IT Project Manager

IT Project Manager - Defence Security Accreditation (DCSAAF)

Location: Sydney, NSW (Preferred) Candidates from other Australian states may be considered
Employment Type: 12-Month Initial Contract
Security Clearance: Baseline required NV1 preferred

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced IT Project Manager to lead a critical Defence security accreditation and governance workstream. This role is heavily focused on managing the documentation, coordination and stakeholder engagement required to achieve Defence Authorisation to Operate (ATO) outcomes.

This is not a traditional IT Project Manager role. The successful candidate must have demonstrated experience working within Defence security accreditation frameworks and managing the development and submission of DCSAAF documentation. Candidates without direct exposure to coordinating Defence accreditation artefacts and liaising with Defence stakeholders throughout the ATO process will not be considered.

You will work across business, technical, security and vendor teams to ensure all required documentation is developed, reviewed and submitted to support successful system authorisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end management of Defence security accreditation activities, with a strong focus on DCSAAF documentation.
• Manage the preparation and submission of Authorisation to Operate (ATO) packages for Defence systems.
• Coordinate the development of key Defence security artefacts, including:
  • Security Authorisation Plans (SAP)
  • System Security Plans (SSP)
  • Security Risk Management Plans (SRMP)
  • Incident Response Plans (IRP)
  • Continuous Monitoring Plans (CMP)
  • Supporting evidence and accreditation documentation.
• Liaise with Defence stakeholders, security authorities, internal SMEs, vendors and consultants throughout the accreditation lifecycle.
• Drive project governance, executive reporting, risk management and remediation activities.
• Manage project schedules, deliverables, dependencies and vendor performance.
• Engage with Defence stakeholders to support accelerated or conditional ATO pathways where appropriate.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across business, operational and technical functions to deliver project outcomes.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Demonstrated experience delivering complex ICT, cyber security or regulatory compliance projects.
• Proven experience managing Defence DCSAAF documentation and coordinating Authorisation to Operate (ATO) submissions.
• Demonstrated experience liaising directly with Defence stakeholders throughout the accreditation and assurance process.
• Strong project governance, stakeholder management and executive reporting skills.
• Experience managing SaaS, cloud-hosted or enterprise application implementation projects.
• Vendor management and contract coordination experience.
• Experience managing project risks, issues and remediation programs.
• Ability to coordinate technical, operational and business stakeholders to deliver outcomes.
• Australian Citizenship with a minimum Baseline Security Clearance (NV1 preferred).

Highly Desirable

• Defence, Defence Industry or Commonwealth Government experience.
• Strong understanding of Defence security frameworks including DCSAAF, DISP, PSPF and the ISM.
• Experience supporting cyber accreditation, security assurance or Authorisation to Operate activities.
• Experience implementing records or information management systems.
• Experience with Microsoft 365, SharePoint or enterprise document management platforms.

Location

The role is based in Sydney, NSW. Exceptional candidates located in other Australian states may be considered.

Please Note

This opportunity requires hands on experience preparing and coordinating Defence DCSAAF documentation and Authorisation to Operate (ATO) submissions. General IT Project Management experience without Defence accreditation exposure will not be sufficient for this role.

All applications should include your resume as a word document.

For more information, visit our website, or contact James Griffiths on .