Lead the charge in transforming the Victorian Water Register—drive strategy, innovation, and delivery for a smarter, more secure future!

About the role

The Technical Program Lead is responsible for leading the uplift of the Victorian Water Register (VWR). The role will provide strategic guidance to the uplift team and the broader VWR work program governance, as well as overseeing the delivery operations to successfully deliver the outcomes of the uplift work program.

The Technical Program Lead will lead the Evolve project team, situated within the Register and Monitoring Services branch, and work with DEECA Information Services Division, VWR Partners and Implementation Partner to plan, execute, monitor and report on the progress of the project to senior leadership, Executives, Project Control Board (PCB) and Victorian Water Register program governance.

This role requires a flexible thinker with proven experience working within and across organisations to deliver complex ICT transformation projects. As a people leader, your ability to manage and support your team to deliver outcomes through a positive culture and a one-team approach will be an asset in this role. Knowledge of the Victorian water sector and the critical functions of the VWR to provide services to the sector, or the demonstrated ability to rapidly acquire such knonwledge, is required.

The Technical Program Lead is expected to be able to quickly step into providing strategic leadership for the VWR uplift program of work, including to critically evaluate recommendations and analysis provided by Water and Catchments Group specialist staff, DEECA's Information Systems Division, and relevant third party suppliers. The Program Lead will bring their commercial acumen to bear in leading DEECA's Procurement Strategy for the VWR uplift program for the short- to medium term (i.e. to at least the end of the current funding period, June 2028). The Program Lead will also leverage their strong technical expertise to develop and champion a strategic roadmap for the uplift program, which sets out a viable sequence of upgrades to ensure the VWR remains secure and reliable, and is also uplifted to being able to deliver the customer-oriented benefits described in the VWR 10-year strategy.

About you:

To be successful in the role, you will have:

• Extensive experience as a Program Lead/Manager of complex projects, particularly in relation to digital transformation and service delivery. This includes demonstrated experience in program planning practices that support flexible project delivery approaches within the broader context of robust program tracking to agreed baselines.
• Knowledge and experience in the implementation of migration-based approaches to moving organisational digital platforms onto contemporary technologies (particularly Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365)), and in shaping and delivering an uplift roadmap that delivers iterative benefits.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and leading a high-performing Project Management Office, which provides transparency and accountability to ensure that projects are well-managed and issues and risks are proactively identified and mitigated.
• Adaptability and the ability to lead and support a project team in a fast-paced environment with cross-functional teams.
• Relevant qualifications in technical/IT program management would be highly regarded (e.g. accreditation with professional project management bodies such as AIPM (Australian Institute of Project Management) or PMI (Project Management Institute)).

• Knowledge and/or experience in the application of technology to water resource management, preferably within a Victorian Government context.
• Demonstrated understanding of the policy and legislative frameworks relevant to the Victorian Water Register context or demonstrated ability to rapidly acquire such understanding.

• Ability to influence and negotiate with senior leaders within DEECA's Water and Catchments Group and Corporate Services Group (including Procurement, Finance, and Information Services Division), third party service providers, and VWR Partner organisations.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage, influence, and inspire partners and stakeholders to drive collaboration, alignment and project execution.
• Extensive stakeholder consultation and facilitation experience with a track record of delivering quality solutions to a range of stakeholders in both a strategic and operational capacity.

• Technical Program Management expertise:
• Water sector expertise:
• Executive leadership and influence:

About the branch

The Register and Monitoring Services branch provides a range of business-critical water services. We collect, store and share water entitlement, trade and resource condition data and information with the water sector, businesses, and the general public. This includes:

• Undertaking a continuous program of water resource monitoring and assessment, that collects and publishes consistent state-wide surface water (950 locations) and groundwater (1400 locations) data.
• Managing the Victorian Water Register, its website and the related digital business services, including water market facilitation services and broker oversight.
• Managing seasonal determinations and Victoria's water accounting functions.
• Providing online resources, annual water accounts and trade reports, educational material and community-led platforms.

These services underpin water management decision-making by government, and empower Victorians to make effective water use, planning and trading decisions for themselves.

The Victorian Water Register (VWR)

The VWR was established in 2007 to meet the requirements of section 84A of the Water Act 1989 for a centralised system keeping records and information and water entitlements and enable the Minister for Water, the Water Registrar and rural water corporations (VWR Partners) meet their legislative obligations to maintain records and information.

There is a need to uplift the current IT platform of VWR to meet evolving cyber-security, data privacy and service standards for public users, while maintaining the existing register until the uplifted technology comes online.

This is a fixed term position available for a period of 2 years. The work location for this position is flexible within Victoria with hybrid work arrangements available.

To be considered for this position, applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) summarising their skills and relevant experience.

For further information, please refer to the attached position description or call Gwen DeBoe, Director, Register and Monitoring Services on 0458 965 690.

Applications close at midnight on Sunday, 4 May 2025.

Other relevant information:

Preferred candidates will be required to undertake pre-employment screening, including a Declaration and Consent form and a National Police Check.

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

A Diverse, Inclusive and Flexible Workplace

DEECA welcomes applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and we focus on the essential requirements of the job and being consistent and fair in our treatment of all applicants. We also understand that a balanced life is important to our employees. Talk to us about our flexible options such as working some days from home, starting early or late, working part time, job sharing or accessing paid or unpaid leave.