The key duties of the position include The Role We are seeking enthusiastic individuals to contribute to the Department of Defence's key policy and national security functions to protect and pursue Australia's national interests. Your role will be to strengthen Australia's national security by using your analytical skills to enhance Defence's capability decisions. We are seeking individuals with experience across a breadth of areas, including financial and capability assurance, program and project management, engineering, scheduling, policy and strategy and/or data analytics. You will: Join a supportive team that engages closely across Defence to understand proposed capability outcomes and provide advice on requirements for project approval. Analyse capability submissions through world's best practice contesting methods to provide evidence-based advice on affordability, fit-for-purpose, ability to execute and risk. Develop briefs to inform Defence and Government discussions and assist in decision making, and have opportunities to brief senior executives within the Division in preparation for key committees. This role is eligible for an additional remuneration benefit known in Defence as a Building Defence Capability Payment (BDCP). This enables Defence to provide a premium, in addition to the base salary otherwise payable under the Defence Enterprise Agreement (DEA), for positions in occupational disciplines/classifications that are critical to Defence capability. For further information, please contact the contact officer. About our Team Force Options and Plans Branch (FOAP) within Force Design Division supports the highest-level decision makers in Defence and Government to deliver the outcomes required by the ADF. We directly provide decision support to the Vice Chief of the Defence Force in his role as Chair of the Investment Committee by providing independent analysis and advice on the Defence investment portfolio. FOAP is a small, yet influential team trusted to advise Defence on investment matters. This will provide you the opportunity to lead and work within a dynamic and flexible environment as part of an inclusive, diverse, innovative and well-respected team. You will have opportunities for professional development, including formal qualification courses, continuation training and on-the job training. Through experience and feedback, you will develop the analytical, consultative and communications skills necessary to provide trusted advice on cutting-edge capabilities and the policy and processes to acquire and sustain them. Our Ideal Candidate Our Branch is seeking candidates with curiosity, a willingness to learn, good teamwork and a desire to deliver support for important strategic decisions for Defence. We welcome anyone who has the right attitude and aptitude. You should have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, good written and oral communication, sound professional judgement and a desire to learn about how we do business in ADFHQ and Force Design Division. While analytical and communication skills are important, people skills are key. We seek applicants with the desire and ability to work in small, integrated APS/ADF teams, in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. Stakeholder engagement skills and an ability to gather and analyse relevant evidence are critical to this role.