Manager Data, Privacy and Assurance

Guiding the future of NSW education

Position details

• Clerk Grade 11/12
• Full-time, Salary: $149,739 to $173,174 p.a. plus employer’s contribution to superannuation and leave loading
• Ongoing role
• Close to Wynyard station & hybrid work arrangements available
• Contact for enquiries: Omer Jamal on [email protected]

About us

At the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), we are dedicated to carrying out meaningful work that drives improvements and elevates student achievement across NSW, now and into the future.

We accomplish this by supporting all school sectors with high-quality syllabuses, assessment (including managing the HSC and NAPLAN), teaching standards (e.g., accrediting teachers) and school environments (including setting and monitoring school standards).

NESA is a unique organisation in NSW (of around 740FTE staff) with significant state-wide impact, visit our website to learn more about the important work we do.

About the role

Are you ready to help shape the future of cybersecurity, privacy and information governance at NESA?

We’re continuing to build and mature our Cybersecurity, Information Assurance and Data Protection capability, and we are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking leader to join our growing team as Manager, Privacy, Data and Governance.

Reporting to the Chief Information Security Officer, this is a highly visible and impactful role with the opportunity to lead an emerging function and help shape how NESA manages cyber risk, privacy, data governance and information assurance across the organisation.

Working closely with executive stakeholders and partners across ICT, Legal and the broader business, you will lead a team delivering enterprise-wide governance, privacy, records management and assurance outcomes that protect sensitive information and support the critical services NESA provides to students, teachers and schools across NSW.

This is an exciting opportunity for a collaborative and pragmatic leader who enjoys building, improving and influencing in a complex environment. You will play a key role in establishing and strengthening a function that will make a real difference to the way NESA operates, while helping shape its future governance and assurance capability.

On a day-to-day basis you will be responsible for:

• Provide strategic oversight of cybersecurity, privacy, and data governance, aligned with NESA’s business and technology goals.
• Foster a culture of security and privacy awareness across the organisation and embed secure practices.
• Lead oversight of records, information sharing and privacy governance in line with the State Records Act, GIPA Act, privacy legislation and retention requirements.
• Lead the development of NESA’s data governance and management capability to strengthen governance, accountability and data protection across the organisation.
• Lead the cybersecurity roadmap, including strategic direction, architecture and maturity uplift.
• Lead cyber, data and privacy risk oversight, including assessments, risk registers and executive reporting.
• Drive security and privacy policy and governance to support compliance, assurance and regulatory obligations.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, government agencies and regulators, and provide clear, risk-based advice and reporting to support executive and board level decision-making.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Experience overseeing security frameworks such as ISO 27001, ISM and Essential Eight, with strong knowledge of data protection and enterprise data governance.
• Knowledge of privacy, information access and data sharing legislation, including NSW PIPA 1998, HRIPA, the Privacy Act 1988, the GIPA Act and the Data Sharing (Government Sector) Act 2015, with experience supporting privacy governance and breach notification processes.
• Background in leading change and lifting cybersecurity, privacy or governance capability in complex environments
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, including the ability to navigate government processes and balance competing priorities
• Proven leadership capability to guide, develop and drive performance in a high-performing team
• Demonstrated experience providing clear, authoritative advice to executive leadership

Essential Requirements

• Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional experience.

Note: A current NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance for paid employment is required before commencing in this role. It is not required at the application stage. The cost of the WWCC clearance is the responsibility of the successful applicant. 

We invite you to download the role description for additional information on the position.

At NESA you will benefit from:

• An organisation where your contribution has a big impact.
• An enviable CBD location (all modes of transport nearby, and excellent coffee and eateries) with refurbished offices.
• Flexible working arrangements and generous leave entitlements.
• Access to discounted health and fitness memberships via Fitness Passport, an employee assistance program and annual flu vaccinations.
• Salary packaging options.
• Working in a purpose driven and ethical organisation with committed colleagues.

Ready to join us?

Key information: If you are a current NESA employee or from another NSW government agency who use SuccessFactors for recruitment, it’s important to apply through SuccessFactors to ensure your application reaches our system in the right place. If you need advice on that process follow this guide.

For all other candidates:

Select “Apply now” and attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages). Also address the 2 targeted questions below in your online application (maximum of 500 words per response - approximately):

1. Describe a time you led or improved cybersecurity, privacy, data governance or assurance capability within a complex environment. Include how you managed risk, compliance obligations and stakeholder expectations, and the outcomes achieved.
   
2. This role requires a leader who can strengthen capability within a growing function and drive collaboration across diverse stakeholders. Describe a time you led a team or organisational change initiative in a fast-paced environment. Include how you improved ways of working, supported your team and achieved outcomes.

Advice on applying for NSW Public Sector roles

If you need reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process and workplace, please reach out to [email protected]

Close date: Tuesday 16 June 2026, at 11.59pm AEST

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to receiving your application.

Important information

NESA’s Statement of Commitment to Child Safety

All children and young people have the right to be respected, feel safe, be safe, and protected from harm. NESA is committed to child safety and child safe practices underpinning our purpose of helping children and young people leave school, ready to take advantage of life’s opportunities and rise to its inevitable challenges. 

We particularly welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people of all ages, genders, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. For ongoing roles, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. Australian Temporary Residents may be considered for a fixed term contract for the length of their visa, depending on the requirements of the hiring area and the position.

A Talent Pool (valid for 18 months) may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles