Senior Program Officer

UNSW; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 107,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options (work fromh"

Career development opportunities

Up to 50% discount on UNSW courses

Flexible 17% superannuation

Job summary

UNSW is seeking a Senior Program Officer to join the Enterprise-wide Portfolio Management Office, coordinating cross-border project activities and governance for transnational education initiatives. You will support business analysis, current-state documentation, and stakeholder communications across global campuses.

The role reports to the Program Director and has no direct reports. It requires experience in program governance, change management, and delivering strategic recommendations through

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification combined with substantial project experience or equivalent professional expertise.
• Demonstrated experience within transnational education (TNE) is highly desired.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, complemented by strong attention to detail.
• Sound stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to liaise effectively across diverse teams.
• Demonstrated experience working with various computer systems, applications, and university administration tools to collect and analyse data.
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work both collaboratively in a team and autonomously using initiative.
• A solid understanding of the project life cycle, along with a commitment to health and safety responsibilities and UNSW's values and policies.

Responsibilities

• Assist in delivering strategic and operational goals by contributing to project plans, schedules, and planning processes.
• Monitor deliverables against approved time, cost, and quality metrics, and report on project status to inform decision-making.
• Drive project governance by facilitating meetings and workshops, tracking action items, and ensuring compliance with established EPMO and UNSW frameworks.
• Build and manage effective internal and external communications with key stakeholders across the University.
• Collaborate with Business Analysts to map current-state processes, evaluate risks and improvement opportunities, and deliver strategic recommendations through data and stakeholder insights.
• Extract system data from front and back ends, summarising findings in a clear, cohesive format.
• Proactively support change management and training initiatives to address shifts in business processes, system functionality, and requirements.
• Foster a culture of ongoing improvement by ensuring newly designed solutions are successfully embedded and sustained within the University.

Job description

• Employment Type: Full-time, Fixed Term 18 month opportunity.
• Remuneration: Level 7 – from $118,483 + 17% superannuation and leave loading.
• Location: Kensington, NSW (Hybrid working model)

About UNSW

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work. We aspire to be Australia’s global university, improving and transforming lives through excellence in research, outstanding education and a commitment to advancing a just society.

Why your role matters

A Senior Program Officer plays a pivotal role within the Enterprise-wide Portfolio Management Office, driving high-level, practical program and project support for complex transnational education initiatives and key stakeholders.

This position leads the coordination of cross-border project activities, business analysis, and current-state documentation in close collaboration with Business Analysts. It is central to building robust internal and external partnerships across global campuses and faculties, driving targeted communications, supporting change management, and ensuring top-tier program governance and delivery outcomes.

Reporting directly to the Program Director, the role operates with no direct reports.

About the Role

You will be required to undertake and have experience in the following areas of expertise:

• Assist in delivering strategic and operational goals by contributing to project plans, schedules, and planning processes.
• Monitor deliverables against approved time, cost, and quality metrics, and report on project status to inform decision-making.
• Drive project governance by facilitating meetings and workshops, tracking action items, and ensuring compliance with established EPMO and UNSW frameworks.
• Build and manage effective internal and external communications with key stakeholders across the University.
• Collaborate with Business Analysts to map current-state processes, evaluate risks and improvement opportunities, and deliver strategic recommendations through data and stakeholder insights.
• Extract system data from front and back ends, summarising findings in a clear, cohesive format.
• Proactively support change management and training initiatives to address shifts in business processes, system functionality, and requirements.
• Foster a culture of ongoing improvement by ensuring newly designed solutions are successfully embedded and sustained within the University.

Skills and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification combined with substantial project experience or equivalent professional expertise.
• Demonstrated experience within transnational education (TNE) is highly desired.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, complemented by strong attention to detail.
• Sound stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to liaise effectively across diverse teams.
• Demonstrated experience working with various computer systems, applications, and university administration tools to collect and analyse data.
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work both collaboratively in a team and autonomously using initiative.
• A solid understanding of the project life cycle, along with a commitment to health and safety responsibilities and UNSW's values and policies.

For further information on the role & responsibilities, please refer to the Position Description

UNSW Benefits and Culture:

People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world. Our benefits include:

• Flexible Working Options (work from home, flexible hours etc)
• Additional 3 days leave during December festive period.
• Career development opportunities
• Up to 50% discount on UNSW courses
• Flexible 17% Superannuation contributions, additional leave-loading payments and salary sacrifice.
• Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness passport)

UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion.

Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.

Pre-Employment Checks

Aligned with UNSW’s focus on cultivating a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.

These pre-employment checks may include a combination of some of the following checks:-

• National and International Criminal history checks
• Entitlement to work and ID checks
• Working With Children Checks
• Completion of a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Declaration
• Verification of relevant qualifications
• Verification of relevant professional membership
• Employment history and reference checks
• Financial responsibility assessments/checks.
• Medical Checks and Assessments

Compliance with the necessary combination of these checks is a condition of employment at UNSW.