Chief Security, Sovereignty and Government Affairs Officer

Job Description

This role is available in Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra, with the location determined by the successful candidate.

The Opportunity

This is not a traditional Chief Security Officer role.

We are seeking a senior executive to join the Executive Leadership Team and work directly with the CEO on the issues that sit at the intersection of security, sovereignty, resilience and government engagement. 

The successful candidate will lead NEXTDC’s physical security operations teams, critical infrastructure protection programs, own our sovereign security credentials and represent the company with government, Defence, intelligence and regulatory stakeholders.

This role will be responsible for maintaining and extending NEXTDC’s position as one of Australia’s most trusted sovereign digital infrastructure providers. That includes oversight of our obligations under the Hosting Certification Framework, SOCI and the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program, while ensuring our security standards continue to lead the market.

A critical part of the role will be building and maintaining trusted executive relationships across Defence, ASD, ACSC, ASIO, Home Affairs, law enforcement and government agencies. The successful candidate will represent NEXTDC in policy discussions relating to digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, critical infrastructure resilience and sovereign capability, helping shape the national conversation around these issues.

The role also serves as the executive sponsor for security assurance across hyperscale, government, Defence, national security and regulated industry customers. Working closely with customers, regulators and government stakeholders, the successful candidate will help translate security, assurance and sovereignty into meaningful commercial differentiation for the business.

While operational cyber security remains within the Chief Technology Officer organisation, this executive will own the external security narrative and serve as the senior interface between cyber security, government, customers and regulators. 

Qualifications

The Person

This appointment will suit an exceptional leader with deep credibility gained through senior experience in Defence, intelligence, national security, Home Affairs, law enforcement or highly regulated critical infrastructure environments.

You will be equally comfortable engaging with ministers, regulators and intelligence leaders as you are leading operational security teams and advising on strategic risk. You will understand that security today is inseparable from sovereignty, resilience and national capability, and you will bring the judgement, relationships and leadership required to operate at that level.

The successful candidate will have experience operating within highly regulated and mission-critical environments, a strong understanding of Australia’s security and critical infrastructure frameworks, and a track record of leading large-scale security, assurance or government engagement programs. An Australian Government NV2 security clearance is essential, together with the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Privileged Access where required.

Additional Information

Why NEXTDC

Australia is entering a decade of unprecedented investment in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure. The infrastructure supporting these technologies is becoming increasingly important to economic growth, national resilience and sovereign capability.

This role offers a rare opportunity to help shape the future of Australia’s sovereign digital infrastructure and contribute directly to the nation’s security, resilience and long-term strategic capability.

Given the nature of this appointment, all approaches and applications will be handled in strict confidence.

Our mission is to continue building a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents the communities in which we operate.

Make NEXTDC your next move.