Director of Technology & Cyber

Hybrid working, with three days working from home

Located next to Southern Cross Station

Enterprise leadership role with organisation-wide impact

At Open Universities Australia (OUA), we believe everyone should have access to quality education, no matter their background or stage of life.

For more than 30 years, we've helped over 400,000 students take their next step, often during some of the most important moments of their lives. Whether someone is changing careers, returning to study or pursuing a lifelong goal, the work we do helps open new possibilities every day.

That's what makes working at OUA meaningful. Every experience we create, every conversation we have and every decision we make can have a real impact on someone's future.

When we do our best work, we help change lives.

Job Description

Technology is changing quickly, and we want to make sure OUA is ready to take advantage of what comes next while continuing to operate securely, reliably and responsibly.

As our Director of Technology & Cyber, you'll shape the technology ecosystem that enables OUA to work effectively today while building the foundations for the future.

This is a broad enterprise leadership role spanning technology strategy, cyber security, organisational resilience, digital workplace, infrastructure, cloud, SaaS, vendors and the responsible adoption of AI and emerging technology.

You won't need to be the person configuring the technology or designing every solution. Your strength will be knowing enough to ask the right questions, understand the business context, challenge thinking, bring the right people together and turn complex technical considerations into practical business decisions.

Working closely with Engineering and leaders across OUA, you'll help us balance innovation, security, risk, investment and business value while creating an environment where our people can use technology confidently and effectively.

Here's what a normal day might look like for you

Shaping OUA's technology strategy, principles and priorities across the platforms and services that enable our people to do their best work

Helping leaders make sound technology investment decisions by balancing business need, security, integration, cost, risk and long-term value

Creating the technology governance and guardrails that allow OUA to experiment with and adopt AI safely and confidently

Keeping an enterprise view of cyber security and technology risk, ensuring material risks and control gaps are understood and addressed

Strengthening our incident management, business continuity, disaster recovery and organisational resilience capability

Partnering closely with Engineering and business leaders to clarify accountabilities and solve cross-functional technology challenges

Improving the employee technology experience through simplification, automation and contemporary service practices

Leading and developing a capable, service-oriented Technology & Cyber function

Building strong relationships with strategic vendors and partners, including leading sourcing decisions, commercial negotiations and service performance

Keeping an eye on what is changing across technology, cyber and AI, and translating those developments into practical opportunities for OUA

These responsibilities reflect the role's enterprise-wide accountability for enabling technology, cyber risk, organisational resilience, partnerships and technology capability.

Here are some ways you will bring your best to this role

You're likely someone who started your career close to the technology, whether that was in infrastructure, cyber security, engineering or another technical discipline, and over time developed into a broader enterprise leader. You'll also bring:

Significant senior leadership experience across technology, cyber, infrastructure, engineering or a related environment

The ability to build credibility with technical specialists while communicating clearly with senior leaders and non-technical stakeholders

Strong judgement when balancing technology opportunity, security, risk, cost and business priorities

Experience shaping enterprise technology environments, standards, governance and investment decisions

A strong understanding of cyber security, technology risk, infrastructure and cloud environments

Experience enabling AI, automation or other emerging technologies in a practical and responsible way

Strong people leadership skills, with experience developing technical teams and building service-oriented cultures

Experience in incident management, business continuity, technology recovery or organisational resilience

Commercial confidence across vendors, outsourced services, sourcing, negotiation and technology investment

A collaborative leadership style. You know when to challenge, when to influence and when to bring in deeper specialist expertise

Relevant tertiary qualifications or professional certifications in technology, cyber security, engineering or a related discipline would be valuable, but we're equally interested in the experience and judgement you bring.

Why you'll love working at OUA

OUA is a not-for-profit organisation with a strong people-first mindset. We do meaningful work that helps change lives through education, while creating an environment where our people feel supported, valued and empowered to grow.

When you join OUA, you become part of a warm, inclusive and curious culture where your ideas matter, your wellbeing is prioritised and your development is encouraged.

Here are some of the benefits you'll enjoy.

Flexibility and ways of working

• Hybrid working, with three days working from home each week
• Workation leave, giving you the option to work from anywhere for up to 10 days each year

Leave that supports you

• 12 weeks paid parental leave for primary carers, regardless of gender
• Additional purchased leave to support greater flexibility
• Menstrual and menopausal wellbeing leave, with up to six additional paid days each year
• Inclusive leave to celebrate cultural, religious or personal events

Health and wellbeing

• Discounted health insurance
• A paid Calm subscription to support your wellbeing

Learning, growth and financial benefits

• Short term incentives and not-for-profit salary packaging, including novated leasing
• Subsidised study opportunities and study leave
• Learning and professional development opportunities

OUA is committed to building and fostering an inclusive, diverse workplace. Our marketplace is for everyone, so is our workplace. Come and share your personal experiences, perspectives and background with us as we continue to help students transform their lives.

We strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds