ASO8 Principal Communications Lead

Office for Early Childhood Development; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 130,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary sacrifice benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Office for Early Childhood Development in Adelaide is seeking a Principal Communications Lead to shape and drive the organisation's communications strategy. You will partner with senior leaders to deliver clear, influential messaging and measurable outcomes in a fast-paced public sector environment.

The role requires strategic leadership, audience-focused content development, and the ability to lead multi-project initiatives while maintaining strong stakeholder engagement and delivering on tight

Qualifications

• Strategic communications expertise to influence, engage and measure outcomes.
• Experience building high-performing, collaborative teams and driving results.
• Strong project planning, risk management and delivery capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of communications Business Partners to deliver strategic communication plans and campaigns that support organisational priorities and drive meaningful outcomes.
• Lead a high-performing team and cultivate a culture of collaboration, accountability and excellence.
• Forecast and coordinate communications priorities to support the successful delivery of organisational objectives and outcomes.
• Lead the communications team to deliver high-quality, audience-focused content across a range of channels, using insights to drive engagement and impact.

Skills

Strategic Communications

Leadership

Project Management

Job description

Why work with us:

The Office for Early Childhood Development was created to champion change and to help build a system that gives all South Australian children a flying start to life.

Office for Early Childhood Development

Job reference: 863905

Location: 5000 - ADELAIDE

Job status: Long Term Contract

Eligibility: Open to Everyone

About this role

Are you a strategic communicator who thrives on influence, collaboration and delivering results?

We're looking for an experienced communications professional to lead the communications strategy for the Office for Early Childhood Development, partnering with senior leaders and stakeholders to deliver clear, compelling and influential communications.

This is an opportunity to shape complex messages, lead strategic communication planning, provide trusted advice, and create meaningful engagement across a wide range of audiences. Success in this role requires agility, ability to lead in a fast-paced environment, sound judgement, and a strong focus on measuring impact and continuously improving communication outcomes.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead a team of communications Business Partners to deliver strategic communication plans and campaigns that support organisational priorities and drive meaningful outcomes.
• Lead a high-performing team and cultivate a culture of collaboration, accountability and excellence.
• Forecast and coordinate communications priorities to support the successful delivery of organisational objectives and outcomes.
• Lead the communications team to deliver high-quality, audience-focused content across a range of channels, using insights to drive engagement and impact.

Please see the attached Position Description for the full key outcomes for this role.

About you

You're a strategic and influential communications leader with a proven ability to deliver high-impact communications in complex and fast-paced environments. You combine exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills with strong judgement, initiative and political acumen. A collaborative and inspiring leader, you build high-performing teams, foster trusted relationships and confidently navigate competing priorities to achieve organisational objectives.

Highly organised and outcome-focused, you excel at leading a team across multiple projects, balancing diverse stakeholder needs and delivering results to tight deadlines. You use audience insights, strategic thinking and a solutions-focused approach to drive engagement, support change and continuously improve outcomes.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who brings

• Strategic Communications Expertise – Proven ability to develop and deliver impactful communications strategies that influence, engage and achieve measurable outcomes.
• Leadership and Influence – A collaborative and inspiring leader with experience building high-performing teams and driving results in complex, fast-paced environments.
• Project Delivery and Planning – Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead multiple priorities, manage risk and deliver successful outcomes on time and to a high standard.

Role Benefits

• A role with real influence and impact
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth within the public sector
• Work with senior officials across government and early childhood sectors.
• Be part of an agency with a clear mission to improve the lives of South Australia's children and families.
• Access to valuable salary sacrifice benefits like car leases, portable electronic devices, mobile phones, airline lounge memberships, self-education expenses, and more. Ask us about how you can make your salary go further working at the OECD.
• Access to flexible working arrangements to get that work life balance.

Remuneration

ASO8 - $130,046 - $134,965 (1.0 FTE) per annum, plus superannuation.

Additional Note

This is a full-time 2-year long term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.

Enquiries

Enquiries can be directed to [email protected]

Special Conditions

For all other special conditions please refer to the attached position description.

Applications close: 22/11/2026 11:45 PM

Attachments

• Position Description - ASO8 Principal Communications Lead.pdf
• Pre-Employment_declaration_vl233.pdf

Flexibility Statement

The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.