ICT Project Director

Department of Defence; Sydney; On-site; AUD 190,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

BDCP entitlement

Job summary

Department of Defence in Australia seeks an ICT Infrastructure Project Director to lead a portfolio of ~100 projects, aligning technology outcomes with priorities and business benefits. You will guide a multidisciplinary team of 30+ across customer engagement, delivery, governance and finance, ensuring strategic alignment and strong stakeholder relationships.

You will oversee initiation, resource allocation, delivery, risk management, financial stewardship and executive reporting, while

Qualifications

• Proven senior ICT leader with experience managing large-scale technology portfolios, programs and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience leading large and complex ICT portfolios, programs and transformation initiatives across multiple projects.
• Ability to build and sustain networks with stakeholders, communicate with influence and negotiate at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Project control: plan, monitor, and control lifecycle with scheduling, cost and risk management.
• Project and Change management: deliver programs and changes through interdependencies and risk management.
• Evaluation: analyse performance data and provide evidence-based recommendations.
• Leadership: manage a directorate, set performance standards, mentor teams and engage senior leadership.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Portfolio management

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Financial management

Vendor management

Change management

Effective communication

Job description

As an ICT Infrastructure Project Director, you will lead the delivery of a large and complex portfolio of approximately 100 projects, ensuring that technology outcomes align with organisational priorities, investment decisions, customer needs, strategic objectives, capacity, and risk and intended business benefits. The role provides leadership to a multidisciplinary workforce of over 30 personnel, including teams focused on customer engagement, project delivery, project reporting and governance, and project finance.

Accountable for portfolio performance, the Project Director oversees project initiation, resource allocation, delivery, risk and issue management, financial stewardship, and executive reporting, while maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders across business and technical domains.

As a Project Director, you will be required to deliver four key functions for this role:

• Project control function - Deliver and support effective planning, monitoring, and control across the program/project lifecycle by integrating scheduling, cost management, performance measurement, and risk management, enabling early detection of schedule, cost, and risk issues through forecasting, variance, and trend analysis.
• Project and Change management Function - Deliver programs/projects, products, and change initiatives through effective management of interdependencies and risks, ensuring solutions meet user needs and are successfully adopted, embedded, and sustained to achieve measurable business outcomes and benefits realisation.
• Evaluation function - Deliver accurate advice on evaluation matters by analysing performance data, identifying trends, risks and compliance issues, contribute to strategic planning, program and project management, and policy development, and deliver evidence based recommendations to support informed decision making and improved outcomes.
• Leadership function –
  • Provide programmatic leadership and management of multi-disciplined project teams and supervise and oversee all aspects of complex project delivery including finance, commercial, technical, risk, schedule and human resources.
  • Be accountable for managing and leading a directorate, including providing clear and consistent communication, setting clear performance and behavioural standards, managing performance, delegating responsibility and guiding and developing people.
  • Mentor and guide project teams, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment.
  • Engage and influence Defence senior leadership and provide key link between senior executives and Defence employees.

This role is eligible for an additional remuneration benefit known in Defence as a Building Defence Capability Payment (BDCP). This enables Defence to provide a premium, in addition to the base salary otherwise payable under the Defence Enterprise Collective Agreement (DECA), for positions in occupational disciplines/classifications that are critical to Defence capability. For further information, please contact the contact officer.

About our Team

The Defence Digital Group (DDG) is seeking to recruit accomplished digital professionals to lead the implementation of Defence’s digital platforms and technology, and, Defence ICT of the future by capitalising on best in class global platforms supported by best in class sovereign capabilities. By adopting modern architecture and platforms that are scalable, reliable, performant and safe, we will meet the demand of our integrated Defence force to be ready to fight and win in the digital age.

The Infrastructure Branch within DDG is responsible for planning, delivering and transitioning ICT infrastructure initiatives that underpin secure, resilient and high performing digital environments. The branch manages the end to end delivery of projects across core infrastructure domains such as networks, data centres, end user computing, hosting, and associated tooling and services.

Our Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a proven senior ICT leader with extensive experience managing large-scale technology portfolios, programs, projects and multidisciplinary teams.

