Manager, Policy and Provision

**Office for Early Childhood Development**
**Job reference**: 681950
**Location**: 5000 - ADELAIDE
**Job status**: Long Term Contract
**Eligibility**: Open to Everyone

**Why work with us**:
The Office for Early Childhood Development was created to champion change and to help build a system that gives all South Australian children a flying start to life.

Guided by the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, the Office for Early Childhood Development is the steward of the early childhood development system in South Australia.

The Office is tasked with a significant responsibility: bringing together a holistic, connected system for early childhood development across South Australia, with the goal of reducing the rate of children entering school developmental vulnerable. Critical to this is the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool from 2026, giving every child access to 2 years of teacher-led, play-based early learning before school.

**About this role**:
As Manager, Modelling and Funding Policy, you will lead the design and delivery of state-wide modelling to support the implementation of universal 3-year-old preschool. This includes enrolment forecasting, infrastructure and workforce supply analysis, funding model development, and contributions to strategic budgeting and policy setting.

Working within the Office for Early Childhood Development, your leadership will ensure modelling and analytics directly inform key decisions at both the strategic and operational levels, while aligning with broader early childhood development goals.

**Your Key Responsibilities**:

- Design, implement and manage high-quality models that forecast supply and demand for preschool services including workforce, infrastructure, enrolment and cost dimensions.
- Lead complex quantitative analysis to inform policy decisions, service planning and funding strategies.
- Develop and maintain funding models that are efficient, equitable, and sustainable.
- Collaborate across departments to ensure data governance, analytical consistency and policy alignment.
- Advise senior executives and government stakeholders through clear, data-driven policy insights and reports.
- Evaluate the impact of new policies and funding models to support ongoing improvement.
- Build strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders including government agencies, service providers and thought leaders in early childhood.

**About you-**

This role will drive critical forecasting across enrolments, workforce, infrastructure, and funding to shape high-impact, data-informed policy. You will lead the development of funding models, guide budget decisions, and manage a high-performing team, all while working collaboratively across government to ensure equitable and efficient delivery of early childhood education. If you’re passionate about using data to shape meaningful reform, this is your opportunity to lead with purpose.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

- **Strategic Policy Expertise**: Ability to design and implement complex policy through high-quality analysis and strategic thinking.
- **Advanced Modelling & Data Analysis**: Proficient in statistical modelling, simulation and forecasting techniques, with significant experience in **R**. Able to distil complex data into actionable insights.
- **Communication & Influence**: Skilled at translating complexity into clarity. Able to engage senior stakeholders and advocate for evidence-informed decisions.
- **Project Management**: Proven ability to lead end-to-end projects from planning to delivery within a policy context.
- **Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement**: Able to work across organisational boundaries, build trust, and drive shared outcomes.

**Desirable Skills**:

- A tertiary qualification in economics, mathematics, statistics, or other relevant fields.
- Knowledge of the early childhood sector, including funding structures, workforce challenges and service delivery models.

**Role benefits**:

- **Make a meaningful difference**: Help shape access to preschool and early learning infrastructure that supports families and communities across the state.
- **Drive Real-World outcomes**: From policy design to implementation, your expertise will directly impact planning and service delivery.
- **Collaborate with impact**: Work closely with leaders across education, finance, infrastructure, and government to shape decisions at the highest levels.
- **Access flexible work options**: Supportive of work-life balance with flexible working arrangements available.

**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 key selection criteria in the attached Position Description.

**Additional Note**:
This is a full-time 2-year long term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential