Chief Data Officer/Assistant Secretary

at  Department of Finance

• Budget Group / Budget Policy and Data Division Division / Data Governance and Analytics Branch
• Ongoing | Full-time
• Canberra, ACT

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Finance is looking for a dynamic person to be our Chief Data Officer and Assistant Secretary of Data Governance and Analytics Branch.
As Assistant Secretary of the Data Governance and Analytics Branch you will lead the work of the branch, set its strategic direction and build capability across its diverse data governance, data analytics and budget management activities. You will lead and motivate your team to deliver the branch’s outcomes and be an active part of the senior leadership of Budget Policy and Data Division.

As Finance’s Chief Data Officer you will lead our data governance strategy and management. You will engage with and support all parts of Finance to develop and administer our data governance frameworks. You will be an organisational leader on data governance issues, working with Finance’s leadership to:

• develop, implement and embed a robust governance framework for the management of data in Finance;
• identify and track Finance’s data holdings;
• identify and act on opportunities to improve Finance’s data management;
• build awareness and understanding of data and the opportunities associated with it; and
• build our data analytics activities to be an accessible and trusted element of Finance’s understanding of, and advice about, its budget, governance, commercial and administrative responsibilities.

To be a strong contender for this important and challenging role you will need to be forward thinking, self-motivated, resilient and adept at building relationships in a complex and fast paced environment.
You will contribute to and communicate the strategic direction of the Department and your strong leadership credentials and ability to engender trust and respect will be complemented by sound judgement, a strong focus on results, and the ability to solve complex issues.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

Our ideal candidate has experience in data governance and management and in leading policy development. You will have experience in building and leading diverse teams, creating sustained capability and leading organisational change.

We are seeking a candidate who:

• has proven ability to engage colleagues and establish, build and maintain productive working relationships to achieve outcomes;
• is an innovative thinker who has the ability to manage multiple priorities;
• can harness information from a variety of sources and has well-developed analytical skills;
• has excellent communication, engagement and negotiation skills;
• is highly motivated and has an agile approach that lets you anticipate opportunities and foster creativity and innovation in your team;
• shows excellence in people management and provides a safe and inclusive working environment; and
• shows resilience, integrity and personal accountability.

You will have a strong understanding of how data can drive good policy outcomes and advice and the ways in which this links Finance to whole of government frameworks and the Government’s agenda. You will invest in people to build capabilities in data analysis and how it is explained in ways which support business outcomes and identify opportunities for innovation. You will have the capability to be a senior organisational leader who represent the interests of Finance.
We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, First Nations people and people with disability.
You will be supported in your work and will have access to professional development and learning opportunities relating to your specific role and broader public sector leadership.
As part of our commitment to ensuring we appoint the right leaders whose behaviours are consistent with the APS values and Secretaries Charter of Leadership Behaviours, you may be asked to provide to the selection panel a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and/or 360o feedback or equivalent (where applicable).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

You will have appropriate experience and qualifications concerning data governance, data management and data analysis.
Experience and qualifications including public policy, financial management, information management, statistics, economics and data related disciplines, would be desirable.

• enterprise data governance for Finance, integrated with whole of government data frameworks and policies;
• the management of requests for Finance data under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022; and
• providing data-based insights to inform Finance’s advice on government expenditure, program delivery and operations