Office for Early Childhood Development
Job reference: 852574
Location: 5000 - ADELAIDE
Job status: Long Term Contract
Eligibility: Open to Everyone

Why work with us: 

The Office for Early Childhood Development was created to champion change and to help build a system that gives all South Australian children a flying start to life.

Guided by the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, the Office for Early Childhood Development is the steward of the early childhood development system in South Australia.

The Office is tasked with a significant responsibility: bringing together a holistic, connected system for early childhood development across South Australia, with the goal of reducing the rate of children entering school developmentally vulnerable. Critical to this is the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool from 2026, giving every child access to 2 years of teacher-led, play-based early learning before school by 2032.

About this role: 

The Senior Policy and Contracting Officer operates within our Funding Operations and Monitoring team and is responsible for the oversight of operational policy, commissioning approaches, funding operations and monitoring to support the effective delivery of early childhood reforms, with a focus on preschool services.

This role is critical to the management of preschool funding arrangements including the monitoring of provider performance and contributing to the development and design of policies, procedures and documentation.

Your Key Responsibilities: 

• Manage and maintain funding agreements, variations and other contractual agreements required to deliver funding preschool programs.
• Coordinate the delivery of preschool program outcomes through effective contract monitoring, development of audit plans, liaising with partners and ensuring compliance.
• Provide expert advice that leads innovative change in contracting and monitoring processes.
• Plan and implement complex policy and change management functions to monitor the effective implementation of funded preschool programs.

 

About you:

You will bring extensive experience in developing, managing and monitoring contracts, and delivering expert advice of complex policy changes, evaluations and risks, supported by strong knowledge of early childhood education issues and trends that underpin operational and management practices.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who brings:

• Proven experience in planning, development and delivery of complex and significant projects to achieve successful outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience in the development of contracts and grant/funding agreements, including implementing strategies for monitoring outcomes.
• A high level of communication and negotiation skills to work effectively with people at all levels within and outside of the public sector.
• Proven experience in providing high level advice and support services to a range of stakeholders in relation to complex policy.

 

Role Benefits: 

• A role with real influence and impact in government policy.
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth within the public sector
• Work with senior officials across government and early childhood sectors.
• Be part of an agency with a clear mission to improve the lives of South Australia’s children and families.
• Access to valuable salary sacrifice benefits like car leases, portable electronic devices, mobile phones, airline lounge memberships, self-education expenses, and more. Ask us about how you can make your salary go further working at the OECD.
• Access to flexible working arrangements to get that work life balance.

  

Application Instructions and Information:

Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants must submit a CV, Pre-employment Declaration, and a cover letter outlining their suitability against the attached position description.

Remuneration:

ASO7 - $116,089 - $125,490 (1.0 FTE) per annum, plus superannuation.

 

Additional Note:

This is a full-time long term contract role until June 2028 (1.0 FTE).

 

Enquiries:

Enquiries can be directed to OECD.PandC@sa.gov.au

 

Special Conditions:

For all other special conditions please refer to the attached position description.

Applications close: 09/08/2026 11:45 PM

Attachments:
- Position Description - ASO7 Senior Policy and Contracting Officer.pdf
- Pre-employment Declaration.pdf

Flexibility Statement
The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.