Senior Manager, Internal Governance

Reserve Bank of Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Reserve Bank of Australia invites applications for a newly created Senior Manager, Internal Governance role to establish and lead an integrated governance and FOI team, reporting to Deputy Secretaries.

You will embed the new internal governance function and drive the next phase of FOI capability to meet increased demand and complexity.

This 5-year fixed-term contract offers an opportunity to influence governance across the organisation and collaborate with senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Significant senior experience in legal, governance, regulatory, public sector or comparable roles.
• Deep knowledge of governance frameworks, accountabilities, delegations and decision-making.
• Experience leading a statutory, regulatory or compliance function with FOI knowledge.
• Track record establishing new functions or driving enterprise-wide improvements in a complex organisation.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction for internal governance and FOI aligned with the Bank's priorities.
• Establish and embed arrangements for management committees, delegations and decision-making.
• Oversee the FOI function and enhance its capacity to deliver timely, well-founded outcomes.
• Lead an integrated team of governance and FOI specialists; manage priorities and development.
• Identify and manage governance, statutory, reputational and operational risks.

Skills

Governance

Leadership

Strategy development

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

FOI systems

Job description

Play a critical role in strengthening governance and accountability at the RBA. Establish a new internal governance function and lead the uplift of the RBA’s freedom of information capability. Lead a specialist team at the heart of Australia’s central bank.

5 Year Fixed Term Contract

About the Team

Secretary’s Department supports governance, accountability and transparency across the RBA. It provides advice, coordination and specialist services spanning internal and board governance, parliamentary engagement, government relations, corporate disclosures and freedom of information. The department works closely with senior leaders and teams across the RBA to strengthen decision-making, meet statutory and public accountability obligations and maintain public trust in the institution. It also provides secretariat support to the RBA’s three boards, the Audit and Risk Committee and Executive Committee.

About the Role

This newly created senior leadership role will support the Bank’s Deputy Secretaries by establishing and leading an integrated team of governance and freedom of information (FOI) specialists. It will play a critical part in strengthening how the RBA makes decisions, manages accountabilities and meets its statutory obligations. As Senior Manager, Internal Governance, you will embed the RBA’s new internal governance function and lead the next phase of its established FOI function as it responds to a significant increase in the volume and complexity of requests. The role has a broad remit and a substantial delivery agenda and will suit a leader who can set strategic direction, translate it into fit-for-purpose arrangements and drive sustained improvement and responsible change. You will closely work with other departmental leaders and senior stakeholders across the RBA to coordinate priorities, allocate resources and deliver high-quality governance and FOI support across the institution.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Setting strategic direction for internal governance and FOI, aligned with the RBA’s cultural ambition and strategic priorities
• Establishing and embedding clear, fit-for-purpose arrangements for management committees, accountabilities, delegations and decision-making, calibrated to the RBA’s needs and informed by stakeholder feedback
• Overseeing the FOI function and strengthening its capacity and capability to deliver timely, consistent and well-founded outcomes
• Improving governance and FOI processes, quality assurance, controls, technology and ways of working
• Leading an integrated team of three subject matter experts across internal governance, board governance and FOI, setting clear priorities and accountabilities, managing workloads and developing capability
• Building a flexible, resilient and agile team through collaboration, cross-skilling, knowledge transfer and effective coverage, reducing key-person dependencies while maintaining specialist expertise
• Identifying and managing material governance, statutory, reputational and operational risks, while driving continuous improvement.

About you

• Significant senior experience in legal, governance, regulatory, public sector or comparable roles
• Deep knowledge of governance frameworks, accountabilities, delegations, committee structures and decision-making arrangements
• Experience leading a statutory, regulatory or compliance function through a period of increased demand and capability uplift; experience with FOI or a comparable information-access regime would be highly regarded
• A track record of establishing new functions or leading enterprise-wide improvement and embedding sustainable change in a complex organisation, with the judgement to calibrate delivery as needs evolve
• Experience leading specialists, setting priorities and building team capability and resilience
• The ability to listen, gather relevant feedback and adapt your approach, while maintaining momentum and influencing stakeholders at all levels
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complexity into clear, practical advice and action.
• A tertiary qualification in law, governance, economics, business, public policy or a related discipline is required.
• A relevant governance or legal professional qualification would be desirable.

Be More

Working for an organisation that truly makes a difference to the people of Australia, we can offer development and career opportunities in a collaborative environment that supports your growth, wellbeing and promotes flexibility. Your individual growth and success drives the RBA forward as an organisation. Be more means you can do more, for yourself and for Australia.

Why RBA?

The RBA makes an important contribution to the Australian economy through the pursuit of national economic policy objectives and associated activities in financial markets and banking. We also issue Australia’s banknotes and operate infrastructure critical to the payments system, all of which contribute to the welfare of the Australian people. Made up of specialists across a wide range of fields, our people, values, and culture play a critical role in achieving our objectives. Striving to be Open & Dynamic, we consider and incorporate different perspectives, work across teams and are transparent with each other, whilst delivering quality together effectively and focusing on outcomes by prioritising, testing, learning, and refining as we go. Our people conduct themselves with a high degree of integrity, while striving for excellence in the work they perform and the outcomes they achieve. We encourage intelligent inquiry and we treat one another with respect while promoting the public interest through our efforts. We know it is the growth and success of our people that drives the RBA forward.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion through key initiatives.

We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse background, those living with a disability and from the LGBTQ+ community.

We are committed to making the recruitment process fair and equitable for all our candidates.

Application Close : October 25, 2026 .