Title:  Finance Lead

About Us 

We create thriving places and connected communities. We bring together transport, planning, land use, precinct and policy functions in a single department to deliver the best outcomes for Victorians.

Together with our portfolio agencies, we are responsible for planning, building, operating and maintaining Victoria’s transport, planning and land services for use by all.

We foster a safe, inclusive and constructive place to work.

Investment and Technology leads and manages the investment lifecycle; drives commercial advice & negotiations to facilitate reform; and enables core delivery through Finance, Procurement & Enterprise Technology.

The Department of Transport, through Head, Transport for Victoria has a contracting relationship with our major train operator, Metro Trains Melbourne, managed on behalf of the Victorian Government. 

Agreed and awarded in 2017, this franchise agreement is currently in place until 2027. 

The Department of Transport and Planning established a new project team, MR5, which is comprehensively reviewing the State’s franchise framework. The team provided options and is constructing the future agreements for implementation following the expiry of the current MR4 Train franchise agreements in November 2027. 

The MR5 Train contract is being tendered through a competitive procurement process to obtain the best operator for Melbourne’s train network. The contract is the State’s largest service contract and details among other requirements, the day-to-day operation of services and performance standards; responsibilities about customer services, security and staffing; and maintenance and cleaning. 

The project team supports the Department of Transport and Planning’s regular due diligence and review of existing and future proposed arrangements, ensuring that our contracts are providing the best value for money and enhanced services for the Victorian community. 

About the Role 

This is a fixed term STS role through till November 2027

Reporting to the Director, MR5 Commercial, this role will lead the financial workstream for the MR5 project and play a critical role in achieving the project’s objectives.

The Finance Lead will work closely with internal and external stakeholders, as well as specialist advisory consultancies, to deliver robust financial analysis and advice that underpins decision-making and ensures value for money. This includes preparing the Department’s Efficient Operator Comparator for the Metropolitan Train Franchise, developing financial and payment arrangements for the MR5 Train contract, and leading the financial aspects of evaluation, negotiation, and contract award.

Key accountabilities include:

• Delivering a robust financial model, supported by detailed cost and risk assessments, to secure government funding approvals and enable comparative value-for-money assessments of bidder proposals.
• Leading the development of transaction documentation and processes to support the value-for-money assessment framework for financial bids during the RFP phase.
• Coordinating across project workstreams to ensure financial alignment and consistency, while contributing to the department’s strategic vision, planning, and delivery priorities.
• Engaging effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders to ensure clear understanding of the financial impacts of policy and to build support for the project’s strategic objectives.
• Providing authoritative, high-quality strategic and operational advice to Ministers, the Secretary, and executive leadership on complex issues.
• Leading the development of detailed commercial positions for the MR5 Train contract based on approved policy settings.
• Ensuring compliance with departmental policies and governance frameworks, including workforce planning, budgets, and reporting requirements.
• Providing strong leadership and people management, fostering a safe, inclusive, and high-performing team culture across the MR5 project.

To provide greater insight into the role the position description can be found here.   

Position Outcomes  

The successful candidate will have extensive experience delivering financial leadership in complex government projects, with a proven ability to provide authoritative advice to senior stakeholders. You will be a strategic leader who has built and managed high-performing financial teams, ideally within a public transport or large infrastructure context.

Qualifications and role specific requirements 

• A proven record of leading financial analysis and advisory of government initiatives, ideally in a public transport setting
• Demonstrated experience working on major commercial projects in either public and /or private sectors, including experience with a range of procurement models.

How to Apply 
 
Applications close 11.59pm on Sunday 12 October 2025. For further information about the role please contact Rebecca Power, Senior Project Officer via Rebecca.power@transport.vic.gov.au