Assistant Director Media and Communications

Who we are

The Inspector-General of Water Compliance (Inspector-General) is an independent statutory role and an identified integrity agency, supported by staff provided by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (the Department).

Inspector-General’s vision: Water management and use within the Murray-Darling Basin is lawful, transparent, and accountable, and the Australian public is confident in the integrity of Basin Plan delivery.

Inspector-General’s purpose: The Inspector-General ensures various government bodies, water managers and users in the Murray-Darling Basin (the Basin) comply with their obligations under the Water Act 2007 (Cth) (Water Act) and the Basin Plan 2012 (Cth) (Basin Plan) and drives governments and water managers to uphold high standards of integrity and performance.

The Inspector-General’s role includes oversighting the performance of government agencies in the management of Basin water resources, as well as ensuring compliance with various commitments under legislation.

The Inspector-General currently has offices located in Adelaide, Albury, Brisbane, Canberra, Dubbo, Goondiwindi, Melbourne, Mildura and Sydney. The Inspector-General can support regional relocation to one of our Basin communities.

The Media and Communication team:

The Media and Communications team is responsible for leading and managing:

• Inspector-General of Water Compliance media and communications activities, including media and issues management, corporate and internal communications, targeted media and communications projects, creative content development, graphic design, and social media.
• Supporting specialised community outreach activities, corporate special events, and directly supporting the Inspector-General as required.

Working closely with business areas to develop and deliver targeted internal and external communications activities (including media work) to improve community and stakeholder awareness of the Inspector-General of Water Compliance. Improve knowledge of the Murray-Darling Basin and Basin Plan in the context of the Inspector-General’s work, powers and responsibilities. Raise awareness of successful regulatory and enforcement work by the Inspector-General of Water Compliance and Basin-wide agencies, that support the successful delivery of the Basin Plan.  

The Job

The Assistant Director, Media and Communications supports the Media and Communications Director in the development, coordination and delivery of media and corporate internal and external communications activities of the Inspector-General, and the office that supports the role.  The role is ideal for someone who can demonstrate their experience and proven ability to:

• Provide media and communications advice and support across a diverse range of business units and Executive leadership group.
• Write and produce written communications material to a proven high standard.
• Demonstrate a high-level of attention to detail, accuracy, and research when producing internal and public-facing media and communications material.  
• Provide a strong focus and ability to develop internal communications leads, plans and content that supports the business.  Demonstrate a thorough and proven understanding and ability to use, digital platforms and traditional channels to communicate with a remote workforce and diverse external audience.
• Develop, field produce video, audio, social media and print content, and distribute those products across mainstream media and digital platforms to support the outcomes of the Inspector-General’s regulatory objectives and annual work plan.
• Work closely with the Media and Communications Director to develop, research, and produce speeches and other media opportunities for the Inspector-General of Water Compliance.  Demonstrate good situational awareness across a wide range of water related subjects and current Basin-wide issues.  Build and maintain ongoing working relationships with (including up-to-date contact database) mainstream regional and metropolitan media.
• Act as the Media and Communications Director as required – with a demonstrated ability to work as part of the Inspector-General’s Executive (SES) leadership team.  
• Take active ownership and accountability of own work, and make decisions in accordance with the law, regulation, policies, and plans.
• Manage and refer to the appropriate business or Branch Heads those decisions requiring higher-level delegations or decision-making.
• Through the development of an annual media and communications plan, promote the outcomes of the Inspector-General’s annual workplan.  This includes effectively communicating the activities, results, reports, and findings of the Inspector-General’s work.  
• Actively seek and identify positive ‘good news’ outcomes across the regulatory and water management context of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Assess and recommend how the Inspector-General of Water can (where appropriate) promote those positive outcomes to assist improve public trust and confidence in Basin-wide water management.
• Contribute to the development of the annual Media and Communications Plan and ensure alignment of communications with business-wide strategies via early and ongoing consultation, planning and delivery of high-quality media and communications services.
• Provide business-wide support to ensure compliance of corporate branding and accessibility, including websites, publications, templates, and all public-facing products.
• Provide a strong uplift of community/key stakeholder awareness and understanding of the Inspector-General of Water Compliance that directly assists build and maintain overall trust and confidence in the role and functions.
• Research the use of technology-rich communication channels that complement the traditional media channels available to the Inspector-General of Water Compliance to engage and communicate effectively with the media and Australian public.
• Work closely with key business areas and subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify opportunities for IGWC media engagement, community outreach, and targeted knowledge uplift activities in line with the annual Media and Communications Plan.
• Collate and research evidence-based facts for use when responding to, or proactively promoting, complex water management issues relating to the work of the Inspector-General of Water Compliance.
• Assist in other strategic planning, collaborating with expert consultants and project managers, and actively contributing to the development of internal communications products and support.
• Allocate and manage team resources and manage the performance of any employee/s under your direction lawfully and in accordance with Australian Public Service and agency policies and instructions.
• Identify and progress opportunities to implement best practice and/or process improvements across the media and communications team that supports and improves services provide to the business
• Performing occasional out-of-hours and weekend work, including travel across the Murray-Darling Basin to undertake official duties.

Flexible employment arrangements are available with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.