Project Manager

_{10th November, 2026}

We’re back with our long-time friends at the Australian Access Federation (AAF), and this time? We’re looking for a properly good Project Manager to help keep some seriously interesting technology projects moving in the right direction.

And when we say properly good, we don’t mean someone who can keep a tidy project plan and run a lovely stand-up.

We mean the kind of PM who’s been around the block a few times. You’ve inherited projects that weren’t quite as tidy as the spreadsheet suggested. You’ve watched a “small change” quietly become a very big change. You know when a risk actually needs escalating, when a stakeholder needs pushing and when adding another layer of process is going to make absolutely nobody’s life better.

The AAF is looking for someone who knows how to actually deliver technology projects.

You’ll take the reins on your own projects, while also bringing some much-needed PM love across a broader portfolio of projects being driven by their Business Analysts.

So if you’ve built your battle scars delivering software or technology projects, know how to bring structure without drowning everyone in it, and fancy doing it somewhere the work genuinely matters… keep reading.

FIRST UP, A LITTLE ABOUT AAF…

AAF sits quietly behind some pretty important Australian research and education infrastructure.

They provide the trust and identity technology that allows more than 1.5 million people across universities, research organisations and government to securely access the systems, services and collaborations they need.

Which means the projects here aren’t your standard internal system upgrade or another slightly different flavour of CRM implementation.

AAF works across organisations, technical teams and some pretty complex stakeholder environments, helping researchers and institutions collaborate securely across Australia’s research ecosystem.

We’ve partnered with this crew for years now, and they’re a genuinely lovely bunch to work with. Smart, deeply knowledgeable people without the ego that sometimes comes with it. There’s plenty of technical complexity under the hood, but they’re practical about how they work and very open to people bringing fresh thinking into the mix.

And that’s exactly where this role comes in.

SO, WHAT’S THE GIG?

AAF has plenty happening across its project portfolio, and historically their Business Analysts have often ended up carrying more of the traditional project management load than they probably should.

Plans. Governance. RAID. Reporting. Budgets. Dependencies. Change control. Stakeholder wrangling. All the fun stuff.

This hire is about putting that ownership where it belongs.

You’ll take ownership of your own projects, working closely with BAs, technical teams and external stakeholders to keep delivery on track. AAF’s projects span internal initiatives as well as externally funded work, often involving collaborators across universities, research organisations, government and industry. 

Alongside that, you’ll have visibility across roughly four to six other projects where BAs are leading the day-to-day work. You won’t suddenly become the full-time PM on every one of them, but you’ll bring the discipline around them: making sure the plans stack up, risks are visible, governance is happening, changes are controlled and the right conversations are happening before something becomes a problem.

Over time, there’s every chance you’ll directly own another project or two as priorities shift and new work comes through.

The sweet spot here is someone who knows what good project management looks like, but also knows it doesn’t need to look exactly the same on every project.

WHAT YOU’LL GET YOUR HANDS INTO…

• Take end-to-end ownership of technology projects across planning, delivery, governance and close-out.
• Keep scope, schedules, budgets, risks, issues and dependencies properly under control.
• Bring structure and PM oversight across a wider portfolio of BA-led projects without creating process for process’ sake.
• Own the reporting rhythm, making sure stakeholders have a clear picture of progress, roadblocks and what needs attention.
• Manage change properly when scope or priorities inevitably move, understanding the knock-on effect across timelines, budgets and delivery.
• Work closely with Business Analysts, technical teams, Portfolio Managers and external partners to keep everyone pointed in the same direction.
• Spot trouble early, ask the uncomfortable questions when they need asking and escalate things before they turn into bigger problems.
• Help continue evolving AAF’s project management practices as the portfolio and PMO mature.

AND YOU?

You’re a technology Project Manager who knows the difference between managing a project and administering one. 

You’ve probably got at least a few years under your belt delivering software, digital, infrastructure or similarly technical projects, and enough real-world experience to have developed good judgement around what actually matters. 

You’re comfortable walking into something that’s already moving, figuring out where things really stand and bringing the right amount of order to it. You know your way around scope, schedules, RAID, budgets, reporting and change control, but you’re not precious about methodology or interested in enforcing a textbook version of project management just because the textbook says so.

And stakeholder management? That’s a biggie.

AAF projects regularly cross organisational boundaries, so you’ll be dealing with people who don’t necessarily report into the same structure, work to the same priorities or see the project through exactly the same lens. You’ll need to build trust, communicate clearly and be comfortable holding people to account without turning every conversation into a showdown.

A FEW THINGS WE’D LOVE TO SEE…

• 3+ years of hands-on Project Management experience, ideally across technology, software or digital delivery.
• Genuine end-to-end project ownership rather than purely PMO, coordination or project support experience.
• Strong fundamentals across planning, scope, schedules, budgets, RAID, governance, reporting and change management.
• Experience working with technical teams and enough technical literacy to follow the conversation, ask good questions and understand dependencies.
• Confidence managing stakeholders across different teams, organisations and levels of seniority.
• A pragmatic approach to delivery. You like structure, but you know when to flex it.
• The confidence to challenge, escalate and have the harder conversations when a project needs it.
• Clear communication and the ability to turn project complexity into something stakeholders can actually understand.

And if you’ve worked around Identity & Access Management, Trust & Identity, higher education, research infrastructure, government or similarly complex multi-organisation environments? Very handy.

But it’s absolutely not the ticket through the door.

AAF would much rather find a cracking technology PM with the right judgement and delivery chops than hold out for a unicorn that ticks every single box.

WHY AAF?

Because there’s something pretty satisfying about managing projects where the end result genuinely enables people to do important work.

You’ll be joining a small, collaborative organisation where you can actually know the people you’re delivering alongside, have a voice in how things are done and see the impact of the projects you’re working on.

You’ll have experienced people around you, plenty of interesting technical problems to get your head around and a real opportunity to help strengthen how project delivery works across AAF as the portfolio continues to evolve.

The role is Brisbane-based, with flexible working arrangements, and will initially be offered as a two-year fixed-term contract.

So if you’re the kind of PM who likes bringing order to complexity, can tell the difference between useful governance and red tape, and has collected enough project battle scars to know that the plan rarely survives completely intact…

We should probably talk.

Hit APPLY or Fynd us here:

dan@fyndco.com.au