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.

Australia

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.

Ireland

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.

The Netherlands

An Assistant Secretary (in Dutch: "staatssecretaris") assists a specific minister. He is responsible for a specific domain (i.e., one or more important issues that require special attention - the assistant secretary can thus alleviate the minister's burden) and may be held accountable for his political actions, which means that he must resign once he has lost the support of the parliament. Not every department has an assistant secretary; whether one is installed depends on the importance of the department.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the position of Assistant Secretary is a grade in the British Civil Service, now more commonly styled Divisional Manager or Deputy Director. In the grading scheme they are denoted Grade 5.

United States

In the United States, the rank of Assistant Secretary denotes a high level civilian official within the United States federal government. An official of sub-Cabinet rank, Assistant Secretaries are appointed by the President of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate and are assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Secretary. Assistant Secretaries often manage major programs administered by a Cabinet Department. Assistant Secretaries are generally the lowest level "Secretarial" positions appointed directly by the President.

Assistant Secretaries are generally Level IV positions within the Executive Schedule, ranking below the position of Under Secretary. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $155,500.

Department of Agriculture

Department of Commerce

Department of Defense

Service Departments

Department of the Army

Department of the Navy

Department of the Air Force

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of Homeland Security

See also