of the Final Report of the Independent Review of the Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Regulatory System in Australia. The role will take a regulatory stewardship approach to contribute to the effective and efficient operation of the national framework for agvet chemical regulation in Australia.

The successful applicant will be experienced in regulatory policy development, management, and implementation. They will have people, project management, change management and negotiation skills. They will work collegiately with a broad range of stakeholders from industry, government, and the wider community.

Our ideal candidate

To be a strong contender for the role, you will have:

1. Demonstrated ability to develop, manage, influence and implement legislative, regulatory, and policy reform projects in a complex and sensitive environment.

2. Highly developed management skills, including the ability to foster a positive and supportive team culture, and to support the APVMA’s executive leadership group.

3. Capability to work in a dynamic and busy environment, working with competing priorities and the demonstrated ability to effectively manage and prioritise the workload of a team to deliver agreed outcomes.

4. Excellent people and negotiation skills, highly developed communication skills, and the ability to work collegiately with a broad range of stakeholders from industry, government, and the wider community.

5. Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems and manage complex issues for internal and external stakeholders, particularly in the regulatory reform context.

6. Experience working in the Australian Public Service (desirable).

7. Relevant tertiary qualifications in law highly desirable, with experience in legal policy and regulatory reform well regarded (desirable).

8. Experience and understanding of Parliamentary and Cabinet processes and coordination and liaison with other government departments and offices, including in the context of legislative and regulatory reform (desirable).

For more information, go to our careers page.

Want to know more?

At the APVMA, we value your skills and potential. We provide a collaborative and growth-oriented environment where your contributions are recognised and appreciated.

If the prospect of working for a world-class regulator sounds like you and you're ready to take the next step in your career, apply for this position today! Applications close on 11 October 2026.

For further information on the position, please contact Hilary Anderson, Director, Strategic Policy and Departmental Liaison on +61 2 6770 2515 or [email protected].

We look forward to receiving your application and exploring the possibility of welcoming you to our team!

Please note that this role is being advertised as either ongoing or non-ongoing. If an offer of non-ongoing employment is made, the successful applicant could be employed for an initial period of up to 12 months, which may be extended in accordance with subsection 333E (1) of the Fair Work Act 2009.