Assistant Secretary

Assistant Secretary is a title borne by politicians or government officials in certain countries, usually a junior ministers assigned to a specific Cabinet minister.

The rank of Assistant Secretary denotes a high level government official who is positioned in the Government of Australia. The position falls under the Australian Public Service Act 1999, and holds the level of Senior Executive Service (SES) Level Band 1. The position also holds several other titles such as: Branch Head, National Manager, Group Manager, and Executive Director. For those officials who hold diplomatic status and are positioned in Australian High Commissions or Embassies at the Assistant Secretary Level hold the following titles: Regional Director, Minister-Counsellor, and Ambassador. However, it should be noted that while most offshore Australian diplomatic staff at these levels are SES Band 1, some are SES Band 2. The median annual reward wage for a baseline Assistant Secretary level is $219,464 (AUD), excluding bonuses, superannuation or fringe benefits.

An Assistant Secretary is a junior directorate facilitating the work of the senior secretaries and is the subject officer for a specific policy domain among bureaux and departments. The position of Assistant Secretary belongs to the Administrative Officer Grade in the Hong Kong Civil Service originated from the colonial Administrative Service since 1862, being a cadet of multi-disciplined professional city administrators. As the top-calibre generalists in the government, they are the central policy-making and coordinating body in the Hong Kong Civil Service. The annual rate of pay for a baseline Assistant Secretary is pitched at Point 27 of the Master Pay Scale ($69,640 (USD) or $541,800 (HKD)) and will go up to Point D8 of the Directorate Pay Scale ($397,480 (USD) or $3,060,600 (HKD)). The grade has an established tradition of academic aristocracy. Over the 80 years between 1862, when the recruitment scheme was started, and the Japanese invasion of 1941, the majority of the cadets were educated at Oxford and Cambridge, although a substantial contingent (about 30 per cent) came from universities in Ireland and Scotland.

The grade of Assistant Secretary is a position in the Irish Civil Service, which uses a nearly identical grading scheme to its British counterpart. It may now be alternatively styled, depending on the department or office.

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