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Home › Careers › Long Term › About the work › Work Descriptions › APS 4

Australian Public Service Level 4

Work Level Description

Employees at this classification level usually work under general direction within clear guidelines and established work practices and priorities, performing functions that require the application of knowledge, skills and techniques appropriate to the work area.

The work may cover a range of tasks associated with program, activity or service delivery to clients or other interested parties or administrative support to senior staff.

Direction of staff in positions at this level is usually more detailed than at higher levels and is related to work priorities, practices and task technicalities.

Decisions taken or delegations exercised at this level may have an impact on Agency operations but they are of limited management significance.

Positions at this level may have supervisory responsibilities over staff in service or processing areas of AusAID (such as in personnel, finance, registry or office services areas).

Characteristics of the Work

An employee at the APS Level 4 in AusAID will most likely occupy a position in a corporate service area of AusAID, although some positions at this level are found throughout other areas. A brief description of the type of work involved is provided below:

• Corporate services - most APS Level 4 employees work in the delivery of corporate services. They may have responsibility for the management of a team or may work as part of a team involved in processing pay and conditions, Careers, financial accounts, records management, information services, or personnel development.
• Country programs - involves providing administrative support to a country, regional or sectoral program. Typically this would involve, under general direction, preparing routine papers and correspondence, assisting with preparation of material for briefs and/or submissions, assisting with background material for contract negotiations, and assisting with the provision of financial management reports.
• Multilateral/Community/Humanitarian programs - the type of work would involve providing general administrative assistance to higher level staff, researching information, and preparation of less complex papers.
• Corporate policy - the type of work would involve providing general administrative assistance to higher level staff, researching information, and preparation of less complex papers.
• Program support - involves providing support services in regard to contracts including preparing and despatching tender documents in consultation with other staff, negotiation and preparation of less complex contract amendments and responding to enquiries, in program quality areas this would involved providing general administrative assistance to higher level staff, researching information and preparation of less complex papers.

Specific tasks

Specific tasks at the APS Level 4 in AusAID may include several of the following:

Tasks involving written communication skills:

• draft routine correspondence and assist in the drafting of briefings and papers;
• prepare financial or administrative reports for senior staff;
• prepare more complex correspondence and other papers where required; and
• assist in the preparation of country or regional papers, correspondence, briefs and submissions on a wide range of matters.

Tasks involving oral communication and liaison skills:

• liaise with other Branches on a range of administrative matters; and
• liaise with staff in other areas of AusAID, external organisations including other Departments, non-government organisations and the private sector.

Tasks involving supervising and/or training:

• oversee the work of teams engaged on the maintenance of standard personnel records and the processing of salary-related allowances and variations;
• providing feedback to staff where necessary;
• provide on-the-job training to staff where necessary;
• coordinate and direct the staff of a team engaged in personnel, Careers, finance, records management or office service activities; and
• train staff in the operations and techniques of processing work areas, for example, salaries, allowances, leave, compensation, superannuation and retirements.

Tasks involving coordinating, arranging or providing services:

• exercise specific processing tasks relevant to the work area;
• maintain a data base of standard responses on relevant subjects to be used in the preparation and coordination of replies to all incoming development cooperation related Ministerial correspondence;
• provide support in the production of Branch and Section publications;
• coordinate travel arrangements for staff within a Branch/Section or State Office;
• undertake library, Internet and file research;
• undertake a broad range of more complex administrative support tasks; and
• provide secretariat support to committees.

Tasks involving financial administration:

• arrange payment of accounts and sundry debtor action;
• exercise appropriate financial and/or other delegations; and
• prepare financial estimates, maintain financial records and monitor expenditure.