By Megan Edwards and Joseph Sokac, APS Academy
The APS is increasingly being asked to deliver complex reforms that cut across portfolios, sectors and jurisdictions. Against this backdrop, the APS Academy has launched the Delivering Priority Reforms Pilot Program, a new learning initiative designed to strengthen the delivery leadership capability needed to turn government priorities into tangible outcomes for Australians.
Commissioned and funded by the Secretaries Board, the program responds directly to a growing focus on delivery across government and has been developed in close engagement with APS leaders. Rather than concentrating on technical disciplines such as project management, policy development or procurement, the program focuses on the capabilities that help public servants deliver in complex environments: leading under pressure, working effectively with Ministers and their offices, engaging confidently with risk, and aligning delivery partners around shared outcomes.
The pilot brings together a highly experienced cohort of 62 EL2 and SES Band 1 participants who are currently delivering some of the Australian Government's most significant priorities. Participants were nominated through their senior departmental leadership, reflecting the strategic importance of the program and its focus on current delivery practitioners.
A defining feature of the program is its practitioner-led design. The curriculum was developed by experienced APS deliverers from across the system, ensuring that learning remains grounded in the realities of public sector delivery.
The learning experience combines workshops, senior leader panel discussions and workplace experimentation tasks over several months. Participants work in small cohorts to explore real delivery challenges, before coming together for larger panel sessions featuring some of the APS's most senior leaders. The program commenced in June with an opening symposium that included Treasury Secretary Jenny Wilkinson PSM and PM&C Secretary Dr Steven Kennedy PSM, who shared insights on the strategic, economic and delivery context facing the APS.
Throughout the pilot, participants are also engaging with a range of Secretaries who bring first-hand experience in delivering major reform agendas. These include Stephanie Foster PSM on leadership under pressure, Blair Comley PSM on working with Ministers and ministerial offices, Jim Betts on risk and innovation, and Michael Lye on aligning the delivery system around shared goals.
Early insights from the pilot reinforce the importance of looking beyond individual programs and projects to understand the broader systems in which reform is delivered. Discussions have highlighted the need for delivery leaders to build trust with Ministers, navigate competing pressures, develop productive partnerships and exercise judgement in uncertain environments. Participants are being encouraged to apply these lessons directly to their current roles through practical experimentation activities between modules.
At its core, the program aims to help capable deliverers grow into confident delivery leaders. It seeks to equip participants with the skills, judgement and influence required to navigate complexity, shape decisions and build coalitions of support for reform. As government priorities continue to grow in scale and complexity, these capabilities will be increasingly important for APS leaders working to translate policy intent into meaningful outcomes for Australians.
The pilot will conclude later this year, with evaluation findings to inform the future of the program.