assistant director, change and local insights

Office for Early Childhood Development

Job reference: 708872

Location: ADELAIDE

Job status: Long Term Contract

Eligibility: Open to Everyone

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.

About this role:

The Assistant Director, Change and Local Insights plays a pivotal leadership role in guiding the implementation of early childhood reforms across the state, including the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool. This role will be crucial in ensuring that reforms are effectively adapted to local needs, fostering strong partnerships with local stakeholders, and leading teams dedicated to transformative change within communities.

The Assistant Director, Change & Local Insights leads a network of four Local Teams, along with the local data and insight's function, ensuring the experience and evidence from communities directly shape how South Australia's early childhood reforms are delivered.

Working closely with the Assistant Director, Change & Local Implementation, this position provides a unique opportunity to impact the early childhood landscape at a significant scale and presents the chance to lead innovative change initiatives, driving improved outcomes for children and influencing future policy and practice at both local and state levels.

This position will have a strategic focus on collecting, analysing and reporting on insights and evidence from local stakeholder engagement processes, which will be used by the OECD to refine the holistic and connected system of stewardship and reform.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and support to four Local Teams, developing and driving aligned change management strategies
• Provide operational leadership, to maximise impact and efficiency to four local teams.
• Develop and maintain influential and productive partnerships with key stakeholders including long day care centres, government and non-government preschool providers and other government and non-government agencies
• Design and promote feedback mechanisms and act as a conduit between central policy and decision-making and local experiences and insights.

• Design, implement and lead strategic data and insights frameworks, tools and resources to support the monitoring and evaluation of local implementation efforts

• Contribute to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment

For full details of the Key Outcomes and Key Competencies for this role, please see the Position Description, linked below.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who brings:

• Leadership and vision: Significant experience and demonstrated ability to lead teams and projects, setting clear objectives and drive strategic outcomes.
• Change management: Proven ability to lead the development and execution of change management strategies.
• Operational and project leadership: Experienced in leading dispersed teams and delivering strategic operational support, budget, and policy to advance early childhood outcomes and meet government objectives.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving: Ability to devise effective strategies that align with overarching reform goals
• Stakeholder management: Highly developed skills in managing relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Communication: Exceptional communication skills, capable of clearly articulating plans, inspiring collaboration, and negotiating effectively with stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Be adaptable to changes in work direction/focus.
• Autonomy: Demonstrated ability to operate under broad direction, exercise judgement, initiative, and delegated authority whilst managing high volumes of complex work
• Information analysis and provision: Demonstrated ability to interpret complex data and provide expert policy advice to senior leaders.
• Achievement of outcomes: Proven ability to deliver high – level results independently under pressure, managing competing priorities and leading stakeholder consultation and negotiation.
• Coordination: Proven ability to plan, implement and coordinate programs and projects aligned with government policy.

Desirable Skills:

A degree in a related discipline would be highly regarded

Role Benefits:

• Opportunities for professional development and career growth within the SA public sector
• Be part of an agency with a clear mission to improve the lives of South Australia's children and families.
• Access to valuable salary sacrifice benefits like car leases, portable electronic devices, mobile phones, airline lounge memberships, self-education expenses, and more. Ask us about how you can make your salary go further working at the OECD.
• Access to flexible working arrangements to get that work life balance.

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.

Remuneration:

MAS3 - $127, FTE) per annum, plus superannuation of 12%.

Additional Note:

This is a 2-year term contract role (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.

Enquiries:

Enquiries can be directed to

Special Conditions:

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

Applications close: 23/11/2025 11:45 PM