Program Manager
Azooa
Expression of Interest: Transition Program Manager – Indigo Program
Azooa is preparing a response for LH-06888 – Transition Program Manager with the Australian Electoral Commission and is seeking suitably qualified contractors with strong experience in transition to operations, service readiness, release governance, operational handover, risk management, executive reporting and large-scale government transformation programs.
This role will support the Indigo Program – Tranche 2, a large-scale transformation program modernising AEC business capabilities and replacing core election ICT systems with a citizen-centric agile technology platform.
Position Title
Transition Program Manager – Indigo Program
Overview
The Transition Program Manager will support a complex program through a critical delivery phase by leading the planning and management of transition to operations and support.
The role is responsible for shaping and coordinating transition across business and IT to ensure solutions are operationally ready, supportable, governed effectively and aligned to enterprise delivery, assurance and operational frameworks.
Core Purpose
The core purpose of this role is to ensure successful transition from delivery into operational support by:
- Leading integrated transition planning
- Coordinating business, IT, program and support stakeholders
- Driving operational readiness and service acceptance
- Managing transition risks, issues and dependencies
- Supporting governance, assurance and executive visibility
- Ensuring release and go-live readiness
Scope / Responsibilities
The Transition Program Manager will be responsible for:
- Developing and leading an integrated transition plan aligned to the Release and Transition Strategy
- Covering transition to operations and support, service acceptance, handover, stabilisation and knowledge transfer
- Building and maintaining strong relationships across business, IT, program leadership, operational teams and support functions
- Ensuring transition planning aligns with program, governance, assurance and operational frameworks
- Embedding clear transition acceptance, service readiness and support model criteria
- Leading cross-organisational dependency, risk and issue management across business and technology workstreams
- Identifying critical path impacts, sequencing constraints, handoff requirements and treatment actions
- Providing high-quality reporting to program leadership and Executive
- Delivering transition activities in line with AEC methodologies, governance and assurance requirements
- Supporting stage gates, decision forums, operational acceptance and audit-ready documentation
- Working with Indigo Governance and Assurance, Indigo Change Management and key stakeholders
- Establishing transition governance, readiness measures, reporting templates and regular progress cadence
- Defining and driving the integrated transition schedule
- Managing milestones, readiness checkpoints, transition acceptance criteria, handover activities and key decision points
- Establishing and managing transition readiness and assurance activities across business, operational, service support, data, process, people and technology dimensions
- Coordinating operational handover with service, support and business owners
- Confirming support arrangements, documentation, training, ownership, service levels and post-implementation support requirements
- Preparing and presenting governance papers, assurance inputs and decision-support materials
- Ensuring traceability of transition decisions, risks, dependencies and readiness status
Key Deliverables
Expected deliverables include:
- Integrated transition plan
- Transition schedule and milestone roadmap
- Readiness checkpoint framework
- Transition acceptance criteria
- Service acceptance and operational handover artefacts
- Stabilisation and knowledge transfer plan
- Transition governance framework
- Readiness measures and reporting templates
- Dependency, risk and issue registers
- Executive transition status reporting
- Governance papers and decision-support materials
- Stage gate and assurance inputs
- Audit-ready documentation
- Operational handover documentation
- Support model readiness evidence
- Post-implementation support planning materials
Mandatory / Essential Criteria
Candidates should be able to demonstrate:
- Experience delivering within large-scale government modernisation or transformation programs
- Experience leading transition to operations and support in complex organisational transformation programs
- Experience coordinating transition activities and operational handover across business, program and support stakeholders
- Proven understanding of Agile delivery and P3M disciplines in a government setting
- Strong experience establishing governance, assurance, readiness measures and executive reporting across complex programs
- Experience managing cross-organisational dependencies, risks and issues
- Highly developed communication skills
- Ability to prepare executive briefings and influence stakeholders across business, IT and program environments
- Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams with a strong focus on culture and relationships
- Active Baseline clearance prior to commencement
- Ability to obtain Negative Vetting Level 1
Desirable Criteria
Highly desirable experience includes:
- Strong project, transition and service management methodology experience
- Experience with DevOps, MS Project or other industry-standard delivery tools
- Ability to align transition delivery with existing governance and operational frameworks
- Project management
- Business management
- Public administration
- Service management
- Related disciplines
- Agile or Scrum certification
- Experience with electoral, citizen services, public sector transformation or mission-critical ICT environments
Engagement Details
- RFQ ID: LH-06888
- Role: Transition Program Manager
- Buyer: Australian Electoral Commission
- Project: Indigo Program – Tranche 2
- Experience level: EL2 equivalent
- Location: ACT, QLD, VIC or NSW
- Preferred locations: Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne
- Working arrangement: Hybrid; onsite attendance and remote work may be considered at the Hiring Manager’s discretion
- Estimated start date: 7 July 2026
- Initial duration: ASAP to 30 June 2027
- Extension term: Not applicable
- Maximum hours: 40 hours per week
- Maximum candidates per seller: 2
- RFQ closing date: Monday, 15 June 2026, 11:59pm Canberra time
Clearance Requirements
- Must hold an active Baseline security clearance prior to commencement
- Must be able to obtain Negative Vetting Level 1
RFQTS Relevance
This opportunity is highly relevant for candidates with experience in:
- Transition to operations and support
- Service readiness and operational acceptance
- Complex government transformation programs
- Release and go-live readiness
- Agile delivery environments
- P3M disciplines
- Governance and assurance
- Executive reporting
- Risk, issue and dependency management
- Business and IT stakeholder coordination
- Operational handover and stabilisation
The AEC is seeking a transition leader who can provide clear readiness visibility, coordinate dependencies across business and technology teams, manage operational risk, and support executive decision-making during a critical release and transition phase.
Rate Guidance
- Maximum rate: $148.19/hour including super
- Estimated maximum daily rate: $1,185.52/day including super, based on an 8-hour day
Azooa recommends candidates provide their most competitive rate at or below the maximum rate to maximise win probability.
Competitiveness guidance:
- Lower end: Stronger chance of winning
- Mid-range: Competitive
- Higher end: Less competitive unless strong AEC, Indigo Program, transition-to-operations, Agile/P3M, service readiness or executive governance experience justifies the rate
- Up to $148.19/hour including super: May still be considered where niche transition, operational readiness, government transformation or active clearance experience outweighs rate considerations
Higher rates may still be considered where strong government transformation experience, active Baseline clearance, ability to obtain NV1, and proven transition-to-operations delivery capability outweigh rate considerations.
How Azooa Can Support You
Azooa can support you with:
- Positioning your profile to maximise win probability
- Helping align your rate with market expectations
- Assisting with tailored responses and submission strategy
- Providing access to similar Federal Government ICT opportunities