Program Director, Naval Frigate Program — Lead & Deliver

Austal-7; City Of Cockburn; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Professional development opportunities

Dynamic work environment

Job summary

Austal Defence Australia (ADA) in Western Australia seeks a Program Director to lead the General Purpose Frigate program, acting as the primary client interface and guiding multi-disciplinary teams through design assurance and build phases.

Reporting to executive leadership, you will exercise strategic program governance, manage budgets and milestones, and drive risk mitigation while aligning international best practices with the organisation's objectives.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in shipbuilding leadership within a defence program of similar complexity.
• Experience leading a dispersed shipbuilding build strategy.
• Strong management skills and team-building capability.
• Eligibility for a Defence Security Clearance.
• Excellent influencing and communication with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary interface with the client, supporting contract negotiations and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Lead the successful delivery of the General Purpose Frigate (GPF) Program, ensuring on-time, on-budget, and quality outcomes.
• Oversee contract performance, milestones, KPIs, and reporting requirements.
• Manage program financials including cost estimation, budgeting, forecasting and performance targets.
• Establish and maintain risk management and governance frameworks.
• Drive development and implementation of program strategies including onshoring and build strategy.
• Ensure transfer and management of technical data and knowledge to support the technical baseline.
• Provide leadership to multidisciplinary teams and foster a high-performance culture.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Influencing skills

Risk management

Education

Engineering/Program Management Degree

Tools

CASG contract mechanisms

Job description

Austal Defence Australia (ADA) in Western Australia seeks a Program Director to lead the General Purpose Frigate program, acting as the primary client interface and guiding multi-disciplinary teams through design assurance and build phases.

Reporting to executive leadership, you will exercise strategic program governance, manage budgets and milestones, and drive risk mitigation while aligning international best practices with the organisation's objectives.