Director Commercial & Visitor Economy

Description:

Applications closing on 05 March 2026, 05:00 PM

• Job TypeFull Time
• Package$232,790 - $298,488 TRP
• Position Description GORCAPA_Candidate-Briefing-Pack_Director-Commercial-Visitor-Economy.pdf(PDF, 2MB)
  
  

Purpose of the Position

The Director, Commercial and Visitor Economy provides enterprise level executive leadership for the Authority’s commercial and visitor economy functions, with accountability for sustainable revenue generation, commercial performance, and long-term financial resilience in support of the Authority’s statutory objectives.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Director contributes to whole-of-Authority strategy, stewardship and decision making, supporting organisational maturity and transition. The role leads the Authority’s responsibilities as the lead agency for tourism policy and destination stewardship across the Great Ocean Road region, ensuring commercial and visitor economy decisions deliver strong financial outcomes, managed risk and enduring public value, while protecting environmental, cultural and community outcomes.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy and accountability within legislative, policy and governance frameworks, the Director applies strategic and commercial judgement, drives disciplined investment and portfolio management, and ensures transparency, probity and risk management across all commercial activities. The role builds organisational capability, models public sector values, and balances commercial imperatives with community expectations to maintain trust and social licence.

Key Accountabilities

Executive Leadership and Enterprise Strategy

• Provide enterprise-level executive leadership for the Authority’s commercial and visitor economy portfolios, with clear accountability for sustainable revenue generation, commercial performance and long-term financial resilience.
• Contribute to whole-of-Authority strategic, financial and workforce planning, supporting organisational transition, maturity and balance sheet sustainability.
• Lead the development and implementation of commercially robust operating models that strengthen organisational self-sufficiency while maintaining public trust, probity and alignment with public sector values.
  
  

Commercial Strategy, Portfolio Performance and Yield Optimisation

• Develop, implement and continuously refine an integrated commercial strategy that optimises revenue, yield and asset utilisation across tourism assets, accommodation, leases, licenses and permits.
• Oversee the commercial performance of caravan parks, the Cape Otway Lightstation, Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre and other visitor assets, ensuring each operation has a clear commercial mandate, performance targets and accountability framework.
• Drive portfolio optimisation through rigorous assessment of asset performance, growth opportunities, risk exposure and return on investment.
• Ensure commercial decisions are underpinned by robust market intelligence, demand forecasting, scenario analysis and financial modelling.
  
  

Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism as an Economic Driver

• Lead the development and delivery of Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism strategies and facilities that generate measurable economic returns while protecting environmental, cultural and community values.
• Position sustainability, digital capability and innovation as commercial enablers that enhance visitor experience, asset performance and long-term economic value.
• Strengthen the Authority’s role as a destination steward by integrating visitor economy growth with place-based outcomes and long-term regional resilience.
  
  

Commercial Projects, Investment and Risk Management

• Provide executive oversight of end-to-end commercial project governance, from opportunity identification and due diligence through to delivery, commissioning and operational handover.
• Apply disciplined, risk-adjusted investment decision-making that balances financial returns, market conditions, policy settings, environmental and cultural impacts.
• Ensure commercial, financial and reputational risks are identified early, actively managed and escalated appropriately through established governance and assurance frameworks.
  
  

Partnerships, Commercial Negotiation and Market Engagement

• Lead complex commercial negotiations with investors, operators, government partners and Traditional Owners to secure commercially sound, values-aligned and enduring outcomes.
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities, co-investment models and delivery partnerships that leverage public and private capital to maximise value.
• Oversee public–private partnerships and long-term commercial agreements to protect the Authority’s financial, operational and reputational interests.
  
  

Stakeholder and Community Stewardship

• Balance commercial objectives with visitor experience and community expectations through transparent, credible and respectful engagement.
• Build and maintain the Authority’s social licence to operate by clearly articulating the economic, environmental and community benefits of commercial and visitor economy initiatives.
• Represent the Authority in external forums, committees and strategic engagements, reinforcing its reputation as a commercially capable, trusted and values-led public entity.
  
  

Financial Management, Governance and Assurance

• Provide executive oversight of commercial budgets, forecasts, cashflows and performance reporting, ensuring strong financial discipline, transparency and accountability.
• Ensure all commercial operations operate within fit-for-purpose governance, risk management, compliance and assurance frameworks.
• Oversee the implementation of asset management systems, lifecycle planning and inspection regimes to protect asset value, safety and revenue streams.
  
  

People Leadership and Commercial Capability Development

• Lead, develop and performance-manage a high-performing commercial and visitor economy workforce, including internal teams and specialist external advisors.
• Build enterprise capability in commercial acumen, contract management, negotiation, investment analysis and performance management.
• Model ethical, inclusive and accountable leadership consistent with VPS values, fostering a culture of high performance, integrity and continuous improvement.
  
  

Key Selection Criteria

Shape Strategic Thinking

• Demonstrated experience providing enterprise-level leadership across commercial and/or visitor economy portfolios, with accountability for sustainable revenue generation, asset performance and long-term financial resilience.
• Proven ability to develop, implement and refine integrated commercial and visitor economy strategies that balance financial returns, risk management and enduring public value.
• Highly developed strategic and systems thinking capability, with the ability to integrate market dynamics, policy settings, asset stewardship, environmental and community considerations into executive decision-making.
  
  

Achieve Results

• Demonstrated success delivering strong commercial and financial outcomes within complex, regulated or public-facing environments.
• Advanced commercial and financial acumen, including investment appraisal, portfolio optimisation, budgeting, forecasting, scenario analysis and risk-adjusted decision-making.
• Proven experience governing major commercial projects, investments, partnerships or ventures through disciplined governance frameworks to achieve sustainable outcomes.
  
  

Foster Collaboration

• Extensive experience leading complex, high-value negotiations with senior government stakeholders, investors, operators, delivery partners and Traditional Owners.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders with competing commercial, environmental and community objectives to achieve values-aligned outcomes.
• Highly developed executive communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate commercial strategy, risk and public value to Boards, Ministers, community stakeholders, and senior executives.
  
  

Display Personal Drive and Integrity

• Demonstrated executive people leadership capability, including building high-performing teams and organisational capability in commercial acumen, contract management and performance accountability.
• Strong ethical judgement, resilience and composure in high-profile, commercially sensitive and politically complex environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to transparency, probity, accountability and the application of VPS values in executive decision-making.
  
  

Qualifications And Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Business, Commerce, Economics, Tourism, Finance or a related discipline, or equivalent senior executive experience.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in commercial strategy, asset commercialisation, tourism or visitor economy roles within complex organisations.
• Demonstrated experience in market analysis, commercialisation, product or asset development and revenue optimisation.
• Proven experience leading complex commercial negotiations, investment arrangements and public–private partnerships within robust governance frameworks.
  
  

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Appointment to this position is subject to the successful applicant being able to:

• Provide a National Police Check Certificate
• Obtain a Working with Children Certificate
• Provide evidence of Australian Work Rights
• Hold a current Australian Driver’s Licence.
  
  

Peter William Partners have been exclusively retained by GORCAPA to deliver this executive search. Any unsolicited applications will be redirected to Peter William Partners and managed via the campaign. If you experience any difficulty in lodging your application online, please contact info@peterwilliampartners.com.