Director, People and Culture

The Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) is seeking a Director, People and Culture to join its high-performing executive team in Adelaide. This pivotal leadership role offers you the opportunity to shape the future of workforce strategy for South Australia’s lead agency in economic, digital, and financial policy.

As a trusted advisor, DTF is renowned for its commitment to excellence, innovation, and inclusion, making it a destination employer for those passionate about public service impact.

The Director, People and Culture will play a central role in driving organisational capability, fostering a culture of collaboration and high performance, and ensuring that DTF remains at the forefront of contemporary workforce practices.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will be entrusted with leading a talented team responsible for shaping every aspect of DTF’s workforce strategy. Your day-to-day will involve partnering with senior and executive leaders to deliver innovative people and culture strategies across the P&C lifecycle, and advancing meaningful organisational change to enhance and sustain DTF’s reputation as a leading employer of choice.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide strategic direction and expert leadership to the People and Culture branch, ensuring delivery of key functions including performance & organisational development, industrial relations, workforce reporting and compliance, job design, talent acquisition, recruitment and onboarding.
• Drive the development and implementation of innovative workforce initiatives that align with DTF’s strategic objectives while supporting current and future business needs.
• Deliver high-level advice on complex workforce matters to departmental executives and stakeholders across DTF, ensuring best practice approaches are adopted throughout the organisation.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of legally compliant workforce policies, procedures, and processes that reflect public sector requirements and foster organisational agility.
• Lead the agency’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) strategies including maintaining White Ribbon accreditation, and ensure these initiatives promote equality, safety, and wellbeing for all staff.
• Collaborate with Branch Heads across DTF as well as external public sector partners to deliver solutions that drive business outcomes.
• Support the ongoing professional development of your team by providing mentorship, guidance, motivation, and clear direction in a dynamic & diverse environment with competing priorities.
• Ensure effective prioritisation of resources to respond flexibly to agency needs while achieving business outcomes efficiently.
• Champion contemporary organisational development practices that embed agility, inclusion, high performance, and resilience throughout DTF.

Key requirements:

• Tertiary qualifications in human resource management or a similar discipline are essential for success in this executive role.
• Demonstrated experience leading contemporary workforce capabilities within multidisciplinary environments to deliver measurable business outcomes is required.
• Proven track record providing both strategic and operational advice on complex workforce issues to executive stakeholders with an emphasis on collaboration and problem-solving.
• Experience in effectively managing teams comprising professionals from workforce operations, organisational development (OD), industrial relations (IR), safety/wellbeing backgrounds.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills enabling you to influence senior management decisions while building strong relationships at all levels internally/externally.
• Sound judgement interpreting and applying complex workforce policies in line with legislation/related instruments.
• Ability to prioritise effectively when responding to rapidly changing agency needs so as to achieve optimal business outcomes without compromising quality or integrity.

The Department of Treasury and Finance offers a collaborative, inclusive culture, flexible work arrangements, strong development opportunities, and meaningful work that supports the state’s long-term prosperity. At DTF, it’s about the people and the impact created together. This is your chance to make a lasting difference in an environment where your expertise is respected, and your contributions celebrated.

Applications close, Friday 19th June 2026.

To apply, please click "Apply" or contact Ella Morgan directly on 08 8216 3553 or ella.morgan@robertwalters.com.au for a confidential discussion.