Digital Service Demand Manager

Department of Defence; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Defence is seeking an EL1 Digital Service Demand Manager to lead intake, assessment and progression of digital service opportunities from demand to delivery. You will manage backlog, coordinate governance, and align business and delivery stakeholders to ensure value-driven outcomes.

The role collaborates with business owners, product managers and technical teams to support release planning, prioritisation and iterative delivery while monitoring benefits realisation and driving

Qualifications

• Experience leading digital service delivery initiatives.
• Proven ability to develop business cases and secure approvals.
• Strong communication and analytical skills.
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into deliverable outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead intake, assessment and progression of digital service opportunities.
• Oversee backlog for product and program, align with governance approvals.
• Support release planning, prioritisation and iterative delivery with cross‑functional teams.
• Monitor benefits realisation and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Demand management

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Backlog management

Strategic planning

Job description

The EL1 Digital Service Demand Manager leads the intake, assessment and progression of digital service opportunities from initial demand through to delivery. The role is responsible for managing the product and program backlog, coordinating governance approvals, and setting the foundation for effective engagement between business stakeholders and delivery teams.

The Digital Service Demand Manager oversees business case development, including scope, benefits, costs, delivery timeframes and success measures, and ensuring initiatives align with organisational priorities. The position works closely with business owners, product managers and technical teams to support release planning, prioritisation and iterative delivery. The role also monitors and tracks benefits realisation, identifies continuous improvement opportunities, and ensures lessons learned are incorporated into future proposals and investment decisions.

This role is part of the leadership team across the end-to-end digital lifecycle, ensuring a consistent, transparent and value-driven front door process.

About our Team

The Digital Service Delivery Directorate has a customer-first, user-centred, agile focus and thrives on working closely with stakeholders across our organisation to solve problems and deliver simple, guided and integrated solutions. Members of our team are passionate about improving service delivery and enjoy the challenge of working in a fast paced, challenging and rewarding environment.

We promote a culture of excellence and curiosity to deliver exciting and challenging high profile projects that contribute to a smarter digital future for Defence capability. We offer flexible work arrangements, a great work-life balance and access to the best nationally recognised training and development programs in the market to facilitate professional and career advancement opportunities.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a collaborative and outcomes-focused leader with strong experience in digital service delivery, demand management and governance. They excel at building trusted relationships with stakeholders, facilitating business engagement, and translating strategic priorities into deliverable outcomes.

They have demonstrated experience assessing, prioritising and progressing initiatives through approval processes, developing business cases, and balancing competing demands. Strong communication, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, along with the ability to influence decision-making and align business and technical stakeholders.

The successful candidate will build and lead a high-performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration and customer focus. They are organised, adaptable and committed to delivering measurable business value through effective planning, prioritisation, performance monitoring and benefits realisation.

Security Clearance

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Baseline Vetting” level.

The key duties of the position include:

The Role

The EL1 Digital Service Demand Manager leads the intake, assessment and progression of digital service opportunities from initial demand through to delivery. The role is responsible for managing the product and program backlog, coordinating governance approvals, and setting the foundation for effective engagement between business stakeholders and delivery teams.

The Digital Service Demand Manager oversees business case development, including scope, benefits, costs, delivery timeframes and success measures, and ensuring initiatives align with organisational priorities. The position works closely with business owners, product managers and technical teams to support release planning, prioritisation and iterative delivery. The role also monitors and tracks benefits realisation, identifiers continuous improvement opportunities, and ensures lessons learned are incorporated into future proposals and investment decisions.

This role is part of the leadership team across the end-to-end digital lifecycle, ensuring a consistent, transparent and value-driven front door process.

About our Team

The Digital Service Delivery Directorate has a customer-first, user-centred, agile focus and thrives on working closely with stakeholders across our organisation to solve problems and deliver simple, guided and integrated solutions. Members of our team are passionate about improving service delivery and enjoy the challenge of working in a fast paced, challenging and rewarding environment.

We promote a culture of excellence and curiosity to deliver exciting and challenging high profile projects that contribute to a smarter digital future for Defence capability. We offer flexible work arrangements, a great work-life balance and access to the best nationally recognised training and development programs in the market to facilitate professional and career advancement opportunities.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a collaborative and outcomes-focused leader with strong experience in digital service delivery, demand management and governance. They excel at building trusted relationships with stakeholders, facilitating business engagement, and translating strategic priorities into deliverable outcomes.

They have demonstrated experience assessing, prioritising and progressing initiatives through approval processes, developing business cases, and balancing competing demands. Strong communication, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, along with the ability to influence decision-making and align business and technical stakeholders.

The successful candidate will build and lead a high-performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration and customer focus. They are organised, adaptable and committed to delivering measurable business value through effective planning, prioritisation, performance monitoring and benefits realisation.

Eligibility

Security Clearance

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Baseline Vetting” level.

Getting to know the Department of Defence

The Department of Defence employs around 18,000 Australian Public Service (APS) employees. Defence APS employees work in a wide variety of critical roles, Australia wide, enabling our three services Navy, Army and Air Force, to do their job. Defence has a range of Australian Public Service (APS) career opportunities that offer interesting, challenging, and unique work. Our workforce includes administrative support, accountants, intelligence analysts, engineers, policy advisors, graphic designers, lawyers, social workers, IT specialists and contract managers to name a few. We offer a rewarding career that includes professional development, work-life balance, recognition, a flexible and supportive work environment and a diverse workforce. To find out more about a career with Defence please visit https://www.defence.gov.au/jobs-careers