Plan International Australia | Permanent, Full-Time | Hybrid | Melbourne | SCHADS Level 7
We are the world’s leading organisation dedicated to girls’ equality.
We believe when we invest in girls, everything changes — their families, communities and entire nations rise. We tackle the root causes of inequality, support communities through crisis, and shift money, power and influence toward girls and the local organisations closest to them.
We are evolving. We’re becoming a bridge builder — mobilising evidence, influence and investment that strengthens those closest to the issues, rather than simply delivering programs ourselves. AI, technology and trusted data are central to how we’ll do this. This is the world you will help us create.
We’re looking for a values-driven technology leader to own and deliver Plan International Australia’s integrated Technology, Data and AI strategy – one of our four key strategic investments as we move into our next chapter.
As Associate Director, Technology, Data & AI, you will lead a unified function bringing together AI capability, data governance and intelligence, enterprise systems, knowledge management and infrastructure security. You won’t just keep the lights on – you’ll shape how a smaller, more focused organisation does more sophisticated, higher-impact work for girls.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer , you’ll sit at the centre of our strategic flywheel – enabling fundraising to convert supporters to lifetime relationships, programs to surface evidence that shifts policy, finance to forecast with confidence, and people leaders to build a strong, inclusive culture.
This is a rare opportunity to lead technology and AI strategy in an organisation that sees these capabilities not as back-office functions, but as enterprise enablers that run across every part of our mission.
Lead our Technology, Data & AI Strategy
- Own and deliver PIA’s integrated technology, data and AI strategy – aligning platforms, systems and data across supporter, impact, financial, people and operational domains.
- Own the AI and automation roadmap – sequencing foundations, function-specific automation and strategic AI capability, so we work smarter and deliver more for girls.
- Own major platform lifecycle decisions – including CRM (Salesforce), payment architecture, data warehouse and enterprise system succession – bringing costed roadmaps, investment cases and clear recommendations to the Executive and Board.
Be the Custodian of Our Data
- Serve as the organisational custodian of data across all domains, holding accountability for a single, coherent data governance framework.
- Set strategic direction for data quality, integrity, classification and lifecycle standards – shifting from reactive cleansing to proactive monitoring and exception reporting.
- Ensure the delivery of decision-useful analytics, insights and reporting across the organisation.
Lead with Purpose and Connection
- Lead a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team spanning data, systems, infrastructure and AI capability (3 permanent reports, plus contractors as required).
- Build and hold a business-partnering culture – moving from service-desk posture to genuine strategic partner, where your team maintains deep understanding of the business domains they support.
- Convene and lead governance of data, systems and AI priorities, ensuring competing demands are surfaced, trade-offs are made deliberately, and the forward roadmap is understood and supported.
Shape the Future
- Provide strategic advice to the Executive and Board on technology, data and AI opportunities, risks and investment decisions.
- Maintain active horizon scanning across sector, regulatory and technology developments — bringing forward changes to strategy where material opportunities or risks emerge.
- Represent PIA in the global Plan International federation on shared learning, standards and technology practice.
Skills and Experience
- Senior leadership experience across technology, data, systems and AI in a complex organisation, with demonstrated ability to unify these disciplines under an integrated strategy.
- Deep experience owning enterprise data environments, including CRM (Salesforce highly desirable), finance and HR platforms, and integration architecture.
- Demonstrated experience developing and delivering AI and automation strategy, including governance, ethics and adoption.
- Experience uplifting operational and control maturity — including documentation, systematisation, control design and audit response.
- Demonstrated ability to reduce key-person dependency through process design, automation and knowledge management — not only through team structure.
- Track record of managing technology and data operating budgets, balancing operational continuity with strategic investment.
How You Lead
- You share power and seek out the strengths of colleagues, while holding clear accountability for your areas of responsibility.
- You work beyond traditional team boundaries, finding energy in collaboration and coaching over directing.
- You embrace using AI and technology responsibly and ethically — always in service of our mission.
- You demonstrate a deep commitment to equality, human rights, gender justice, child protection and safeguarding.
- You will get up each day knowing your work helps create justice and equality for girls.
- Hybrid working: We do some of our work in the office and some at home – and honour true flexibility.
- You’ll find strength in our diversity, inclusiveness and mutual respect.
- Salary packaging: up to $15,900 in pre-tax salary packaging plus $2,650 meals and entertainment packaging, increasing your take-home pay
- You’ll be part of a bold strategic shift – helping build an organisation that is smarter and more impactful.
- Access to wellbeing suppport and EAP.
- Connection: regular team events, offsites, and active staff-led communities including our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group, Reconciliation Action Plan Group, Pride Network Committee and Social Committee
Safeguarding, gender equality, inclusion and anti-racism are central to who we are and how we work. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure that we – and anyone who represents us – does not harm, abuse or commit any act of violence against the people we work with, including children, young people, and all participants and partners.
Plan International believes that in a world where children and program participants face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we do everything we can to keep children and program participants safe. As part of our efforts to create safe environments for children and program participants, candidates will be required to complete a satisfactory National police Check, sign our Safeguarding policies and code of conduct, and where necessary complete a Working with Children Check.
Review the PD and submit your CV and a brief cover letter (no more than two pages) addressing how your experience and leadership approach align with this role.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews may commence before the closing date. Early application is encouraged.
For a confidential discussion, contact [email protected] to reach out to our P&C team.
Plan International Australia is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and identities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and LGBTIQ+ individuals are encouraged to apply.