You will also have:

• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop multidisciplinary teams, fostering a high-performance culture across customer engagement, governance, reporting, and finance functions (Leadership function).
• Extensive experience managing large and complex ICT portfolios, programs and transformation initiatives, delivering multiple concurrent projects to achieve strategic business outcomes and benefits (Project control, Project and Change Management functions).
• Build and sustain a network of key stakeholders, communicate with influence and negotiate effectively at all levels.
• Demonstrated experience in benefits identification, assessment and management.
• Proven expertise in portfolio governance, performance reporting, assurance, and executive decision support.
• Significant financial management experience, including budget oversight, forecasting, investment prioritisation, and resource management.
• Sound understanding of end-user ICT infrastructure and the ability to align technology delivery with organisational objectives and customer needs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage risk, resolve complex issues, manage large vendor performance and lead organisational change in dynamic and highly governed environments.

Security Clearance:

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.

The key duties of the position include:

The Role

As an ICT Infrastructure Project Director, you will lead the delivery of a large and complex portfolio of approximately 100 projects, ensuring that technology outcomes align with organisational priorities, investment decisions, customer needs, strategic objectives, capacity, and risk and intended business benefits. The role provides leadership to a multidisciplinary workforce of over 30 personnel, including teams focused on customer engagement, project delivery, project reporting and governance, and project finance.

Accountable for portfolio performance, the Project Director oversees project initiation, resource allocation, delivery, risk and issue management, financial stewardship, and executive reporting, while maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders across business and technical domains.

As a Project Director, you will be required to deliver four key functions for this role:

• Project control function - Deliver and support effective planning, monitoring, and control across the program/project lifecycle by integrating scheduling, cost management, performance measurement, and risk management, enabling early detection of schedule, cost, and risk issues through forecasting, variance, and trend analysis.
• Project and Change management Function - Deliver programs/projects, products, and change initiatives through effective management of interdependencies and risks, ensuring solutions meet user needs and are successfully adopted, embedded, and sustained to achieve measurable business outcomes and benefits realisation.
• Evaluation function - Deliver accurate advice on evaluation matters by analysing performance data, identifying trends, risks and compliance issues, contribute to strategic planning, program and project management, and policy development, and deliver evidence based recommendations to support informed decision making and improved outcomes.
• Leadership function –
  • Provide programmatic leadership and management of multi-disciplined project teams and supervise and oversee all aspects of complex project delivery including finance, commercial, technical, risk, schedule and human resources.
  • Be accountable for managing and leading a directorate, including providing clear and consistent communication, setting clear performance and behavioural standards, managing performance, delegating responsibility and guiding and developing people.
  • Mentor and guide project teams, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment.
  • Engage and influence Defence senior leadership and provide key link between senior executives and Defence employees.

This role is eligible for an additional remuneration benefit known in Defence as a Building Defence Capability Payment (BDCP). This enables Defence to provide a premium, in addition to the base salary otherwise payable under the Defence Enterprise Collective Agreement (DECA), for positions in occupational disciplines/classifications that are critical to Defence capability. For further information, please contact the contact officer.

About our Team

The Defence Digital Group (DDG) is seeking to recruit accomplished digital professionals to lead the implementation of Defence’s digital platforms and technology, and, Defence ICT of the future by capitalising on best in class global platforms supported by best in class sovereign capabilities. By adopting modern architecture and platforms that are scalable, reliable, performant and safe, we will meet the demand of our integrated Defence force to be ready to fight and win in the digital age.

The Infrastructure Branch within DDG is responsible for planning, delivering and transitioning ICT infrastructure initiatives that underpin secure, resilient and high performing digital environments. The branch manages the end to end delivery of projects across core infrastructure domains such as networks, data centres, end user computing, hosting, and associated tooling and services.

Our Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a proven senior ICT leader with extensive experience managing large-scale technology portfolios, programs, projects and multidisciplinary teams.

You will also have:

• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop multidisciplinary teams, fostering a high-performance culture across customer engagement, governance, reporting, and finance functions (Leadership function).
• Extensive experience managing large and complex ICT portfolios, programs and transformation initiatives, delivering multiple concurrent projects to achieve strategic business outcomes and benefits (Project control, Project and Change Management functions).
• Build and sustain a network of key stakeholders, communicate with influence and negotiate effectively at all levels.
• Demonstrated experience in benefits identification, assessment and management.
• Proven expertise in portfolio governance, performance reporting, assurance, and executive decision support.
• Significant financial management experience, including budget oversight, forecasting, investment prioritisation, and resource management.
• Sound understanding of end-user ICT infrastructure and the ability to align technology delivery with organisational objectives and customer needs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage risk, resolve complex issues, manage large vendor performance and lead organisational change in dynamic and highly governed environments.

Eligibility

Security Clearance:

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.

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