Assistant Director, EL1, Consumer & Fair Trading

• Do you want to work at an agency where each day reveals new opportunities to work on some of the biggest issues facing consumers and businesses and have opportunities to pursue new and exciting pathways?
• Do you want to work at a place where smart and dedicated people from all walks of life collaborate to work on meaningful matters?
• Do you want to lead meaningful compliance and enforcement work that protects consumers, supports fair trading and helps improve business conduct across the economy?
  

Then this is the place for you! At the ACCC, we’re proud of the impact we can make together. We understand the responsibilities and challenges that come with a fast moving and ever-changing environment. Our high performing culture is built on a foundation of care, support and inclusion. It’s why we’re driven by connection and collaboration, sharing our skills, knowledge and support with each other freely and frequently. It’s why we prioritise the wellbeing of our people and empower them to work autonomously, flexibly and courageously. At the ACCC, we believe the best version of you is the one that’s true to who you are – and that’s the you we want working alongside us.

We value flexibility, and all roles can be performed from any capital city in a state or territory or Townsville and are available on a full-time, part-time or job-share basis.

Applicants from diverse backgrounds including First Nations peoples, people with disability and those from different cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

What you will do as the Assistant Director

The Consumer and Fair Trading Division aims to protect the interests of consumers and support fair trading in markets affecting consumers and small business. It does so by delivering compliance and enforcement outcomes under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), which forms part of the CCA. Consistent with this aim the Division also has responsibility for the ACCC’s specialist agriculture, small business and industry codes functions.

The Division has three enforcement branches - the Consumer Compliance Strategies Branch, the Retail and Supermarkets Branch, and the Small Business and Agriculture Branch. Further information about the branches is available in the Candidate Kit.

The Assistant Director will manage a diverse portfolio of compliance projects and investigations. They will have staff management responsibilities, and support collaboration across the branch and division.

Key deliverables of all these roles within the Consumer & Fair Trading Division include:

• Leading a team of professionals, role modelling our leadership behaviours, supporting an inclusive and collaborative working environment, coaching, giving continuous feedback, resolving conflict, and facilitating career development.
• Ensuring the overall conduct and strategic focus of projects and investigations in the Division are in line with the Compliance and Enforcement Policy, strategies and directions.
• Developing and maintaining effective working relationships and professional networks with both internal and external stakeholders.

Further key deliverables of the enforcement branches include but are not limited to:

• Developing, implementing and reviewing plans for the conduct of investigations, including identifying suitable resolutions, changing market behaviours, activities and issues and providing recommendations to senior management.
• Delivering enforcement and/or compliance projects and activities, including planning, monitoring, reporting, research and analysis.
• Preparing (and reviewing as appropriate) for approval internal and external documents including staff papers, notices, undertakings, correspondence, reports, minutes, briefs, reports and media releases.
• Providing advice on trends and patterns, industry and consumer behaviour, and impacts of broader environmental change.
• Delivering compliance projects to improve business conduct and address consumer protection issues which arise across the economy.
• Develop and maintain engagement partnerships with key stakeholders to identify consumer and fair trading issues and develop appropriate responses to achieve compliance and enforcement outcomes.
• Contributing to the development, implementation and review of policy and procedures, and planning for multi-regulator activities in response to consumer issues. Identifying suitable resolutions for identified actions, changing market behaviours, activities and issues and provide recommendations to senior management.
• Contributing to advocacy and stakeholder engagement in respect of law reform initiatives as well as implementing the ACCC compliance and enforcement approach to these new functions.

About you

All candidates are expected to meet the APS Integrated Leadership Profile (ILS) for the classification advertised. Follow the link for more information on the ILS.

For all roles within Consumer & Fair Trading we require:

• Demonstrated experience leading a team in a fast-paced and large complex people-centred organisation, with the ability to guide and develop staff.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake objective, systematic analysis to draw accurate conclusions and support evidence-based decision making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate and make decisions using professional judgement and strategic vision.
• A good, working understanding of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), including the Australian Consumer Law, or the ability to quickly attain this understanding.

For roles specific to the Consumer Compliance Strategies Branch, the Retail and Supermarkets Branch, and the Small Business and Agriculture Branch, we will prioritise:

• Experience in building and maintaining productive relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to identify emerging trends, risks and opportunities, and apply strategic thinking to complex issues.

To find out more about us and the role, please read the Candidate Kit.

How to apply

You’ll be asked to upload your resume (maximum 2 pages) and provide a statement of claims with a maximum response of 800 words. When preparing your statement of claims, please take into consideration the role and duties, and detail instances from your past that demonstrate how you meet the selection criteria.

Salary: $127,908 - $141,555 (plus 15.4% superannuation)

Contact Officer: Nicholas Heys, 02 6243 1059

Applications Close: 11:00pm (AEST), Monday 17 August 2026

Important: The recruitment platform will be unavailable due to scheduled system upgrades from 9:00 PM (AEST) Friday, 14 August 2026 until 9:00 AM (AEST) Sunday, 16 August 2026. Applicants will be unable to access the system or submit applications during this period and are encouraged to lodge their application outside of these times.