Classification: Senior Officer Grade B
Salary: $149,172 - $167,151 plus superannuation
Position No: 39670
Directorate: City and Environment
Advertised (Gazettal date): 22 July 2026
Contact Officer: Chris Mooney on [email protected] or (02) 6205 0080
Details: The Director of Planning, Performance and Support is the planning engine, performance steward, and enablement leader for the Animal Regulation unit. The role provides tactical and strategic leadership under broad direction—designing and integrating coherent plans, systems, budgets, workforce settings and performance frameworks that enable delivery of safe, lawful and trusted services. It achieves outcomes through others, orchestrating multiple teams and contracts, and ensuring resources and effort are continually aligned to risk, harm reduction and community value.
The Director is responsible for leading the planning, enablement, regulatory integrity and animal welfare functions of Animal Regulation. Reporting to the Senior Director Animal Regulation, the role provides strategic leadership and oversight of business support, performance, regulatory authorisations, animal care facility operations and Animal Welfare Authority functions.
The position is responsible for ensuring the effective administration of licensing, permit, authorisation and accreditation frameworks under the Domestic Animals Act 2000, Animal Welfare Act 1992 and relevant provisions of the Nature Conservation Act 2014. This includes companion animal management, assistance animal accreditation, animal use and research approvals, commercial animal activities, native and exotic wildlife authorisations and associated regulatory decision-making.
The Director provides strategic leadership and support to the Animal Welfare Authority, including the development and implementation of animal welfare codes of practice, operational policy, regulatory standards, guidance materials and governance frameworks. The role ensures that regulatory decisions, authorisation processes and animal welfare frameworks are lawful, evidence-based, transparent and consistent with contemporary regulatory practice.
The Director also oversees the operation of the ACT Government's animal care facility, ensuring high standards of animal welfare, enrichment, veterinary care, adoption and community engagement, while maintaining effective business support and enabling services across Animal Regulation. Through leadership of multidisciplinary teams, the role supports integrated regulatory outcomes, continuous improvement and delivery of the full regulatory lifecycle.
Working in a dual‑director model with the Director of Compliance, Investigations and Enforcement, the position jointly directs tactical service operations and strategic leadership of services—ensuring seamless handoffs between customer enablement and regulatory functions, and supporting the Domestic Animals Registrar and Animal Welfare Authority to achieve statutory objectives. The Director embeds Access Canberra’s risk‑based, harm‑focused regulatory approach in planning, performance and service design, and supports open access practices to maintain transparency and public trust.
Above all, the Director builds a high‑performance, values‑led culture—coaching senior line leaders, setting clear standards for reasoning and records, and ensuring psychologically safe, trauma‑informed customer interactions across service areas.
This position is appointed as a Deputy Registrar and Animal Welfare Authority under the Domestic Animals Act 2000 and Animal Welfare Act 1992.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people with diverse thoughts, lived experience, and perspectives can thrive and contribute their unique talents to the ACTPS and ACT community. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans, younger and older workers, and people with diverse genders, sexes and sexualities to apply.
Eligibility/Other Requirements:
- Visa holders are eligible to apply for both permanent and temporary roles. Those with eligible visas may be considered for permanent employment, while individuals with temporary residency or limited-duration visas may be offered permanent employment for the duration of their visas.
-
Possession of a Diploma of Government, or ability to obtain within the first 12 months of commencement, is required.
-
Possession of a tertiary qualifications in public or business administration or related would be highly desirable.
-
This position requires a Driver Licence (Class C) or equivalent.
-
This position requires pre-employment psychological testing.
-
This position requires a National Police Check prior to commencement.
-
This position does not require a Working with Vulnerable People Check or Security Clearance.
Note: An order of merit will be established from this selection process and may be used to fill future identical vacancies over the next 12 months.
This position has moved to a new workplace designed for activity-based working (ABW). Under ABW arrangements, officers will not have a designated workstation/desk.
How to Apply: Applicants must address each Selection Criterion (up to 350 words per criterion). Please take into consideration the “Duties/Responsibilities" section when addressing how you have demonstrated the Selection Criteria. Applicants must also submit a current curriculum vitae and contact details of two referees, which includes a current supervisor.
Applications should be submitted .
Note: Under the ACTPS employment framework you may be placed in another role where required for the efficient administration of the service.
The ACT public service is committed to closing the gap, underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. More information can be found here ACT Closing the Gap Implementation Plan - ACT Government Transparency Portal.
#LI-DNI
