Solution Architect

The Implementation Strategy Specialist will lead the development of implementation and transition approaches to support successful delivery of reform initiatives. The role will support implementation planning, governance, stakeholder engagement, operational readiness, testing and change activities across the program of work.

A key function of the role will be to design and support interim operating models, processes and delivery arrangements where future-state digital or system solutions are not yet available, ensuring business continuity and enabling phased implementation. The role will identify transition requirements, develop implementation documentation and guidance materials, support operational readiness activities, and facilitate the progression from current-state and interim arrangements to future-state operating models and system solutions.

Key duties and responsibilities

• maintain integrated delivery plans and documentation (across policy, operations, legal, digital, data and comms/change) to guide efficient and successful delivery

• deliver key project artefacts and project/governance reporting to support integrated critical path and governance oversight, including risks, issues and mitigations

• maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders across data, digital, policy, grants operations and corporate areas

• facilitate structured knowledge transfer to APS staff to build internal delivery capability and reduce reliance on external resources.

• Technical Advisor/Lead specific:

• ensure effective management of project risks, issues, dependencies and implementation activities

• deliver high-quality business design, implementation and governance artefacts

• provide strategic advice to support future investment and implementation decisions

About the team

The department is seeking an external delivery team with expertise and demonstrated capability in business design, project delivery, business architecture, technical advisory services, implementation planning and data analytics to support rapid delivery of government reform. These specialist skills are outside existing departmental capability and are required to support time-limited and intensive delivery activities across policy, grants administration, community sector reform, data and digital functions.

About the project

The Department of Social Services (department) is progressing a range of community sector reform activities aimed at strengthening evidence, improving outcomes, supporting workforce sustainability and informing future investment decisions.   Government has committed to the implementation of relational contracting through the new Children and Family Support Program, establishing the foundations for future scaling across the Department of Social Services (department) programs and potential adoption at whole-of-Commonwealth level. Relational contracting is an approach to managing Commonwealth grant funding that prioritises long‑term partnerships and shared outcomes over short‑term compliance. This enables structured collaboration, adaptive delivery, shared decision‑making with a greater focus on outcomes. This shift aligns with the Minister for Social Services announcement about the intent to trial this approach through Families and Children (FaC) reform and in response to strong and consistent signals from the community sector, emerging evidence on effective commissioning, and broader Commonwealth reform directions.   The department is progressing a range of community sector reform activities, including implementation of relational contracting, business design and operating model development, future service delivery arrangements and broader commissioning reform priorities. As part of this work, the department is also strengthening the evidence base available to support policy, funding and commissioning decisions through improved understanding of workforce, organisational and service-level information requirements across the community sector.