Blue Bateau is recruiting for one of Australia's most progressive creative innovation companies - seeking an exceptional Executive Director to lead their Public Practice and drive growth across government, cultural institutions, and commonwealth corporations.

This is one of the most senior client leadership positions in the company, reporting directly to the Managing Director. The role blends strategic growth, creative innovation delivery, and C-suite relationship management across some of Australia's most significant accounts.

The Role

As Executive Director, you will be responsible for:

Client Leadership & Growth

Sustain and grow a $5m+ client portfolio across public sector, government departments, cultural institutions, and commonwealth corporations

Develop and execute client engagement strategies that drive account expansion and new revenue opportunities

Build trusted C-suite and senior relationships with government, corporate, and cultural institutions

Lead responses to RFPs and drive new business pursuits and pitches

Ensure continuity and growth across long-term strategic client relationships

Team Leadership

Lead multidisciplinary teams of 15-20+ people across Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and APAC delivery hubs

Coach and mentor client service teams, fostering interdisciplinary excellence

Drive team retention and create a culture of creative innovation

Act as a cultural leader within the company

Strategic Delivery

Lead multi-year creative, experience, and digital programs across public and enterprise clients

Push creative and digital work that sets new industry standards

Champion the intersection of creativity, technology, and transformation

Lead engagements across creative communications, brand transformation, customer experience strategy and design, data and business intelligence, product development, and technology transformation

Drive AI-enabled innovation for client growth

About You

Essential Requirements:

10+ years' experience in client leadership, consulting, or leading transformations client-side

Proven success managing multi-million-dollar, multi-year accounts

Strong background in public sector, government, or complex enterprise clients (banking, telecommunications, higher education)

Experience leading large multidisciplinary teams (15-20+ people)

Demonstrated ability to grow revenue through organic expansion and new business

Fluency in AI and its application to drive creative and technology innovation

Excellent presentation and communication skills with ability to influence boards, executives, and government decision-makers

Australian Citizenship and ability to gain security clearance (Baseline or NV1 preferred)

Based in or willing to relocate to Canberra

Demonstrated experience in budget oversight for large accounts

What's On Offer

$300,000 per annum package including superannuation

Lead one of Australia's most significant public sector practices

Work at the intersection of creativity, technology, and transformation

Shape the future of how government and cultural institutions engage with Australians

Multidisciplinary team environment spanning strategy, creative, technology, and data

How to Apply

Please submit your CV along with a cover letter outlining your experience leading transformational client engagements in the public sector or complex enterprise environments.

All applications will be treated with strict confidentiality.