Business Continuity and Resilience Specialist, Operations Group

The Resilience team sits within the Cyber Security and Assurance section and supports the agency's commitment to strengthening the resilience of the AEC’s election management systems and processes.

The team will work across the AEC and with external stakeholders to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen preparedness and uplift the AEC’s electoral event resilience posture against cyber breaches, outages to critical systems and infrastructure, natural disasters and other disruptive events.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the AEC and contribute to work that has a direct impact on Australia's democratic processes.

The Resilience and Business Continuity Specialist will support the AEC’s work to strengthen the resilience of election management systems and critical electoral event processes. 

The role will lead business continuity and resilience activities that help identify vulnerabilities, strengthen preparedness and support practical improvements working closely with cyber security, operational, risk, incident, crisis and emergency management functions.

Working with a high degree of independence, the role will provide specialist advice and oversight of resilience assessments and assurance activities and ensure outcomes are effectively integrated into electoral event planning and delivery.

You will be required to:

• Lead business continuity and resilience planning for election management systems and critical electoral event processes.
• Develop and maintain practical frameworks, policies, standards and guidance that support business continuity, preparedness and resilience uplift. 
• Lead resilience assessments and assurance activities to identify vulnerabilities, risks and improvements across critical systems, infrastructure and operational processes. 
• Manage discrete workstreams and projects, including forward work planning, prioritisation, delivery tracking and reporting.
• Provide clear advice and reporting to executive committees and governance forums on resilience risks, preparedness activities and improvement priorities.
• Build productive relationships across the AEC and with relevant government stakeholders to support integrated resilience outcomes.
• Lead working groups, coordinate secondees and subject matter experts, and build organisational capability through coaching, mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Promote APS values, AEC values and commitments, political neutrality, sound governance and safe working practices.

To excel you’ll have:

We are seeking a motivated and capable professional who can demonstrate the skills, knowledge and experience required to perform successfully in this role.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex analysis and translate findings into practical advice, priorities and actions that support decision-making.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing work programs, setting priorities and delivering outcomes in complex and changing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, including senior executives, governance forums and external stakeholders on complex or sensitive issues.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging risks, assess complex issues and provide sound advice to senior decision-makers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear advice, briefs and reporting for senior executives, committees and governance forums.
• Strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to understand the agency's objectives and align business continuity and resilience activities to operational delivery.
• Personal drive, integrity and sound judgement, including the ability to work with limited direction and manage competing priorities within legislative, policy and budget parameters.

Desirable

• Demonstrated experience in business continuity, organisational resilience, crisis management, emergency management, incident management, risk management or a closely related discipline.
• Knowledge of, or ability to quickly gain knowledge of, Australian electoral law and practice.
• Knowledge of, or ability to quickly gain knowledge of, Australian Government security, risk and protective security frameworks.
• Experience with process modelling, requirements gathering, workshop facilitation, impact assessment, business impact analysis or resilience assurance activities.

• AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
• Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
• Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
• Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is at the heart of Australian democracy. The AEC is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums, maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll and making sure the Australian public is informed about all electoral matters. Our goal is to see that all eligible Australians actively participate in our democracy. The AEC values of electoral integrity through quality, agility and professionalism drive strategic and corporate planning and assist in organising the agency in a way that will effectively deliver the business into the future. The AEC is an equal opportunity employer which upholds the APS employment principles and actively encourages a diverse and inclusive workplace. The AEC’s statutory functions in relation to the conduct of elections and referendums require that the AEC and its employees must be, and must be seen to be, impartial and politically neutral. As a result, the AEC Enterprise Agreement and Political Neutrality Policy state that it is an inherent requirement of AEC employment that employees, and prospective employees, are not publicly active in any political affairs and do not publicly engage in such activities. This includes advocating any issues associated with a referendum. Should a prospective employee fail to meet this inherent requirement, they will be ineligible for employment with the AEC.