Public Sector Office & Operations Manager

South Australia Police; Adelaide; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Lockheed Martin in Adelaide seeks an accomplished financial leader to shape strategy and drive defence programs. You will partner with senior leaders across Australia and the US, delivering rigorous financial insight and ensuring programs stay on budget and on schedule.

You will own long-term financial plans, forecasts and commitments, while coordinating with contracts, engineering and pricing teams to win new business and optimize performance.

Qualifications

• Senior finance, business-operations or commercial experience in engineering, project or program environments.
• Experience delivering complex programs on time and within contractual risk boundaries.
• Strong cost-management, budgeting and financial analysis capabilities.
• Ability to translate strategy into actionable recommendations and drive growth.

Responsibilities

• Strategic financial leadership across Australia and the US, delivering insights and challenging assumptions.
• Own short- and long-term financial plans, forecasts and commitments; flag risks early.
• Ensure robust cost and schedule controls, forecasting and reporting for programs.
• Collaborate with business development and contracts to craft competitive proposals and pricing.
• Coordinate resources and processes across Finance, Controls and Pricing for quality outcomes.
• Lead cross-functional transformation initiatives to lift best practice.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, customers, partners and regulators.
• Coach and develop a high-performing, inclusive team across locations.

Skills

Senior finance experience

Complex programs delivery

Cost management

Budgeting

Financial analysis

Estimating & proposals

Strategic thinking

Communication & negotiation

Leadership across locations

Cross-functional collaboration

AI prompting familiarity

Job description

• What Public Sector Office Operations Manager J...

The Opportunity:

Eligibility: Applicants must be Australian citizens and be eligible to obtain and maintain an active Australian Government Defence security clearance at the level required for the position.

Shape the financial strategy for Australia's most advanced defence programmes.

Why this matters:

You’ll take ownership and translate strategy into real-world results, driving portfolio growth, cost discipline and delivery for multiple market segments. In a matrixed environment you’ll be a trusted partner to senior leaders, influencing budgets, proposals and commercial outcomes that keep mission‑critical projects on track.

Why you'll love it:

• Drive the financial strategy of cutting‑edge defence technology that powers Australia's security.
• Partner with world‑class engineers, suppliers and customers on mission‑critical programs.
• Own cross‑functional initiatives that set new performance benchmarks.
• Join a culture that prizes trust, transparency and belonging while delivering commercial success

What you'll do:

• Strategic financial leadership: Partner with business area and market segment leaders across Australia and the US, delivering rigorous financial insight, challenging assumptions and supporting portfolio growth.
• Planning & performance: Own short‑and‑long‑term financial plans, forecasts and commitments; keep performance aligned to objectives and flagging risks early.
• Program finance: Ensure every program in your segment has robust cost and schedule controls, forecasting and reporting, delivering on budgets and contractual commitments.
• Business development & proposals: Collaborate with business development, contracts and engineering teams to craft and negotiate commercially sound proposals, pricing and contracts that win new business.
• Operations ownership and coordination: Task and align resources, priorities and processes across Program Finance, Controls and Pricing for consistent, high‑quality outcomes.
• Transformation & continuous improvement: Lead cross‑functional initiatives that refine processes, embed best practice and elevate the Finance & Business Operations function.
• Stakeholder engagement: Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, customers, partners and regulators, representing the business on financial and commercial matters.
• Team leadership: Coach, develop and motivate a high‑performing, inclusive team that thrives in a matrixed environment.

What we're looking for:

• Senior finance, business‑operations or commercial experience in an engineering, project or program environment (defence highly desirable).
• Experience in delivering complex programs, and a passion for delivering them on time, on budget and within contractual risk boundaries.
• Strong cost‑management, budgeting, financial analysis, estimating and proposal‑development skills.
• Strategic thinker who translates complex challenges into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Excellent communicator, influencer and negotiator, able to resolve issues and secure commercial outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams across multiple locations in a matrixed setting.
• Deep understanding of the interplay between programs, engineering, finance, commercial and support functions.
• Collaborative, inclusive leadership style that builds trust, accountability and belonging.
• Familiarity with AI‑prompting tools for finance applications is a plus.

Don't meet every requirement?

If you're excited by this opportunity but don't meet every criterion, we'd still love to hear from you. Your skills and experience may be a great fit for this role, or another opportunity within our organisation.

Lead the financial strategy that powers Lockheed Martin's next‑generation defence solutions.

About Lockheed Martin:

Lockheed Martin is a dynamic organisation, providing stimulating and challenging opportunities with a global team of over 122,000 professionals. We embrace flexibility, so our people can be their best inside and outside of work. As a