Transition Manager

Downer; Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

WORK180 Endorsed Employer

Job summary

Downer is seeking an experienced Defence Transition Manager to lead complex transition activities within a Commonwealth environment. Based in Canberra, you will coordinate onboarding/disengagement, manage risks, and engage with government and industry stakeholders to ensure outcomes align with Commonwealth objectives.

You will contribute to governance, planning, and reporting, delivering continuity of service while enabling future-state capability.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering complex transition, project, or service delivery activities within Defence, Government, or similarly complex environments.
• Strong integrated planning, schedule management, dependency management, and delivery coordination.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of transition activities across multiple stakeholders and service providers.
• Coordinate onboarding/disengagement activities and ensure continuity of service.
• Identify, manage, report risks, issues, dependencies, and mitigation activities during transition lifecycles.
• Prepare governance artefacts, briefings, and decision-support material for senior stakeholders.
• Support transformation initiatives and monitor progress against objectives and milestones.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Governance

Risk management

Planning & scheduling

Contract management

Education

Diploma/Advanced Diploma/Degree in Project Management

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

Downer is inviting applications for an experienced Defence Transition Manager to lead and coordinate complex transition activities within a major Commonwealth environment.

Join our Downer Professional Services team and play a key role in delivering complex defence and national security projects that safeguard Australia's future. Downer Professional Services comprises of three business units our Technical, Advisory, and Capability consulting practice, and Team Downer, which partners with CASG and NSSG as a major service provider to Defence. Together, we are a multi-disciplinary advisory and delivery partner of choice for clients across Defence and National Security.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Defence Transition Manager to lead and coordinate complex transition activities within a major Commonwealth environment. This role will be responsible for managing provider onboarding and disengagement activities, coordinating stakeholders across government and industry, and ensuring the successful delivery of transition and transformation initiatives while maintaining continuity of service. Working within a highly regulated Defence environment, you will play a critical role in integrated planning, governance, risk management, and stakeholder coordination to ensure transition outcomes are delivered effectively and aligned to Commonwealth objectives.

What You’ll Do

You will lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of transition activities across multiple stakeholders, service providers, and Commonwealth representatives. Supporting both operational continuity and future-state capability outcomes, you will ensure activities are effectively governed, monitored, and reported.

• Develop and manage integrated transition plans and master schedules across Commonwealth and industry stakeholders.
• Coordinate provider onboarding and disengagement activities, ensuring continuity of service and alignment of transition outcomes.
• Identify, manage, and report risks, issues, dependencies, and mitigation activities throughout the transition lifecycle.
• Prepare project reporting, governance artefacts, briefings, and decision-support material for senior stakeholders.
• Support innovation, transformation, and continuous improvement initiatives while monitoring progress against approved objectives and milestones.

About You

You are a highly organised project and transition professional with experience delivering complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, contracts, and service providers. You thrive in dynamic environments and bring strong planning, governance, and stakeholder engagement capabilities. You will ideally possess:

• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale transition, project, or service delivery activities within Defence, Government, or similarly complex environments.
• Strong capability in integrated planning, schedule management, dependency management, and delivery coordination.
• Experience managing risks, issues, provider onboarding, and transition activities across multiple workstreams.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, negotiation, communication, and relationship management skills.
• The ability to prepare high-quality reports, governance documentation, executive briefings, and project communications.
• Experience working within Defence, Commonwealth Government, or large government environments.
• Strong understanding of procurement, contract management, and commercial frameworks.
• Demonstrated analytical, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities.

Desirable Qualifications

• Diploma, Advanced Diploma, or Degree in Project Management, Business, ICT, Engineering, or related discipline.
• PRINCE2, MSP, PMP/PMBOK, Agile Project Management, or equivalent certification.
• Experience using Microsoft Project and related project management and reporting tools.

You want your work to matter and so do we.

With over 26,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, our team is made up of individuals with unique perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.

We know that diversity makes us stronger and we actively celebrate it through our commitment to inclusion and belonging.

We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve and we welcome people of all

ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, abilities, and lived experiences. We especially encourage applications from those whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry, including women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Māori and Pasifika Peoples, veterans, people with disability, and neurodivergent individuals.

Even if your experience doesn't align perfectly with this role, we’d still like to hear from you.

As a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we support flexibility that works for your life, inclusive leadership that values your voice, and equitable access to opportunity so you can do your best work and bring your whole self to it.

If you need support or adjustments through the recruitment process, just let us know, we’re here to help you put your best foot forward.