ROLE DETAILS

• Grade: Senior Director

• Type: Full-Time (37.5 hours/week)

• Term: Indefinite (Permanent)

• Location: Preference for Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra given existing relationships, but open to other locations in Australia. Please note that we're currently unable to sponsor visas and require the candidate to be authorised to work in Australia.

• Salary: A$ 175,679 - A$ 194,931. Salaries at CPI are benchmarked to country of residence and mapped to years of experience. Salaries at CPI are non-negotiable in line with our pay-equity policies.

• Travel: This role requires 10-12 domestic and/or international trips annually with consideration to climate impact.

• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (UK-based)

• Closing: February 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM/23:59 AEDT. Late applications will not be accepted as the portal closes automatically.

ABOUT CPI

Founded in 2015 by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), CPI was created to be a space for cross-sector dialogue and has since grown into a global not for profit that partners with governments, civil society organizations, and thought leaders to pioneer new approaches to change in the public sector. Our core values of Curiosity, Courage, Collaboration, Empathy, and Equity are the foundation of CPI’s culture and they will guide our future as we continue to grow and evolve. We have built a reputation as a trusted advisor and collaborator, with a diverse team of c. 70 people working across Australia, India, the UK and Europe and the US as well as cross-cutting themes including climate action, public health and inequality, equity and legitimacy and emerging technologies.

The CPI team in Australia was founded in 2020 and under the leadership of Thea Snow, who this role will replace, has built a strong reputation as a learning partner and thought leader, occupying a unique and distinct role in the Australian landscape. We partner with state and federal government agencies, as well as philanthropy and other actors, to create the conditions for systems change through story telling, social imagination, shifting mindsets and opening up the possibility of new approaches and new ways of thinking. The core team in Australia currently comprises 6 people based in Melbourne and Sydney, as well as a number of other Australian and international collaborators, working closely with colleagues in our global network.

Our current offers in Australia include:

• Learning Journeys: professional development and knowledge building experiences

• Learning Partnerships: supporting teams to embrace a learning practice and mindset through their work

• Research: exploring and sharing new ideas about what it means to reimagine government

• Convening: bringing people together to reimagine government

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity to build on and evolve the legacy of CPI’s successful first 6 years in Australia, whilst forging a new pathway as part of our emerging global strategy. We are looking for an inspiring and ambitious leader, able to quickly build trust with CPI’s key stakeholders in the Australian government and social impact sector, with BCG in Australia and New Zealand and globally, and across the CPI global network. You will also work closely with the CPI CEO based in the UK, and be a strong voice in the newly formed senior leadership team to support and drive success globally. 

Whilst the immediate priority is to secure and sustain the existing team and work, we aspire to grow over the next 2-3 years, both in terms of new services and offers in line with our global strategy, and across the Asia-Pacific region. This will include developing further local work with CPI’s global partners, and supporting thematic work in climate resilience, cities and AI and emerging technologies.

We would expect this role to be complemented over time by additional leadership roles in the APAC region, as we are able to secure additional funding and/or internal investments. This role will however play a key role in setting out a vision for CPI in the wider region, working closely with our CEO, the CPI ANZ Board and research committee and the relevant BCG teams and partners, drawing on the existing strengths, capabilities and successes of the current CPI team in Australia.   

We recognise that meaningful collaboration happens across time zones, hence the role requires a flexible working schedule, which may mean early mornings or late evenings to connect with team members worldwide. We value balance and well-being and will support you in managing your time in a way that works for you.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Stakeholder management and programme delivery / facilitation:

  • Build and expand CPI’s network of funders and partners in the Australia public service and social impact sector;

  • Support and lead the delivery and facilitation of CPI’s programmes in Australia, whilst enabling and empowering the team to do the same; 

  • Evolve and adapt CPI’s existing strengths and model as a learning partner, with a focus on enabling and amplifying learning and innovation in government and public services across CPI’s emerging programmatic focus areas.

