Associate Director Privacy

Optus is an Australian telecommunications company, delivering more than 11 million services to our customers every day across mobile, broadband, and digital solutions.

Optus is seeking an experienced and driven Associate Director to join our Privacy Office. In this pivotal role, you'll act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, lead complex privacy initiatives, and help shape a sustainable, compliant, and customer led privacy program focused on trust. From guiding business units and influencing their enterprise-wide decisions, to privacy risk mitigation and incident management, this is your opportunity to drive privacy best practice in a dynamic, tech-forward environment.

What You'll Do

• Support the Senior Director in strategy, reporting, and operational oversight of the Privacy Office.
• Identifying critical program uplift opportunities, drafting policies and procedures, improving processes and enhancing our controls, reporting and training materials.
• Carry out complex Privacy Impact Assessments and offering privacy recommendations to enhance business practices and customer initiatives.
• Coordinate and advise on privacy incidents to ensure containment and implementation of prevention recommendations.
• Provide critical privacy advice on complex data related programs that build trust with customers, partners and the community and mitigate risk.
• Lead the development and delivery of privacy awareness and training materials to ensure a privacy best practice culture.
• Collaborating with a wide range of interesting stakeholders, acting autonomously with minimal supervision, to contribute to the broader uplift and profile of the Privacy Office.

What You Bring | What makes you perfect for the role?

• At least 5 years of experience in a privacy or similar compliance role.
• Strong understanding of data privacy laws and regulatory requirements, including the Privacy Act and Telecommunications Act.
• Outstanding leadership and critical thinking abilities, capable of influencing and guiding business units with practical and pragmatic privacy solutions.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills, adept at managing stakeholder relationships effectively.
• Demonstrated skill in privacy program uplift as well as BAU activities including Privacy Impact Assessments, Privacy Incidents and everyday queries to deliver actionable suggestions.
• Experience in developing and delivering practical training and awareness programs to a wide-ranging audience with varying maturity levels.
• CIPM certification and experience in highly regulated environments including telecommunications, banking, insurance and retail is highly desirable.

What's in it for you?

• Competitive remuneration and colleague discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and outstanding shopping discounts with our retail partners.
• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home.
• Vibrant and collaborative office campus that includes cafes, convenience store, chill out zones, GP, post office, gym, and on-site childcare centre.
• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected' days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever's important to you.
• We support growing families with inclusive, carer-neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks.
• Direct your own development and build future-ready skills with Optus U's industry-focused micro-credentials, developed with La Trobe and Macquarie Universities.
• Foster meaningful connections through colleague-led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network, and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in-person, by phone, SMS, or video.
• Free Optus bus from Macquarie University Metro Station (every 6-8 minutes); morning and afternoon.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying 'yes' to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email or call We're here to help. When you contact us, please advise your preferred method of contact, and we will be in touch within 48 hours.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit