Office for Early Childhood Development
Job reference: 841782
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 developmental 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 Data Analyst holds a crucial role in leading data analysis for the Infrastructure and Local Planning team to drive informed decision-making and effective planning.

The Senior Policy and Data Analyst will focus on identifying areas for continuous improvement and escalating issues to better inform the Office’s current and future strategies in relation to early childhood development services.

 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead the development of specialist advice in relevant policy areas by interrogating policy and operational requirements and how different functions or choices impact on outputs.
• Generate data reports and outputs to support strategic modelling, integrated service planning and scenario analysis using a range of data inputs to support statewide service provisioning.
• Undertake data analytics to support strategic decision-making and systemic provisioning of preschool and other early childhood development services
• Provide specialist advice to identify, standardise and maintain relevant data sources and models, and inputs into a range of data products and methodologies across the work program.
• Undertake activity to improve data and related reporting, including determining goals, priorities, and objectives, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, and ensuring data and information are tailored to the intended audience to maximise its value.

 

About you:

The Senior Policy and Data Analyst will bring experience delivering data driven policy analysis, providing complex advice and leading end to end data programs with a continuous improvement focus.

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

• Experience in contributing to policy analysis and complex advice, which applies data, data analytics, and data presentation.
• Demonstrated experience in leading a program of work involving data, including extracting, manipulating, analysing, maintaining and visualising multiple complex data sources.
• Conceptual ability and experience in synthesising a range of complex data and information to understand and address policy and planning challenges.
• Ability to build collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders, including senior executives, and conduct high level and sensitive liaison and negotiation to deliver specialist advice, briefings and evidence-based reports within a complex work environment.

 

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 - $112,163 - $121,246 (1.0 FTE) per annum, plus superannuation 12%.

 

Additional Note:

There are two full-time long term contract roles available (1.0 FTE) with potential to be made ongoing.

 

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: 03/05/2026 11:45 PM

Attachments:
- Position Description - ASO7 Senior Policy and Data Analyst.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.