About Us
The Department of Government Services (DGS) was established on 1 January 2023 to improve everyone’s experience of doing business and interacting with the Victorian government. We bring important day-to-day services together in one department to make things easy and seamless for Victorians and businesses. We are doing this by connecting and digitising our systems and platforms across state and local government as well as streamlining our corporate and procurement services.
You can find out more about our Ministers, leadership and entities here: Department of Government Services.
The Emergency Management Branch
The Emergency Management branch administers a range of funded programs provided to the community and oversees DGS’ emergency management and liaison function. Teams support strategic program and capability review; design; funding provision and administration; and stakeholder management for portfolio responsibilities across the Consumer Affairs and Local Government outputs.
The Emergency Management function works across different government tiers (including municipal, agency, and Cabinet layers) to enable the department and key stakeholders to meet their legislative emergency management responsibilities to support Victorian communities. This includes developing procedures and policies to increase capacity, capability, collaboration and resilience before, during and after emergences; providing authoritative advice to executives and Ministers; on emergency management matters; and engaging with key internal and external stakeholders on emergency management priorities.
The function oversees the delivery of the department’s 24/7 operational responses and delivers key departmental responsibilities within the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP). Teams liaise closely with stakeholders and subject matter experts to uplift organisational resilience to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and other significant disruptions.
About the Role
The Manager, Emergency Operational Capability is responsible for the coordination, development and delivery of key operational policy, emergency management programs and resilience projects and initiatives. Responsibilities include ensuring all emergency support needs are in place to so that DGS has the capacity and capability to deliver its emergency management operational responsibilities. The role is also responsible for the effective delivery of the department’s 24/7 emergency management function and supporting programs and projects, as well as supporting the capability and capacity of local government in line with the department’s responsibilities in the State Emergency Management Plan.
This role will liaise and coordinate with subject matter experts in branches with emergency management responsibilities across DGS, including, Telecommunications, Cyber Security, Regulatory Services, and Births, Deaths and Marriages as well as corporate areas to provide expertise and strategic advice to inform ongoing operational needs and ensure the needs of all portfolio areas are reflected in the delivery of the department’s emergency management operating model.
The Manager is responsible for providing high level expertise and authoritative advice on how to enhance emergency management capability and capacity across DGS and its portfolio areas with emergency management responsibilities. The Manager will identify and respond to potential risks, leading scenario planning and exercising, and implementing measures to build organisational resilience, as well as that of councils, to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and other significant disruptions.
This position is well suited to an experienced professional with a background in emergency management operational program development and delivery. Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence and achieve outcomes are key components of the role. Knowledge and experience of the state’s arrangements to manage emergencies, and familiarity with the State Emergency Management Plan and structures, is an essential foundation for this position.
The successful applicant will require strong organisational, interpersonal, and decision-making skills, work effectively as a member of a team, enjoy flexible working arrangements and undertake a wide variety of work across the branch.
Key Accountabilities
- Operational Service Delivery: Provides leadership and guidance based on advanced expertise.
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Communication: Initiates and manages negotiations with peers (internal and external to work unit) to gain commitment to projects, and delivery of activities to meet timelines.
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Knowledge and Proficiency: Uses knowledge of structures, processes and culture of government, the sector and the Department to develop policies and new program or project initiatives.
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Policy and Projects: Responsible for operational policy or service development that has significant impact across functional areas.
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Rules, Guidelines, and Frameworks: Develops policy frameworks within area of expertise or responsibility based on defined organisational priorities
Mandatory requirements
- Current Driver Licence
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Required to support the delivery of DGS’ emergency management responsibilities, including to undertake rostered functional operational roles, including as a State Duty Officer or State Agency Commander, under the department’s emergency management operating model. This may include being rostered to be available after hours and weekends to support the department’s 24/7 emergency management response, and working from the State Control Centre.
This is an ongoing position. This position is only open to applicants with relevant rights to work in Australia.
For more information, please see the Position Description.
How to apply
Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on Sunday, 26 July 2026. All applications should include:
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a resume; and
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a cover letter which addresses the key selection criteria (within three pages).
Other relevant information
To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing role is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. Preferred applicants will be required to undertake pre-employment screening. DGS actively promotes diversity, inclusion and an equal opportunity workplace. We welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All roles at DGS can be worked flexibly, however it may differ from role to role.
