Executive Director Corporate Services

at; Perth; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking dynamic Executive Directors for Corporate Operations and Corporate Strategy. These pivotal roles demand exceptional leadership and stakeholder engagement skills to enhance service delivery across the Federal Court of Australia. The successful candidates will lead multidisciplinary teams, drive operational reform, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of corporate services in the public sector, fostering innovation and continuous improvement while upholding the values of the Australian Public Service. If you are an innovative leader with a passion for public service, we encourage you to apply.

Qualifications

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills to align corporate services with strategic priorities.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary teams and fostering a culture of collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-quality delivery of corporate operations to support the Courts and Tribunal.
• Drive operational reform and ensure resources are structured to achieve objectives.

Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Change Management

Relationship Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Job description

Corporate Services Division sits within the Federal Court of Australia Entity, the administrative organisation that engages employees under the Public Service Act 1999 to work in support of one or more of the following courts or Tribunal:

• Federal Court of Australia (FCA);
• Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Divisions 1 and 2) (FCFCoA); and
• National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT).

The Courts Administration Legislation Amendment Act 2016 established the Federal Court entity however, each court continues to maintain its distinct statutory identity, with separate functions and judicial independence. Employees are covered by the Federal Court of Australia Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 .

The Division provides a shared service to the Courts and Tribunal for all corporate functions including the management of finance, information technology, human resources, property and facilities, risk and compliance, contract administration, communications and records and library services.

Position overview

The Entity is currently recruiting for two Executive Director roles within Corporate Services Division:

- Corporate Operations

- Corporate Strategy and Programs

Both leadership roles require strong stakeholder engagement skills to ensure the effective delivery of corporate services to support the operations of the Courts and the Tribunal.

Engagement with Heads of Jurisdiction, Judges, Chief Executive Officers, Principal Registrars, and staff is crucial to align corporate services with strategic priorities. An ability to build and maintain relationships with government agencies, the legal profession, and other relevant stakeholders is essential.

Additionally, as a senior executive, you will lead and mentor the Corporate Services team, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Your contributions will be critical to enhancing service delivery and achieving the goals of the Federal Courts, the Family Court, and the National Native Title Tribunal.

Executive Director Corporate Operations

The Executive Director Corporate Operations reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar of the Federal Court of Australia to support them in their statutory duty under the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) to provide corporate services to the Courts and Tribunal.

The Executive Director Corporate Operations is responsible for high-quality delivery of day-to-day operational services, including property, facilities, security, human resources, communications, and library services, to the Courts and Tribunal and leading service improvement, and the delivery of the Entity’s strategic and operational objectives and strategic priorities.

The Executive Director Corporate Operations is a multi-faceted position and plays a critical leadership role across the Entity and is a key member of the Entity’s Executive Committee. This position will lead multidisciplinary teams, foster a high-performance culture and ensure that corporate operations are future-focused, efficient and aligned with Government priorities and Australian Public Service values.

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated, innovative and experienced executive leader with proven skills in effectively leading, developing and managing corporate operations in large and/or complex environments. You will have a strong understanding of the public sector environment, and possess exceptional influencing and relationship management skills.

Key responsibilities

Lead the delivery of corporate operations:

• Leading the provision of high-quality corporate operations to the Courts and Tribunal.
• Driving operational reform by anticipating, planning and implementing change to achieve efficiencies in the provision of corporate operations.
• Ensuring corporate operations resources are structured and deployed to support the Courts and the Tribunal to achieve their objectives.
• Promoting a culture of innovation, problem solving and continuous improvement among Corporate Services staff, and promoting ongoing learning and career development opportunities.
• Ensuring that the Entity’s statutory obligations are met, including, but not limited to, the legislative framework for the Australian Public Service, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
• Designing and leading the implementation of targeted action plans, including for APS Census, wellbeing initiatives, gender equality and the Entity’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

Selection criteria

In addition to the Integrated Leadership System (ILS) , candidates will be expected to demonstrate the leadership attributes and qualities outlined in the Secretaries’ Charter of Leadership Behaviours, and the SES Capability Framework:

• Visionary: Demonstrated ability to champion the organisation's vision and goals, and promote a shared commitment to the strategic direction, including likely future requirements.
• Delivers Results: Proven ability to lead complex, and collaborative cross-functional corporate operations at a senior executive level. This includes a deep understanding of public sector governance, procurement, security frameworks, and workforce strategy.
• Enabling: Demonstrated ability to create an environment that empowers diverse individuals and teams to deliver their best for government and court users. This includes setting expectations, being inclusive, nurturing talent and building organisational capability.
• Influential: Strong capability in building trust, balancing competing interests and finding common ground. An openness to diverse perspectives is critical, as is sustaining collaborative relationships. Ability to negotiate persuasively and represent the court externally.
• Self-Awareness: Demonstrates resilience and a strong commitment to ethical practices and APS values. High level of personal integrity, emotional intelligence and self-motivation.

Executive Director Corporate Strategy and Programs

The Executive Director Corporate Strategy and Programs reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar of the Federal Court of Australia to support them in their statutory duty under the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) to provide corporate services to the Courts and Tribunal. The Executive Director Corporate Strategy and Programs is responsible for strategic planning processes, governance, financial management, digital transformation and organisational change, and the delivery of the Entity’s strategic priorities. The role will also be responsible for a new ‘Strategic Programs Office’ which will provide strategic support services, including strategic advice and program and project management support.

