Director, Regulatory Performance and Advice

Essential Services Commission of South Australia
Job reference: 854372
Location: 5000 - ADELAIDE
Job status: Ongoing
Eligibility: Open to Everyone

Full-time, ongoing contract

ASO8 – $130,046 - $134,956 plus superannuation

Do you:

• have strong leadership skills and a desire to lead a team of experts in delivering a complex regulatory program that achieves real outcomes for South Australian consumers?
• enjoy turning financial, economic and performance information into strategic advice that shapes decisions and drives improvement?
• appreciate flexibility and the option to undertake hybrid working?

If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply to join ESCOSA in a senior leadership role that contributes to the protection of the long-term interests of South Australian consumers through public reporting, evaluation, advice and stakeholder engagement.

About the role

Reporting to the Executive Director, Delivery, Evaluation and Enforcement, the Director, Regulatory Performance and Advice provides strategic and operational leadership for the Commission's public reporting, advice and evaluation functions. The role oversees a comprehensive regulatory program and leads a team responsible for using data, information and analysis to provide insights on the performance of regulated entities and local government, supporting evidence-based decision-making and consumer outcomes.

Your responsibilities will include:

• High-level leadership: Lead, coach and develop a high-performing regulatory evaluation team, while fostering a collaborative, respectful and learning-focused culture.
• Program leadership and delivery: Lead and manage a comprehensive program of evaluating the performance of regulated entities and providing advice to local government, and ensuring the successful delivery of reporting, evaluation and advisory activities.
• Regulatory performance and evaluation: Oversee the analysis of performance of regulated entities and provide insights to support accountability and continuous improvement.
• Expert advice: Lead the provision of advice to regulated entities and councils on strategic management plans, revenue proposals, market evaluation insights and other matters.
• Stakeholder engagement: Build and maintain productive relationships with regulated entities, councils, consumer representatives, government agencies and other stakeholders.
• Strategic communication and advice: Oversee the preparation of high-quality reports, correspondence, briefing papers, website content and advice for diverse audiences.

About you

To be successful in this position, you will need to demonstrate:

• Leadership and people management: Extensive experience leading and developing teams, promoting high performance and fostering positive workplace cultures.
• Program management: Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex programs of work, including planning, resource management, risk management and delivery of outcomes.
• Research, analysis and advice experience: Experience in research and analysis in either business, financial or economic performance and providing evidence-based advice within complex environments.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and effectively and negotiate to achieve desired outcomes.
• Strategic thinking and judgement: Strong analytical, creative and lateral thinking skills, with the ability to exercise sound judgement and shape strategic direction.
• Regulatory and governance knowledge: Experience working with legislation, regulatory frameworks or governance arrangements.
• Qualifications: A tertiary qualification in accounting, business, law, economics or another relevant discipline is essential.
• Values-driven approach: A genuine commitment to the Commission’s core values: accountability, collaboration, agility, respect, and integrity.

About the Commission

The Commission is a statutory authority established as an independent economic regulator and advisory body to protect the long-term interests of South Australian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services. We add long-term value to the South Australian community by meeting our objective through independent, ethical and expert regulatory decisions and the provision of robust advice to Government. Our work is anchored in our core values of Accountability, Collaboration, Agility, Respect, and Integrity.

Our role includes licensing, consumer protection, service standards, pricing, monitoring, compliance and public reporting in the water, electricity and gas industries, and access regulation of essential ports and rail infrastructure. We also provide advice and conduct inquiries to inform the South Australian Government on economic and regulatory policy issues and provide advice to local government.

What we can offer

The Commission and the South Australian public sector promote diversity and flexible ways of working, including part-time work. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.

We support our employees to deliver high quality outcomes by genuinely providing a great work culture, fostering employee relations and valuing health and wellbeing. We also offer all staff ongoing professional development and access to generous learning and development provisions. We offer hybrid ways of working for all staff and support flexibility for our people.

We are committed to an inclusive workplace that values diversity and actively promote a culturally safe workplace, by developing and implementing inclusion-based action plans, including a Reconciliation Action Plan and Disability Access Inclusion Plan.

In addition, the Commission is proudly White Ribbon Australia accredited and adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards domestic violence and disrespectful behaviours of any kind in the workplace and in the broader community.

Special Conditions for Employment

• Employment is dependent upon the provision of a National Police Certificate that the Commission considers satisfactory.
• Some out-of-hours work may be required to meet critical deadlines.
• Some intrastate and or interstate travel may be required.

How to apply

To be considered for this role, your application must include the following:

1. An updated resume, listing at least current two referees (please note that referees will not be contacted without prior discussion with you).
2. A cover letter that addresses the following three questions only:
   1. Describe your experience leading multiple complex programs of work and teams. What strategies did you use to achieve successful outcomes while balancing competing priorities?
   2. Provide an example of how you have interpreted financial, economic or performance information to inform advice, influence decision-making or improve organisational outcomes.
   3. Describe a situation where you engaged with a range of stakeholders on a complex or sensitive issue. How did you build support, manage differing perspectives and achieve a positive outcome?
3. A completed and signed Pre-Employment Declaration form. A copy of the form can be found in the listing for this vacancy or on our website.
4. Please combine all three documents into one PDF and submit the PDF only.

Applications should be addressed to Amelia Greer, People and Culture Business Partner and sent via email to ***********@escosa.sa.gov.au.

For further information about the role, please contact Amelia on 08 8389 88***or via email at ***********@escosa.sa.gov.au.

We are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process for all applicants. Please contact us at ***********@escosa.sa.gov.au if you feel that further guidance or support might assist you with the application process and we will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Applications close 11.00pm on Tuesday 25 August.

Applications close: 25/08/2026 11:00 PM

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.