Senior Program Officer, Program Management Office

The Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD) has been formed with a clear mandate: to create a fairer and better future for all children in South Australia by implementing the accepted recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.

As the steward of the early childhood development system, the Office will act on government's behalf, and work in collaboration with the sector, to organise and connect the system to reduce developmental vulnerability.

This includes providing universal access to quality, teacher-led preschool from the age of 3, growing and sustaining a quality early childhood workforce, and greater supports and connected services for families in the 1000 days of a child's life.

About this role:

Step into the role ofSenior Program Officerto support and lead transformative state-wide initiatives. You will engage with key stakeholders, manage critical project dependencies, and lead collaborative efforts across teams to maximise delivery outcomes.

Drive the Program Management Office (PMO) as a key enabler that bridges strategy with execution, ensuring alignment of teams, timelines, and outcomes across the agency supporting an enterprise approach to government reform.

This role offers the opportunity to influence change, promote best practices, and ensure the successful implementation of high-impact programs to drive early childhood reform in South Australia.

As aSenior Program Officer, you will:

Manage major state-wide initiativesthrough the coordination and facilitation of projects and programs across the agency, ensuring alignment with key deliverables and timelines.

Embed best practice project management by championing agile approaches, refine methodologies, and strengthen use of program management tools to improve delivery.

Develop and maintain high-quality schedules, timelines, and project documentation that ensure consistency and measurable outcomes.

Foster collaboration by identifying interdependencies and driving new ways of working to enhance project delivery and strategic alignment.

Provide support, coaching, and adviceto support capability building and enhance team planning, implementation and evaluation.

Foster collaboration across internal stakeholdersto ensure project delivery and strategic alignment.

Support governance, reporting, and risk managementby monitoring and tracking data, identifying issues, risks, and deviations.

About you

You will be an experienced Program Officer and bring extensive experience in strategic project management and thrive in a fast-paced environment. You leverage both project and program management fundamentals to drive collaboration, manage key stakeholder relationships, and ensure successful program delivery.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

Program & project management expertise– Proven experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously using contemporary methodologies.

Enable enterprise collaboration – Experience connecting initiatives across the agency, identifying interdependencies, and driving new ways of working to achieve organisational objectives.

Project management systems– Experience in embedding and evolving best practice program management office frameworks and practices.

Governance & evaluation– Strong skills in program governance, reporting, evaluation, and risk management.

Stakeholder management– Strong interpersonal skills including experience building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Communication skills– High-level verbal and written communication, with the ability to convey complex information across a wide range of audiences.

An opportunity to work at the forefront of early childhood reforms, making a real difference in the lives of children, families, and educators.

A supportive and collaborative team environment with opportunities to build relationships with senior executives, and a variety of stakeholders.

Career development opportunities with hands-on experience in high-impact diverse projects and programs.

Access to flexible working arrangements.

Application Instructions and Information:

Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants must submit a CV, Pre-employment Declaration, and a cover letter outlining their suitability against the attached position description.

Additional Note:

This is 12 month term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.

Remuneration:

ASO7-$108,109 -$116, FTE) per annum, plus superannuation of 12%.

For all other special conditions please refer to the attached position description.

Salary match Number of applicants Skills match

Researching careers? Find all the information and tips you need on career advice.