About UNSW

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community—but more importantly, it’s a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. It’s this approach that makes our work matter—and why we’re recognised as one of the world’s top 20 universities and ranked Australia’s #1 university, as well as a proud member of the prestigious Group of Eight. If you’re looking for a role where you can shape change, thrive in complexity, and see the real impact of your work every day, you’re in the right place.

The Senior Change Manager is a strategic leader responsible for delivering enterprise-level change initiatives across UNSW. Working across complex programs that may span digital, physical, cultural, or operational transformation, this role designs and drives change strategies to support successful adoption and sustainment of new ways of working. The position provides expert advice and leadership to program and project teams, senior stakeholders, and change practitioners across the university. It plays a critical role in ensuring organisational readiness, aligning change approaches with strategic priorities, and uplifting internal change capability. This role may operate across multiple functions and may lead a small team or matrixed change resources and works in close collaboration with program leadership and business partners.

Accountabilities for this role include

• Design, lead, and implement comprehensive change management strategies and plans that drive successful adoption of major strategic initiatives, aligned to UNSW’s change framework.
• Lead and deliver change impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, communications, and training programs across enterprise initiatives.
• Influence and advise executive stakeholders and program sponsors, ensuring alignment of change strategy with business outcomes and strategic goals.
• Establish and track change KPIs and benefits realisation metrics; contribute to post implementation reviews and continuous improvement cycles.
• Provide coaching, direction and capability uplift to project teams, embedded change managers, and business leaders.
• Lead internal communications strategies, producing high-quality content to inform, engage, and align impacted stakeholders.
• Identify and manage people-related risks across multiple programs and escalate where necessary through formal channels, including program and divisional risk registers.
• Champion adoption of new systems, processes, or physical environments; drive alignment of policy, process, and culture to support change.
• Lead or contribute to procurement of external change resources or consultants where applicable.

Who you are

• Relevant tertiary qualification with significant and sustained relevant experience or equivalent competence gained through any combination of education, training and experience.
• Extensive experience (typically 8+ years) delivering complex, multi-stream change initiatives in large or matrixed organisations.
• Proven ability to lead strategic change across diverse business contexts including technology, data, process, policy, physical space and culture.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and stakeholder engagement skills with demonstrated experience influencing senior executives and navigating complex governance environments.
• Experience in change delivery within higher education or similarly complex regulated sectors is desirable.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience writing for executive audiences.
• Advanced analytical, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities in the context of organisational change.
• Demonstrated ability to work in ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and adapt strategies as required.
• Experience linking change management with program planning, resource forecasting, and business readiness activities.
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Knowledge of health & safety (psychosocial and physical) responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.

Benefits and Culture

• Flexible Working Options (work from home, flexible hours etc)
• Career development opportunities
• 17% Superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments
• Additional 3 days of leave over Christmas period
• Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness)