Department of Treasury / Vacancies

As Secretary for the Department of Treasury, I am pleased to provide this further update on the ongoing changes in our Department as we continue the implementation of our new organisational structure to more effectively serve the Government and people of Papua New Guinea.

The Department of Treasury is the central agency in the PNG Public Service responsible for providing sound economic policy advice to the Government to support informed decision making. We have responsibility for the development and implementation of the Government's annual and medium term budget frameworks and provide economic, investment and tax policy advice, together with the management of the Government's public debt. We provide the policy guidance which manages the ongoing strong performance of the PNG economy

For the past 14 years the PNG economy has benefited from uninterrupted economic growth. This is due to the Government's aggressive investment in critical infrastructure including the construction of the PNG LNG project. As this project moves into full production in 2015 we expect to see a more stable local currency and economic growth is projected to increase sharply to world leading heights.

Domestic and foreign investors have strong confidence and optimism in the opportunities that exist in the PNG economy. A large part of this is confidence in Treasury's commitment to the pursuit of progressive but sustainable macro-economic policies which support the Government's medium term fiscal, debt and development strategies.

Treasury is undergoing significant change. We recognise that in order to successfully meet our mandate in supporting PNG's development, we need to have access to a talented workforce that is committed to contributing to making a difference to the country and the wellbeing of its people. We know that we need to invest in our people, so they in turn will commit to us. For this reason, we are striving to become an employer of choice. Not just within the public service, but across the country as a whole. Our investment in our staff can be seen in many ways

Treasury will shortly relocate to its new state-of-the-art building in Waigani. In line with our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees, facilities in the new building will include a gymnasium for use by staff, showering and change amenities, first aid facilities, disabled access and a cafeteria providing access to healthy and affordable food choices.

Our new building will also contain a parenting room which we believe is a particularly important initiative to support female members of staff returning to work after maternity leave. Our main conference rooms will have leading edge information technology, projection and sound facilities which, amongst other uses, will support the activities of an ‘economic think tank’ including regular meetings of different stakeholder groups. We believe these initiatives and facilities are leading edge for our country.

At Treasury we subscribe to, and promote, gender equality and social inclusiveness within the workplace. We have already developed our own GESI Policy, following the launch of the National Public Service GESI Policy, and have an established and active advocacy program to support implementation of this policy in our workplaces.

The Department now has a new organisational structure designed to strengthen the strategic role of Treasury. Our new structure comprises 354 positions across three Wings – Strategy & Corporate Services, Economic Policy and Budget & Financial Management – and recruitment against this new structure is presently underway.

This presents a breadth of exciting career opportunities for established professionals, support staff and graduates seeking a career in Treasury. As an organisation we invest substantially in our staff to broaden and improve their skill sets through a variety of learning and development programs. These include a three-month twinning program with the Australian Treasury, attendance at international institutional training organisations such as the International Monetary Fund Regional Training Centre in Singapore or Washington DC and pursuing post-graduate studies abroad. There is also an opportunity for overseas job secondments at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC for a period of either six months or two years. Similar opportunities are also available with other regional development organisations such as APEC and the Asian Development Bank. Many of our senior staff also benefit from the professional development gained in representing Treasury through ex-officio Directorships across a variety of Boards within PNG.

Recruitment action to fill the Deputy Secretary and First Assistant Secretary levels positions in Treasury is now complete and our next step is to recruit to the Assistant Secretary (Branch Head) positions in each of our operating Divisions. In addition we are also seeking to fill specialist positions to provide legal services and internal audit services.

These are exciting opportunities for suitably qualified men and women with the drive to contribute to our Nation’s development.

For our staff, pride and job satisfaction is the greatest reward for working in Treasury, with the opportunity to shape and contribute directly to the development of our country. We are at a turning point in PNG’s future in terms of attracting foreign investment and developing our resources and Treasury is the lead organisation driving this agenda.