Digital GRC Senior Specialist

Essential Energy is seeking a Digital GRC Senior Specialist to lead the development and implementation of digital controls and compliance activities. The role involves providing technical assistance related to digital risk and assurance strategies, managing compliance activities, and conducting risk analysis. The position is permanent and can be based anywhere within the company’s operational footprint, promoting work-life balance and personal growth.
We are unique

Join our organisation and experience a culture that fosters camaraderie and personal growth, serving and connecting the regional communities of NSW and southern QLD. Enjoy work-life balance and training and development opportunities across a diverse range of career pathways.

This is a permanent opportunity, and this role can be based anywhere within Essential Energy’s operational footprint.  

About the role

The Digital GRC Senior Specialist will lead the development and implementation of digital controls, compliance, and assurance activities across Digital Services. This role will provide technical assistance to the Digital Trust Team relating to digital risk, audit, and risk analytic strategy. The Digital GRC Senior Specialist will support the cyber resiliency strategy by providing strategic data-driven insights to the Board and Executive Leadership Team on the performance of digital controls and digital assurance strategies.

Key Responsibilities:
• Lead the development and implementation of a control library and assurance process in both IT and OT environments.
• Provide strategic advice on the implementation of security controls, in line with regulatory requirements and best practice recommendations.
• Assess the effectiveness of security controls, identify gaps in security architecture, and document deviations from agreed security postures.
• Lead the adaptation and uplift of Digital Trust tooling capabilities, coordinating with the Digital Trust Team and internal stakeholders.
• Manage digital security compliance activities in line with SOCI Act 2018 and iPART regulatory requirements.
• Define and validate the effectiveness of organizational cyber security requirements, including policies, standards, and procedures.
• Lead and facilitate security authorization reviews for digital systems and develop security assurance cases.
• Identify and integrate leadership priorities when recommending or implementing improvements.
• Assist in the development and implementation of digital security risk profiles and risk management frameworks.
• Conduct risk analysis of digital services, including software and vendor risk assessments.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to complete audit activities.
• Implement and maintain a Digital Trust reporting capability in line with stakeholder, executive, and board expectations.

About You

You are an experienced professional with a strong background in security controls, compliance, and assurance. You have extensive experience working within IT and OT environments in a senior governance, risk, or compliance role. Your in-depth knowledge of best practice frameworks and standards, such as NIST, AESCSF, ISO27001-2013, and IEC-62443, makes you a valuable asset. You possess strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills, and you can effectively influence senior stakeholders. Your strategic and critical thinking skills, combined with your ability to communicate effectively, enable you to provide sound advice and direction to key stakeholders.

In addition to this your skills and experience will include:
• Experience working within IT and OT environments in a senior governance, risk, or compliance role.
• Strong background in security controls, compliance, and assurance.
• Knowledge of cyber security laws and regulations, policies and procedures, security assessment processes, and risk management principles.
• Proven record of accomplishment in designing and implementing security controls and adopting assurance frameworks.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
• Good strategic and critical thinking skills with sound reasoning ability.
• Resourceful team player with the ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including developing presentations and reports.
• Strong skills in computer operations and business systems relevant to the role.
• Adaptable and able to change focus on short notice and work within tight deadlines.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cyber Security, or demonstrated capability through past employment experience and/or relevant qualifications.

Why Essential Energy

We offer competitive remuneration commensurate with skills and experience.

Essential Energy offers a broad range of employee benefits, providing you access to product discounts, including Qantas Club, Optus and Health Insurance, Health Programs including fitness passport and other benefits such as 26 weeks parental leave. For more information on our benefits, please visit the employee benefits page.

Essential Energy provides employees with a broad range of employee benefits through our corporate partnerships with organisations such as Qantas, Optus, nib and Mildura Health Fund. You will also gain access to our Health and Wellbeing programs including fitness passport. Visit our employee benefits page for more information.

We are proud to be recognised as a WORK180 Endorsed Employer for All Women.

We’re a business with a huge range of operational and corporate roles aimed at connecting our communities.

As a pivotal player in the energy future of NSW and the country – we cover 95% of NSW and parts of southern QLD - we are an organisation with a wider variety of roles than you may first think.

Whether you want to work remotely, in a coastal region or rurally, we will invest in you, develop you and help you shape a career in energy that will give you future opportunities you may never have realised in a sector where there is so much to explore.

For further information please contact Sarah Lightfoot – Digital Trust Manager on 0429 316 705

Applications close Sunday 23 March 2025 at 11:55pm.

Passionate people. Global thinking. Regional heart.

Building a better energy future.

Essential Energy is committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages applicants to apply regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

As an organisation, our aim is to champion inclusivity in the workplace and celebrate the difference in all our employees.