Assistant Secretary, National Skills System – Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
📌 Vacancy Fact Sheet
- Reference Number: VN-0770657
- Agency: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Job Title: Assistant Secretary, National Skills System
- Position Number: 26/0623
- Classification: Senior Executive Service Band 1
- Closing Date: Monday 20 July 2026
- Job Type: Full-Time, Ongoing
- Location: Melbourne VIC, Canberra ACT, Sydney NSW,
- Future Merit Locations: Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth,
- Salary: Future Merit
- Office Arrangement: Flexible (Flexible working arrangements will be considered)
About Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Want to work for an organisation recognised and celebrated for our excellence in leadership,
stewardship and innovation, Jobs and Skills Australia may be the place for you.
Jobs and Skills Australia was established in 2022 under the Jobs and Skills Australia Act 2022.
We are an independent secondary statutory body, within the Department of Employment and
Workplace Relations.
Our role is to engage, advise and assist the Australian Government and other stakeholders in
decision-making on the current, emerging and future skills and workforce needs of the Australian
economy, and on the effectiveness of the national skills system in meeting these needs. This
includes in regional, rural and remote Australia, and on the development of new industries and
new technologies.
As part of a motivated and dynamic organisation, we value being innovative,
collaborative,accurate, respectful, courageous, and making a difference.
Our people include specialists in policy, data, economics, communications, stakeholder
engagement, digital solutions and research who are located across Australia.
We offer a positive, productive and supportive work environment and are committed to providing
an inclusive workplace where continuous learning and building skills and professional networks
are a priority.
Find out more about your future workplace at www.jobsandskills.gov.au.
The Role
As Assistant Secretary, National Skills System Branch, you will lead Jobs and Skills Australia’s
(JSA) analysis and advice on how well Australia’s skills system is meeting current, emerging and
future skills and workforce needs, grounded in strong evidence and stakeholder engagement.
You will lead delivery of the skills stream within the agreed JSA Workplan from within your branch.
This involves examining the critical role skills play in Australia’s productivity and inclusive
participation agenda — monitoring, analysing and advising on the effectiveness of the national
skills system. A key focus will be examining how well the VET system is meeting the economy’s
skills needs and delivering student outcomes, drawing on the branch’s distinctive linked data —
including the VET National Data Asset and linked tertiary and pathway data — to connect
education and training to labour market outcomes. Work also includes a broad range of project
work, such as supporting joining-up of the tertiary education system, the development and
maintenance of the National Skills Taxonomy, surveys and research on adult foundation skills
including participation in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
(PIAAC), with results due in 2030.
You will report to the Executive Director and work closely with the Commissioner and Deputy
Commissioners.
You will collaborate across DEWR and with the Australian Tertiary Education Commission
(ATEC), other Commonwealth departments, State and Territory Governments, industry
stakeholders and research partners such as the NCVER.
Duties
- The Assistant Secretary, National Skills System duties and responsibilities will include:
- a deep and current understanding of the Australian VET system — including its funding and
- regulatory architecture, the National Skills Agreement, qualifications and training-product
- reform, the apprenticeship system, and the VET–higher education interface — and a
- demonstrated ability to translate that understanding into advice that shapes how well the
- system meets the economy’s skills needs
- the strategic judgement to harness the branch’s analysis and research, including its
- distinctive linked data connecting skills supply, pathways and labour market outcomes — as
- a source of influential, decision-relevant insight for government and the wider skills system.
- a mature understanding of the broader dynamics of the Australian skills and tertiary
- education system and labour market
- a demonstrated capacity to apply multiple analytical frameworks to confidently provide
- advice and manage complex risks, multi-faceted challenges and high work volumes
- highly developed interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, with the political
- acumen to manage and influence diverse stakeholders across multi-disciplinary
- responsibilities
- the capacity to create an environment that empowers individuals and teams to deliver their
- best — setting expectations, nurturing talent and building capability
- outstanding organisational skills, including time management and managing competing
- priorities.
Eligibility / Notes
- Please note, under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian
- citizens to be employed in the APS unless the Agency delegate has agreed, in writing.
- This is a designated security assessed position. The successful candidate will have the ability to
- obtain and maintain a minimum of a security clearance. Negative Level 1
- This selection process may be used to establish a merit pool. The pool might be accessed to fill
- ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies for similar roles in the Department over the next 18 months.
How to Apply
Position Contact Simon Booth, 02 6240 9126
Agency Recruitment Site https://dewr.nga.net.au/cp/
Applicants to vacancies notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette should be aware:
that the names of successful applicants will also be notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette
applicants found suitable may be offered similar employment opportunities by other Australian Public Service agencies
Employment and Workplace Relations Vacancy