Senior Director, Commercial and Contracts | Full-time Permanent

Australian Capital Territory; Canberra; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Transport Canberra is seeking a Senior Director, Commercial and Contracts to lead the commercial, contractual, and financial aspects of the light rail PPP. Reporting to the Executive Branch Manager, you will oversee contract management, negotiations and contract assurance, guiding decisions that shape Canberra's transport future.

You will work with Canberra Metro and government partners, providing strategic advice, managing stakeholder relationships and ensuring governance, accountability, and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in contract and commercial management for complex PPP or franchise projects.
• Strong negotiation and dispute resolution skills.
• Ability to provide strategic advice to senior decision-makers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Proven leadership of high‑performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead contract management, commercial negotiations, and contract assurance for light rail PPP arrangements.
• Provide strategic advice and governance oversight to senior executives and government stakeholders.
• Manage stakeholder relationships across government, industry partners and Canberra Metro.
• Foster collaboration while ensuring accountability and service delivery.

Skills

Contract management

Negotiation

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Postgraduate qualifications in contract management, engineering, or law

Job description

Senior Director, Commercial and Contracts
Full-time Permanent

Details: Do you have extensive experience leading complex commercial and contractual arrangements and want to play a key role in one of Canberra's most significant transport infrastructure partnerships?

Transport Canberra is seeking a highly motivated and strategic Senior Director, Commercial and Contracts to join the Light Rail Operations Branch. This is a unique opportunity to influence the ongoing success of Canberra's light rail network by leading contract management, commercial negotiations, contract assurance activities, and strategic stakeholder engagement associated with the Territory's Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.

Reporting to the Executive Branch Manager, Light Rail Operations, you will provide leadership on commercial, contractual, and financial matters relating to the delivery of light rail services. You will provide assurance on contractor performance, manage complex negotiations and multifaceted stakeholder relationships, provide strategic advice to senior executives and government stakeholders, and identify opportunities to drive value and improve outcomes for the ACT community.

Working closely with Canberra Metro, Canberra Metro Operations (CMET), industry partners, and stakeholders across government, you will foster collaborative relationships while maintaining a strong focus on accountability, service delivery, and governance. The role also provides leadership and support to a small, high-performing team and contributes to delivery against the broader strategic objectives of Transport Canberra.

We are looking for an experienced leader with demonstrated expertise in commercial and contract management, complex negotiations, stakeholder engagement, and strategic problem-solving. Experience managing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), franchise arrangements or performance-based contracts within transport, infrastructure or other complex operational environments will be highly regarded.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Extensive experience in contract and commercial management.
• Strong negotiation and dispute resolution skills.
• The ability to provide high-quality strategic advice to senior decision-makers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven leadership capability and experience developing high-performing teams.
• A commitment to collaboration, customer service excellence and the ACT Public Service Values and Signature Behaviours.

The successful applicant may be appointed at the Senior Officer Grade A (SOGA) or Infrastructure Manager Level 1 (IM1) classification, subject to their qualifications, professional background and demonstrated experience.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people with diverse thoughts, lived experience, and perspectives can thrive and contribute their unique talents to the ACTPS and ACT community. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans, younger and older workers, and people with diverse genders, sexes and sexualities to apply.

• Post graduate qualifications or higher education in contract management, engineering or law are highly desirable.
• The incumbent in this position may be required to participate in drug and/or alcohol testing in accordance with Rail Safety National Law.

Note: A Merit Pool will be established from this selection process and will be used to fill vacancies over the next 12 months.

Note: Under the ACTPS employment framework you may be placed in another role where required for the efficient administration of the service.

The ACT public service is committed to closing the gap, underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. More information can be found here ACT Closing the Gap Implementation Plan - ACT Government Transparency Portal .