• Business Development and Strategy:

  • Design and lead an Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand business development strategy, with an initial focus on securing and renewing current work 

  • Working closely with CPI’s global leadership team and BCG in the region, develop a 2-3 year vision and strategy for CPI in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Asia Pacific. This should include working with and supporting CPI’s planned thematic practices in  climate resilience, AI and emerging technologies, as well as drawing on existing CPI global partnerships such as Bloomberg Philanthropies and Google.org,  as well as current ANZ partnerships with Minderoo and Australian public sector agencies. This should also include developing an understanding of different funding opportunities within the Asia-Pacific region. 

  • Maintain and grow CPI’s  distinct voice within the Australian and New Zealand markets, through considered thought leadership, including podcasts, articles, blog posts, events and social media and enabling the current team to continue their current thought leadership work.

• People Management and Organisational leadership

  • Support, develop and inspire a high-performing  team, building on and sustaining a strong culture of learning, collaboration and mutual accountability;

  • Build trusted relationships quickly within the team, across the CPI global community, and be an active voice in the “senior leaders’ group”, working closely with the CEO and others.

  • Champion healthy boundaries, leadership and accountability, and encourage self-reflection and professional development.

  • Build an environment that fosters and maintains a culture of ownership, innovation and creative problem-solving, allowing individuals and teams to contribute their best work and grow in their capabilities.

  • Support and enable CPI’s approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Have 15+ years of professional experience, including experience within government and/or in government-facing advisory and support roles and in organisational leadership. Experience in coaching and change management, professional or client services in a public sector context, and/or non-profit/social impact space is useful; as is familiarity with approaches to systems change, leadership and facilitation.

• Senior leadership experience with a proven ability to lead and inspire teams and to support the development and engagement of staff and overall organizational goals.

• Be a people-focused leader with a commitment to fostering and cultivating a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. 

• Have unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values - engendering trust and ability to work across, and to actively strengthen a dispersed network and diverse, global community.

• Have a developed network within Australia and/or the Asia Pacific region to draw on to explore current and future business development opportunities 

• Be an organisational leader and strategic thinker with the ability and willingness to ‘do the work’ and share the load with the team

• Be able to draw upon a range of approaches for working through complex and ambiguous situations while supporting yourself and the team to stay flexible, curious, and to deliver through uncertainty.

• Provide inspiring leadership that demonstrates self awareness and balances authenticity with professional boundaries and an ability to deal with conflict and disagreement.

• Bring ambition for organisational growth and driving meaningful systems change at scale.

 REMUNERATION PACKAGE

The salary range for a Senior Director based in Australia is A$ 175,679 - A$ 194,931 mapped to years of experience along with benefits designed to support work-life balance. At CPI, we are committed to aligning our compensation framework with the principles of fairness, equity, and transparency. We benchmark salaries using national, country-specific data and aim to offer compensation between the 50th and 75th percentiles for all staff roles. Additionally, we maintain a 5-to-1 ratio between the most senior and junior staff, ensuring that our compensation structure remains equitable across the organisation. To ensure equity, salaries at CPI are non-negotiable. 

HOW TO APPLY

We use BeApplied to help reduce bias in our hiring process. You will not be asked for a cover letter; instead, we invite you to respond to four short, paragraph-length questions.

We understand that applicants may use AI tools as thought partners. We encourage you to treat the questions as an invitation to tell us about yourself– what you care about, what motivates you, and what draws you to this work. We are interested in responses that reflect how you would bring yourself and your experiences (lived and professional) to the role. Submissions that are directly copied or heavily reliant on AI will be flagged and scored lower. Each application is reviewed and scored individually by multiple team members, supported by systems designed to help maintain authenticity and fairness.

At CPI, we support governments to serve communities fairly and effectively and are committed to building an inclusive, respectful workplace; we value people with different backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives, and actively encourage applications from people from marginalised and underrepresented groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, across all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, family circumstances, and other identities protected under Australian law. You can read our full Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy here.