Regulation Officer

This recruitment will be used to fill ongoing and non-ongoing positions at the APS5 level across the Consumer Product Safety Division.

As a Regulation Officer, you will play an important role in the CPS Division to deliver any of the following types of activity

• Enforcement action – undertaking investigations into potential non-compliance with the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which could lead to court enforceable undertakings, infringement notices, public warning notices, or court proceedings.
• Assessing and triaging product safety reports – from consumers, businesses and other stakeholders regarding alleged breaches of product safety provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
• Regulatory interventions – making recommendations to the Minister for regulatory action, including to issue or substantially update a product safety standard, ban, compulsory recall or safety warning notice.
• Compliance and education – developing material (e.g. education campaigns and guidance) to communicate product safety risks and educate industry and consumers, or negotiating voluntary recalls as part of a compliance outcome.
• Research – undertaking research, analysis and consultation to prepare reports and recommendations that inform risk mitigation strategies to address product safety hazards.
• Stakeholder engagement – working collaboratively with stakeholders across a diverse range of stakeholder groups (including consumer and health advocates, industry associations, legal experts, academia and government) to address product safety issues.

• The nature of this role may involve reviewing and analysing materials that could be disturbing. This includes graphic photos or detailed descriptions of the injuries or deaths of people associated with consumer products.
• Consumer Product Safety Division has processes in place to help minimise and manage the impact of vicarious trauma. However, it is important that you consider if the advertised role is the right fit for you as exposure to this type of content may be an unavoidable part of the role.
• Please reach out to the contact officer for the advertised role if you would like more information.

In order to succeed in the role, you will have:

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 APS5 roles. This role in particular requires:

• Tertiary qualifications (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field such as law, intelligence, regulation, economics, public policy, communications, arts, project management, health.
• A good understanding of, or ability to take steps to acquire knowledge of, the ACCC’s product safety functions, role, purpose and objectives, and knowledge of the Australian Consumer Law and Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (or the ability to attain such knowledge quickly).
• A good understanding of, or ability to take steps acquire knowledge of the core legal principles and investigative criteria relevant to assessing and investigating a product safety issue, including awareness of regulatory tools available.
• Ability to undertake objective, systematic research and conduct detailed analysis of information or evidence and draw reasoned conclusions that support evidence-based decision making.
• Ability to present research and findings in well-developed written communication, including correspondence, reports, internal papers and briefs, legal documents, and external-facing material such as consumer and industry guidance.
• Good oral and written communication skills, with the ability to influence, persuade, negotiate and foster positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise a demanding workload, ensuring quality outputs and their timely delivery.
• Working flexibly and collaboratively to support a team and actively contribute to an environment that fosters teamwork

The following job specific criteria are also highly desirable:

• Prior experience or qualifications relevant to regulation, law, intelligence, investigations or public policy is highly desirable, but not essential.
• Certificate IV in Government Investigations - successful candidates will be expected to obtain this qualification within 6 months of commencing an investigation role.

As noted, this role may involve reviewing and analysing potentially traumatic material. It is important that you consider if the advertised role is the right fit for you as exposure to this type of content may be an unavoidable part of the role. While the ACCC provides training, resources and support to help minimise vicarious trauma, applicants need to be resilient in nature and able to draw on individual self-care strategies and support networks to manage their wellbeing. 

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

The ACCC is an independent statutory authority that administers the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and other Acts. The ACCC works to promote effective competition and fair trading in the market place to benefit consumers, business and the community, and efficiency in the delivery of certain infrastructure services. The AER is a part of the ACCC. The AER is Australia's national energy market regulator and has an independent board. The AER shares employees, resources and facilities with the ACCC.