Director, Strategy, Operations and Reporting

• Opportunity to work at the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) a national purpose-driven organisation which is a symbol of hope and an essential vehicle for action for many victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
• Join at an exciting period of growth, as the National Centre expands its team.
• The chance to take on an influential role as part of the executive team, leading operations and strategy delivery to ensure strong foundations, accountable governance, and meaningful outcomes for government, partners, and survivors.
• Full time (1.0) fixed-term position until December 2026
• A national remote role, available in every major Australian city (with no preference for any location).
• The successful candidate will undertake domestic travel occasionally as part of this role.
• $160,000 - $165,000 (FTE) + superannuation + salary packaging options

Note: this advertisement refers to child sexual abuse and may bring up strong feelings. Please take care of yourself and seek support if you need. Support services can be found on our website.

Role summary

The Director, Strategy, Operations and Reporting provides executive leadership for the operational and strategic delivery functions of the National Centre. This role ensures that governance, compliance, and risk systems are robust, reporting is accurate and timely, and strategic initiatives are translated into clear, actionable plans.

Working in close partnership with the CEO and executive team, this role enables effective strategy execution by embedding planning, performance, and reporting cycles across the organisation. This position oversees key relationships with government, funders, and external providers, ensuring confidence in the Centre’s accountability and operational integrity.

Through leadership of core operational systems, the Director, Strategy, Operations and Reporting drives continuous improvement, organisational resilience, and reliable delivery against strategic priorities. In doing so, this role strengthens the National Centre’s ability to deliver on its mission to prevent child sexual abuse and improve recovery pathways for victims and survivors.

At the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, we are committed to elevating the wisdom and expertise of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Values of safety, inclusion and trauma-responsiveness guide our interactions, including in our recruitment process. The National Centre team commit to authentic and meaningful engagement with people with Lived Experience - ensuring their voices are heard, valued, and embedded in our work.

Who you are (selection criteria)

• You hold relevant tertiary qualifications in business, public administration, law, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. Post-graduate qualifications are highly valued.
• You have demonstrated success leading operations in a national not-for-profit, public purpose, or research environment, working directly with a CEO and/or a Board.
• You bring strong capability in managing external providers across finance, human resources, information technology, legal, and employee assistance services, ensuring accountability and service quality.
• You have experience in governance, compliance, and risk management, including oversight of ISO-aligned systems and external audit cycles.
• You bring financial literacy, with the ability to oversee budgeting, forecasting, and Board reporting, while working effectively with external finance providers.
• You are experienced in impact measurement and reporting frameworks, with the ability to translate data into insights that inform decision-making and strengthen accountability.
• You have led change and continuous improvement in small, distributed teams, building capability and resilience across functions.
• You possess strong stakeholder management skills and understand the importance of tailoring communication to suit diverse audiences; including government funders, Board members, Lived Experience survivors and victims and other relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• You possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing clear, decision-ready papers for committees, the Board, and funders.
• You are organised and analytical, with strong project management skills and the ability to navigate competing priorities and complex stakeholder environments.
• You are aligned with the National Centre’s mission to disrupt child sexual abuse and bring about systemic change.
• You demonstrate a trauma-informed, ethical and survivor engaged approach to your work, and understand the critical importance of working in partnership with people with Lived Experience; ensuring their voices are heard, respected and meaningfully embedded in all that you do.

Research indicates that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised individuals often wait until they fulfil every requirement. If you believe you have the attributes to do the job but don't match every point on the job ad, we welcome and encourage your application.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and executive team to translate organisational strategy into clear operational plans, delivery schedules, and performance dashboards that drive accountability and impact.
• Coordinate reporting and accountability to government, ensuring timely, accurate, and transparent reporting on KPIs, the operational business plan, and all funding requirements.
• Lead Board and committee governance processes, ensuring reporting schedules, agendas, and papers are delivered to a high standard, with accurate content and timely follow-up on decisions and actions.
• Lead the organisation’s Integrated Management System (IMS), ensuring effective coordination of external audits across ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 45003, and embedding quality, safety, and wellbeing standards into everyday practice.
• Maintain and oversee the organisation’s enterprise risk register, ensuring risks are clearly identified, assessed, and actively monitored across all functions.
• Work in partnership with the CEO and external finance provider to set budgets and forecasts, monitor the organisation’s financial position, and identify strategies to support long-term sustainability and appropriate reserves.
• Maintain and continuously improve procurement policies, processes, and templates, ensuring they are compliant, practical, and aligned with organisational values and funding requirements.
• Lead, coach, and support two direct reports (Operations Lead and Reporting & Governance Lead), providing clarity, guidance, and regular feedback.

Please see the Director, Operations and Strategy Delivery position description for more.

Who we are

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse was established in November 2021 as a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It is a symbol of hope and an essential vehicle for action for many victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Its formation recognises the decades of advocacy by victims and survivors to be listened to, believed, validated, protected and ultimately supported to heal from the trauma they carry with them. Its focus extends beyond institutional child sexual abuse to abuse that occurs in the family, community and online.

The National Centre has woven the voices and experiences of victims and survivors into its very fabric. It acknowledges the strength and expertise that derives from their Lived and Living Experience of child sexual abuse. The National Centre recognises and honours the diversity of victims and survivors' experiences, identities and cultural backgrounds and their contributions to the common purpose of addressing child sexual abuse.

At the National Centre, we believe for victims and survivors to have the best opportunity to heal, they must feel safe to disclose and receive the necessary support that is non-stigmatising, appropriate to their needs and effective. Our purpose is to disrupt the dynamics that have failed to stop child sexual abuse from occurring, and prevented victims and survivors from being validated and supported.

Additional adjustments

We are committed to providing an inclusive experience to all candidates. If you have a disability, condition, illness or access requirements, please let us know how we can best support you throughout your recruitment experience. 

We recognise that each individual’s needs are different. Some examples of adjustments we can provide include (but are not limited to):

• Alternative formats or ways to submit your application (verbal or video)
• Flexible communication methods
• Additional time to complete tasks, assessments or pre-interview work
• Support from a support person or advocate during interviews
• Modifications to the interview structure, environment or timing

If you require additional adjustments, or would like to discuss any access needs as a part of the application and recruitment process, please contact us via email [email protected] 

Our candidate experience

We aim to be transparent and kind to all of our candidates. We value your time, and as such want to share how we do things so you know what to expect with no nasty surprises. For more information on our end-to-end candidate experience, please visit the SHE HR Consulting website.

How to apply

To express your interest, submit an online application through our application portal and include a professional resume. All applicants must also provide brief responses to the application questions that are included as part of the online application. 

Note: we do not accept cover letters as part of our application process.

We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in, with the role closing at 11:59pm on Sunday October 19. Getting your application in early is strongly encouraged.

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse is an equal opportunity employer and strives to maintain a workplace environment that is fair and free of discrimination, is safe and accessible for all employees, and provides working arrangements that accommodate the diverse needs of our staff. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people from culturally- and linguistically-diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ people and people of every ethnicity, faith, ability, culture, language, gender identity, age, and sex.

Employment in this position is conditional upon reception and maintenance of reference checks as part of pre-employment screening, and a Working With Children Check (or state equivalent).

As part of our employment screening process, we do run police checks. But don’t worry—having a criminal record doesn’t automatically disqualify you.