Program Director

The Government of South Australia invites applications for a 12 month maternity leave role of Program Director, Office of AUKUS, a management position responsible for the oversight, coordination, and strategic integration of all AUKUS-related activities across the State. This position plays a critical role in ensuring South Australia's contribution to the AUKUS partnership—an unprecedented trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—is delivered effectively and in alignment with national and state strategic imperatives.

The Program Director will manage the day to day operational and tactical aspects of multiple and large-scale projects by leading the coordination of intergovernmental, cross-sectoral, and multi-agency initiatives under an agreed program delivery framework, ensuring integration across policy, capability, workforce, and infrastructure domains.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide a range of program and project management and support services, including preparation of reports and briefs, coordinating resources, maintaining project documentation, and implementing and monitoring project plans, to ensure project outcomes are achieved on time, on budget, to quality standards and within agreed scope.

• Establish, develop and maintain effective partnerships with key stakeholders and coordinate working groups, committees, and consultations to facilitate exchange of information and support project completion in line with project plans.

• Prepare major policy papers, submissions and briefs on complex issues to support informed decision making and planning.

• Support the implementation of appropriate project controls (risk, scheduling, budgetary and reporting) to deliver transparency and improved project performance.

• Directly assist the Director, Office for AUKUS in proactively identifying issues or opportunities for improved project and program delivery, providing strategic advice and managing a range of supporting activities and programs.

• Developing project briefs, costs, outputs, outcomes, budget bids, schedules, business cases and project proposal for AUKUS projects and provide status reports to key stakeholders and the Program Director, Office for AUKUS.

Essential Requirements:

• Proven experience in leading large-scale, strategically complex programs in a defence, infrastructure, or intergovernmental context.
• Demonstrated expertise in program governance, stakeholder management, and strategic planning within a high-security, policy-driven environment.
• Superior communication and negotiation skills, with experience influencing at ministerial, executive, and international levels.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in public administration, engineering, defence studies, international relations, or a related discipline.

Please note, a National Police Clearance and Security Clearance is required to be obtained.

Applications close Monday 7th July 2025

Robert Walters Australia is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.