Assistant secretary Facts for Kids

An assistant secretary is an important job title for people who work in government. They are usually high-ranking officials or politicians who help a main minister in a country's government. Think of them as a minister's main helper, focusing on specific tasks.

Assistant Secretaries Around the World
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Assistant Secretaries Around the World

Australia

In Australia, an assistant secretary is a senior government official. This job is part of the Australian Public Service. It is a high-level position called Senior Executive Service (SES) Level Band 1.

People in this role might also be called:

Branch head
National manager
Group manager
Executive director

If these officials work in other countries for Australia, like in an embassy, they might be called a regional director, minister-counsellor, or even an ambassador. Most of these roles are SES Band 1, but some can be SES Band 2. An assistant secretary in Australia earns about $219,464 AUD each year, not including bonuses.

Hong Kong, S.A.R.

In Hong Kong, an assistant secretary is a middle to senior official. They help top officials and focus on specific policy areas for different government departments. This job is part of the administrative officer grade in the Hong Kong Civil Service. This system started in 1862.

These officers are highly skilled generalists. They help make important decisions and coordinate work across the government. An assistant secretary in Hong Kong can earn between $78,310 USD (about $610,800 HKD) and $191,200 USD (about $1,491,360 HKD) per year. Many of these officials have studied at top universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

India

From 1919 to 1945, during the time of the British Raj, assistant secretary jobs were held by officers from the Imperial Secretariat Service. Today, officers from the Indian Administrative Service often work as temporary assistant secretaries. They do this during their training period in the Central Government ministries.

Ireland

The job of assistant secretary is a position in the Irish Civil Service. This system is very similar to the one used in the United Kingdom. Depending on the government department, this role might have a different name now.

The Netherlands

In The Netherlands, an assistant secretary is called a "staatssecretaris" in Dutch. This person helps a specific minister. They are in charge of a particular area or important issues that need special attention. This helps the minister manage their workload.

An assistant secretary can be held responsible for their political actions. This means they might have to resign if they lose the support of the parliament. Not every government department has an assistant secretary. It depends on how important the department is.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, an assistant secretary is a job level in the British Civil Service. This role is now often called a divisional manager or deputy director. It is known as Grade 5 in their system. As of August 2014, the basic salary for this position started at £65,422.

United States

In the United States, an assistant secretary is a high-level civilian official. They work within the United States federal government. These officials are part of the sub-Cabinet rank. The president of the United States appoints them with approval from the United States Senate.

Assistant secretaries help a specific Cabinet secretary. They often manage big programs run by a Cabinet department. These are usually the lowest-level "secretarial" jobs that the president directly appoints. Assistant secretaries are generally Level IV positions within the Executive Schedule. They rank below an under secretary. Since January 2022, the yearly pay for a Level IV position is $176,300.

Assistant secretary facts for kids

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