Jacinda Stewart
Assistant Secretary, Investment Portfolio Management Branch, Department of Defence
Jacinda has extensive experience across a range of Government Departments and within the private sector, across a broad range of functions. Key capabilities are improving the manner in which Agencies deliver their business functions, management of teams to oversee complex and controversial program delivery and the development and implementation of policy and compliance frameworks, supported by strong governance.
Jacinda joined the Australian public service in 2005, after a number of years working in private organisations and running a family business. Before joining Defence Jacinda held a number of executive leadership roles across policy development, program management and administration functions. Previous roles have included managing Portfolio Coordination and Parliamentary services for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, establishing the Program Management office for the Vocational Education Workforce, and overseeing Change management across a number of machinery of Government changes. In 2010 Jacinda took on the challenging role of Director of Information Management and Coordination at the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, where she was responsible for developing the compliance strategy, fraud control plan and debt management strategy for the Home Insulation Program and representing the Australian Government on a number of Australian Standard committees to ensure lessons learnt from the program were implemented in legislation and standards.
Jacinda began working at Defence in 2017 in the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) where she established the Group’s Program Management Office, overseeing security and reform and management of the Group Operating Budget. In 2020 Jacinda moved into capability roles, overseeing the Materiel Procurement Branch, where she provided commercial advice across Defence and then onto the Contestability Branch where she oversaw maritime capability proposals and provided analysis and assurance across the Defence capability system. She is currently overseeing the Investment Portfolio Branch where her core function is to provide advice to the Vice Chief of the Defence Force on affordability and achievability of capability proposals, managing the Forward Work Plan of capability decisions and is responsible for reform of the One Defence Capability System, including the oversight of learning and development.
Jacinda has a Bachelor of Arts, an Honours (American law and history) and Bachelor of International Relations degree from Flinders University, a diploma in Government Investigations from the Australian Security Academy, a Master of International Relations and Master of Professional Communications from Deakin University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Queensland University of Technology.