Data Services Program Manager

The Digital Business Division (DBD) brings together the retail digital functions of the Department along with the Digital and Analytics Office within the Agricultural Trade and Regulation Group.

We provide trusted digital and data leadership and expertise, to partner with staff and industry to co-design and deliver user-centred solutions, reduce biosecurity risk and grow agricultural exports, help safeguard Australia’s agricultural production, the environment and our way of life.

We are leading the transformation of Australia’s agricultural export and import systems by streamlining and improving the business experience and are committed to making it easier to do business with us. Incorporating the Taking Farmers to Market (TFTM) and the Simplified Targeting and Enhanced Processing System (STEPS) programs, the division delivers important digital business and service reforms for the Department. DBD is at the forefront of bringing about large-scale change to our agricultural export systems and bio-security cargo clearance systems, using the experience of our customers and stakeholders through digital transformation.

Digital and data offers compelling opportunities for transformation, allowing us to explore and rethink the way we build and deliver services. This ground-breaking work will have a significant impact as we deliver on many services to benefit the nation.

A Program Manager for Data Services is responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of several concurrent data-related projects, ensuring they are executed on time, within scope, and meet business objectives. The role typically requires a mix of technical knowledge, leadership skills, and project management expertise

Key duties and responsibilities

Knowledge and experience

We are seeking Program Managers whose experience enables them to:

1. Strategic Planning and Oversight: define a program’s scope, goals, and objectives, ensuring these elements align with the department’s strategic guidance artefacts.
2. Inter-project Coordination: manage relationships and dependencies between multiple projects within a program, ensuring smooth execution
3. Performance Monitoring and Reporting: track a program’s progress, identify necessary adjustments to a plan, and promote these adjustments
4. Stakeholder Communication: maintain high quality, clear and consistent written and verbal communication with stakeholders at all levels including senior executives, keeping all informed of progress, challenges, and decisions.

Skills and capabilities

We are seeking Program Managers who are skilled in :

1. Resource Management: allocating and managing resources (people, budget, time) across the program, optimising efficiency and outcomes. 
2. Risk Management: identifying and managing potential risks to the program’s success, proactively developing contingency plans.
3. Quality Assurance: ensuring projects within a program meet required quality standards and that the program delivers expected outcomes and benefits.
4. Team Leadership: providing leadership and mentoring to project managers and others, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
5. Data Project Knowledge: a general understanding of data architecture, data pipelines, data lakes, ETL processes, data security, and data governance.

Essential criteria

1. Project Management – Successful delivery of large-scale, complex data programs or projects involving cross-functional teams. Ability to tackle complex challenges and make decisions in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Flexible and able to manage shifting priorities and changing business needs. Ensure data quality and project accuracy in terms of scope and deliverables.

2. Data Project Knowledge – Working knowledge of data warehousing, data governance, data integration, data analysis, and reporting. Knowledge of ETL tools, BI tools, and data integration platforms

3. Collaboration + Teamwork – ability to work independently with limited guidance to create self-direction in uncertain and rapidly changing environments, displaying the characteristics of creativity and resilience. Ability to work openly and collegiately in a multi-disciplinary team, displaying a genuine consideration of how members from other disciplines contribute to the overall outcome. Have a strong focus on people and business outcomes over formal methodologies.

4. Communication – ability to produce high quality, clear and consistent written and verbal communication with stakeholders at all levels including senior executives. Ability to ensure all stakeholders are satisfied they are kept informed of progress, challenges, and decisions. Ability to ensure the contributions of all stakeholders are appropriately considered and find influence on projects and the overall program.