Stakeholder Engagement Lead

About the role

Leading strategic external engagement for the Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD), this role manages, guides and oversees how we engage with key external stakeholders, including government, service providers, sector representatives, and the broader community. We do this to strengthen relationships, gather insights, and support the successful implementation of early childhood reforms.

This position plays a pivotal role in coordinating strategic advice on consultation and engagement across the Office, ensuring activities are aligned, evidence-informed, and deliver meaningful impact. Key responsibilities include leading strategic engagement plans, leading engagement activities for key strategic forums, including the Minister's Early Childhood Advisory Forum, and overseeing the provision of expert advice to the Minister and Chief Executive on matters relating to external relations, and ensuring the OECD maintains strong, collaborative partnerships to achieve its system-wide objectives.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the full design, implementation, and evaluation of strategic engagement plans that align with organisational goals and public communications.
• Lead and coordinate engagement for key strategic forums
• Provide expert strategic advice across the Office
• Build and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders
• Work closely with the Assistant Director, Communications and Engagement to set team priorities and strategy
• Oversee the preparation of high-quality ministerial, executive, and stakeholder advice
• Lead development and implementation of systems and processes to monitor, evaluate, and report on external engagement effectiveness
• Provide leadership and mentoring to a small, skilled team.

About you

Highly developed skills in designing and delivering strategic engagement plans, combined with proven written, verbal and interpersonal skills are essential to success in this role.

Additionally, we are looking for someone who brings extensive experience in:

• Leadership towards achieving strategic goals
• Managing projects
• Negotiating outcomes building stakeholder commitment to shared goals
• Providing advice using political acumen
• Working autonomously to drive outcomes and meet tight deadlines
• Managing complex and competing priorities, with exceptional time management capability.
• An appropriate tertiary qualification in Communications, Engagement, Public Relations or equivalent would be desirable (not essential).

What we offer

At the Office for Early Childhood Development, we are committed to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment that supports the wellbeing and professional growth of our employees. We offer a range of benefits, including:
- A role with real influence and impact in leading strategic external engagement
- Opportunities for professional development and career growth within the public sector
- Be part of an agency with a clear mission to improve the lives of South Australia's children and families.
- Access to flexible working arrangements.
- Access to valuable salary packaging services through SMART

About 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.

If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families, we encourage you to apply for this exciting Stakeholder Engagement Lead role. Apply now to be considered for this opportunity.