Senior Program Director

About the role

The NTPF Digital Transformation Program supports the NT Government's focus on reducing crime and improving community safety. It leads, coordinates and supports projects, tools and initiatives that enhance policing and organisational capability. The program includes a mix of directly delivered NTPF projects and externally led initiatives (such as those by DCDD, Territory Families, Health and DLI) that are currently underway, in early scoping or on the horizon. While NTPF is not responsible for delivery of all components, the program provides a coordinated governance model to track budget, dependencies, ensure alignment, and support successful implementation. The Senior Program Director will provide strategic leadership of major national reform initiatives within NTPF, including firearms reform, criminal intelligence integration, regulatory and screening uplift, and associated legislative and digital change. The role will oversee coordinated delivery of interdependent projects across digital, policy, legislative and operational domains, translating national requirements into practical solutions within the NT policing context. The position will maintain strong program governance, reporting, risk and funding oversight, represent NTPF in national forums, and lead a high-performing team to ensure reforms are embedded and deliver measurable operational outcomes.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Provide strategic and program leadership for major national reform initiatives within NTPF, including firearms reform, criminal intelligence integration, regulatory and screening uplift, and associated legislative and digital change programs
• Lead coordinated delivery of multiple interdependent projects spanning digital systems, policy, legislation, workforce design and operational business process reform
• Translate national reform requirements and Commonwealth expectations into practical, operationally viable solutions within the NT policing context
• Integrate outcomes from organisational reviews and broader reform agendas into structured program planning, sequencing and delivery
• Maintain disciplined program governance, including transparent reporting to executive, ministers, national boards and cross-agency partners, with clear control of scope, risk, funding and interdependencies
• Re-sequence delivery in response to evolving national timelines, funding agreements and operational pressures while maintaining oversight of risk, dependencies and benefits realisation
• Work closely with operational portfolios to ensure reforms are embedded, usable and deliver measurable frontline, intelligence and regulatory outcomes
• Represent NTPF in national and inter-jurisdictional forums to ensure NT interests are reflected and protected in broader reform settings
• Build and lead a high-performing program team capable of operating in a complex, politically sensitive and high-scrutiny environment

Essential skills and experience

• Demonstrated senior leadership experience including leading enterprise-scale initiatives or programs, with accountability for strategic delivery and cross-agency reform, underpinned by a minimum of 10 years experience in government, preferably within the Northern Territory public sector
• Demonstrated involvement in major organisational reform or review processes, including implementation of structural, governance or capability recommendations
• Proven experience managing multiple complex projects or reform streams concurrently, including digital, policy and operational change components
• Strong understanding of the policing environment, including operational risk, statutory frameworks, workforce pressures and executive governance expectations
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in national reform environments involving Commonwealth agencies and inter-jurisdictional governance arrangements
• Experience aligning digital system uplift with legislative reform, data integrity improvement and workforce capability impacts
• Strong working knowledge of NTG governance, funding agreement mechanisms and cross-agency reform environments
• Strong executive communication capability, including preparation of high-quality ministerial briefs, Cabinet submissions and national board papers
• Demonstrated ability to manage delivery under ambiguity, compressed timeframes and evolving national policy and governance settings

Desirable

• Formal program or project management qualifications
• Demonstrated track record of delivering measurable reform outcomes through clearly defined milestones and performance measures
• Experience contributing to large-scale structural or governance reform implementation programs
• Experience working on national policing, intelligence, firearms or regulatory reform initiatives

Personal qualities

• Credible and trusted by senior operational leaders, with a grounded understanding of policing culture and reform fatigue
• Pragmatic and disciplined, able to balance reform ambition with operational realism
• Calm and composed in high-profile or politically sensitive environments
• High integrity with strong governance instincts
• Able to bring clarity and structure to complex reform environments without creating unnecessary bureaucracy
• Focused on embedding change and achieving adoption, not simply delivering technical outputs
• Resilient, accountable and comfortable operating under national scrutiny and executive oversight