ASD in cyber exec hiring blitz

Fresh out of the shadows, and with a new focus on transparency, the Australian Signals Directorate has put out the call for two key executives to lead its efforts around cyber engagement.

It is currently on the hunt for two first assistant director-general’s to lead central divisions within Australia’s peak cyber security authority, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

The recruitment boost comes as key military and intelligence industry thinktanks escalate their campaign for a more muscular cyber stance to counter increased nation state activity against Australia from actors including China and Iran.

One of the assistant director-general’s will become the agency’s “lead interface with external stockholders” both within Australia and overseas as head of the engagement, operations and intelligence division.

The position will require “understanding and acting on contemporary threats and opportunities, sharing information at speed and scale, and achieving behavioural change through communication and influence” to manage key cyber security programs.

The other first assistant director-general will guide the ACSC’s technical and program leadership by heading up the agency’s protect, assure and enable division.

This involves “proactively reduc[ing] cyber security risk for internal and external stakeholders through capability, programs, advice and assistance”.

The hiring blitz follows a landmark speech by ASD chief Mike Burgess last month that proclaimed the once highly secretive signals directorate had “come out of the shadows” in a bid to be more transparent.

ASD became a statutory authority within the Defence portfolio at the beginning of July this year, following recommendations from a review of Australia’s security agencies that saw the creation of the Department of Home Affairs.

Reporting directly to the ACSC head Alastair MacGibbon, both roles will focus on building future organisational capability, while anticipating and responding to external drivers that impact ASD.

This will require extensive experience “leading an operational and technical workforce”.  

The successful applicants will be required to undergo security assessment and must be cleared to top secret positive vetting.