The Executive Director Corporate Strategy and Programs is a multi-faceted position and plays a critical leadership role across the Entity and is a key member of the Entity’s Executive Committee. This position will lead multidisciplinary teams, foster a high-performance culture and lead and develop the implementation of innovative and future focused strategy for the Entity, and to ensure that the Entity’s strategic priorities are in alignment with Government priorities and Australian Public Service values.

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated, innovative and experienced executive leader adept at navigating complex operating environments to enhance corporate governance, strategic program delivery and financial sustainability You will have a strong understanding of the public sector environment, and possess exceptional influencing and relationship management skills. Your ability to drive collaboration across a broad range of key stakeholders, build trust, and inspire high performance, innovation and continuous improvement in your teams will be evident as will your highly advanced strategic, analytical and change management skills.

Key responsibilities

Lead corporate services strategy and program initiatives:

• Leading and managing strategy and organisational development across the Entity and ongoing review and management of organisational risk.
• Leading the development and implementation of innovative corporate strategy and functions to support the courts and tribunal to achieve their strategic objectives, including by leading and overseeing the Entity’s Digital Transformation Program.
• Anticipating, planning and implementing change to achieve efficiencies in the provision of corporate services through enhancing and monitoring the Entity’s strategic planning framework.
• Providing high-level strategic leadership to optimise funding and ensure financial sustainability, and ensure that the Entity’s obligations under the PGPA Act are met, including responsibilities for corporate planning, performance reporting, resource management and accountability obligations.
• Ensuring corporate services resources are structured and deployed to support the Courts and the Tribunal to achieve their strategic objectives.
• Strengthening and maintaining governance structures to ensure transparency, efficiency and accountability. This involves fostering a culture of appropriate risk management whilst balancing opportunity and innovation.
• Promote a culture of innovation, problem solving and continuous improvement among corporate services staff.

Selection Criteria

In addition to the Integrated Leadership System (ILS) , candidates will be expected to demonstrate the leadership attributes and qualities outlined in the Secretaries’ Charter of Leadership Behaviours, and the SES Capability Framework:

• Visionary: Demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of strategic planning and advice at the most senior levels. Ability to champion the organisation's vision and goals and promote a shared commitment to the strategic direction, including likely future requirements.
• Delivers Results: Expertise in delivering outcomes in line with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Proven track record overseeing the implementation of multiple initiatives in Digital Transformation, ensuring stakeholders are kept informed and engaged in an environment of ongoing change and uncertainty.
• Enabling: Demonstrated ability to create an environment that empowers diverse individuals and teams to deliver their best for government and court users. This includes setting expectations, being inclusive, nurturing talent and building organisational capability.
• Influential: Strong capability in building trust, balancing competing interests and finding common ground. As this role is a facilitator for strategic alignment, an openness to diverse perspectives is critical, as is sustaining collaborative relationships. Ability to negotiate persuasively and represent the court externally.
• Self-Awareness: Demonstrates resilience and a strong commitment to ethical practices and APS values. High level of personal integrity, emotional intelligence and self-motivation.

Employment with the Court is subject to the conditions prescribed in the Public Service Act 1999, and the following:

• Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must hold Australian citizenship.
• Security and character clearance – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check and may also be required to complete security clearances during the course of their employment.
• Successful applicants engaged into the APS will be subject to a probation period.

Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency are welcome to apply but note that they cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired.

Diversity and Inclusion

Federal Court Australia is committed to supporting an inclusive and diverse workforce and welcomes and encourages applications from People with Disability.

First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+ people, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, Mature age workers, as well as young workers and supporting an inter-generational workforce and supporting gender equity and families.

Federal Court Australia will provide reasonable adjustments for candidates to participate equitably in the recruitment process and discuss workplace adjustments to fulfil the inherent requirements of the role.

Contact Officer

For more information, please contact Andrea Jarratt, Director, Principal Registry and National Operations via telephone [phone] or email [emailprotected] .

How to apply

To apply, please complete the application form on the Court’s careers portal.

As part of your application, you will be required to submit a written response to the selection criteria listed in the position description (maximum word limit 1500). Please indicate your preferred role in this document. Ensure this document is attached before submitting your application.

Application Close: Monday 19 May 2025 at 11:30 pm (AEST)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

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The Federal Court of Australia was created by the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 and began to exercise its jurisdiction on 1 February 1977.

The Court is a superior court of record and a court of law and equity. It sits in all capital cities and elsewhere in Australia from time to time.

Objectives

The objectives of the Court are to:

Decide disputes according to law - promptly, courteously and effectively and, in so doing, to interpret the statutory law and develop the general law of the Commonwealth, so as to fulfil

the role of a court exercising the judicial power of the Commonwealth under the Constitution.

Provide an effective registry service to the community.

Manage the resources allotted by Parliament efficiently.

Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.

The Court's Jurisdiction

The Federal Court of Australia was created by the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 and began to exercise its jurisdiction on 1 February 1977.

The Court is a superior court of record and a court of law and equity. It sits in all capital cities and elsewhere in Australia from time to time.

Objectives

The objectives of the Court are to:

Decide disputes according to law - promptly, courteously and effectively and, in so doing, to interpret the statutory law and develop the general law of the Commonwealth, so as to fulfil

the role of a court exercising the judicial power of the Commonwealth under the Constitution.

Provide an effective registry service to the community.

Manage the resources allotted by Parliament efficiently.

Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.

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