Agency Purpose
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent statutory authority established by the Australian Government to maintain an impartial and independent electoral system for eligible voters through active electoral roll management, efficient delivery of polling services, and targeted education and public awareness programs.
The AEC’s values and commitments
The AEC values and commitments are an essential component of our operating environment and frame how AEC staff work. The AEC's focus is on electoral integrity through the values of quality, agility and professionalism.
The Team
The Cloud and Infrastructure Operations section provides the technology foundation on which the Australian Electoral Commission delivers its services to government, stakeholders, and the Australian public. As part of the Chief Technology and Data Branch, the section is responsible for the management and strategic direction of the AEC's cloud platforms, infrastructure services, databases, identity systems, telephony services, and hosting environments. The team ensures these critical services are secure, reliable, scalable, and aligned with the agency's operational and strategic priorities.
The section's work is fundamental to electoral integrity and organisational resilience; the team leads infrastructure planning, service sustainability, operational readiness, and continuous improvement, while supporting major technology change initiatives and maintaining stable business-as-usual services. Through strong partnerships across the agency and with external providers, the section helps ensure the AEC remains prepared to respond confidently to evolving business needs and the demands of electoral events.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner, Chief Technology and Data Officer, this is a pivotal leadership role responsible for shaping and sustaining the technology platforms that underpin the AEC’s critical operations. As Director, Cloud and Infrastructure, you will lead multidisciplinary teams delivering cloud hosting, infrastructure, database, identity, telephony, and platform services that support the agency’s business systems and electoral capabilities. You will be accountable for ensuring these services remain secure, resilient, fit for purpose, and capable.
As a member of the Chief Technology and Data Officer Branch senior leadership team, you will play a key role in setting strategic direction, managing risk, influencing investment decisions, and driving continuous improvement across the AEC’s technology environment. You will provide trusted advice to senior executives on infrastructure strategy, service sustainability, operational readiness, and emerging opportunities, balancing long-term modernisation with the delivery of reliable day-to-day services. The role offers significant scope to shape the future of cloud and infrastructure services while leading high-performing teams, managing critical vendor relationships, and delivering outcomes in a complex and highly visible operating environment.
The position also plays a vital role in preparing the AEC for federal elections, by-elections, referendums, and other periods of heightened operational demand. You will lead planning and readiness activities that strengthen organisational resilience, ensuring critical services remain available and responsive when they are needed most. This is an opportunity to combine strategic leadership, operational excellence, and public purpose, contributing directly to the delivery of trusted electoral outcomes for the Australian community.
To excel you’ll have:
- Ability to think strategically while maintaining a strong focus on operational outcomes, balancing long-term planning with the delivery of secure, reliable, and sustainable technology services.
- Proven experience leading high-performing teams through complex challenges, building capability, fostering accountability, and creating a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
- Demonstrated sound judgement and analytical capability, enabling effective prioritisation and confident decision-making in dynamic environments, including the management of complex issues, operational risk and periods of increased organisational demand.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and build trusted relationships across business areas, senior leadership, government, and external service providers.
- Experience leading large-scale technology services, programs, or operational functions where service continuity, resilience, and effective risk management are critical to organisational success.
- Demonstrated resilience and adaptability, with a commitment to delivering outcomes, while maintaining perspective, supporting others, and sustaining performance in high-demand and changing environments.
- Proven capability in driving continuous improvement and innovation, with the ability to identify opportunities, lead change, and translate strategic objectives into practical results.
Desirable
- Experience leading cloud, infrastructure, platform, or operational technology services in a complex enterprise or government environment.
- Relevant tertiary qualifications and / or professional experience in information technology, leadership, management, or a related discipline.
Eligibility
- AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
- Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.
