Please note that this is the page for Program 2 (face-to-face) of the Executive Fellows Program. For information on Program 1 (online), please click here. 

In a time of volatility and uncertainty, senior public sector executives are facing constantly shifting priorities and increasing demands. More than ever before, it’s vital for you to develop the leadership, management and strategic skills you need to lead high performing teams.

The Executive Fellows Program (EFP) challenges senior public sector executives to develop new leadership perspectives in a highly interactive setting while exploring contemporary issues, such as the post-COVID environment, social movements, civil unrest, and preparedness amidst the global spectre of war.

The EFP is not just any executive leadership course. The EFP puts you in the ‘room’ with fellow public sector executives from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, expanding your professional network and creating an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions. You will benefit from lively, interactive sessions, including online sprints and offline reflection which can be done at your own pace – all tailored to fit around the lives of busy public sector executives.

You will learn from a cast of renowned academics and senior public sector practitioners from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, in a program designed to help you take the next step in your career. The EFP alumni includes more than 200 public sector leaders who have gone on to hold roles as CEOs or Secretaries (equivalents) or deputies after completing the program.

Develop a greater sense of who you are as a leader and how you can shape organisational change to deliver public value to the communities you serve.

The EFP is designed for high performing leaders and senior public sector executives, such as Deputy Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Deputy Director-Generals and Deputy Secretaries, and executives two levels below CEO, Director-General or Secretary. The program is also suitable for senior executives in the not-for-profit sector, international equivalent levels and other experienced, high-performing senior leaders. 

Ro Allen – EFP 2021 alum, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner

The EFP is a highly respected program designed exclusively for senior public sector executives. It provides you with a unique opportunity to develop your ability to lead and learn alongside your peers from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. 

This program is delivered by world-recognised academics and high-calibre practitioners. 

You will be encouraged to share your personal leadership experiences in a creative and collaborative environment, and you will be able to at once apply what you learn when you return to work. 

The EFP has evolved to embrace both online and face-to-face environments, creating a dynamic and interactive learning experience where participants learn from presenters, and their peers, in short engaging sessions designed to maximise the positive impact on day-to-day work. 

The EFP features:

• short, sharp interactive sessions including a mix of teacher-to-participant sessions, participant-led sessions, group work, immersive elements and facilitated panel discussions
• modules designed to provide you with an opportunity to immediately apply what you learn between modules when you return to work
• opportunities for self-reflection, action-learning groups exploring solutions to your leadership challenges and leadership-in-practice workshops
• practical frameworks and techniques, immersive learning cases and live policy challenges.

If you’re searching for a public service leadership course, executive leadership training or looking to build high performing leadership qualities, the EFP is the program for you.

ANZSOG is a unique education provider. Our programs are designed for the public sector, with input from governments across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and they are led by renowned academics and respected practitioners. Our programs are tailored to meet the needs of public sector leaders who face distinct challenges in today’s volatile environment. 

The EFP is modelled on global executive leadership courses, but adapted for the specific challenges of the contemporary public sector. 

By taking part in the EFP, you will build a long-lasting network of fellow public sector leaders from across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. You will also join the ANZSOG alumni, which includes thousands of public sector leaders. 

You will benefit from strategies, frameworks and an international perspective, which are needed to effectively lead across cultural boundaries and in an increasingly complex, virtual/digital operating environment. 

The EFP focuses on the capabilities successful public sector leaders need to thrive in this environment, exploring: 

• the interactive dynamics they face
• how to better respond to competing requirements
• how to frame discussion, planning and strategic actions

The EFP will be held over two weeks from 6 – 17 November 2023 (venues TBC in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand). Further details to come. 

Cost: $30,500 AUD + GST and travel costs 

Paul James – EFP 2009 alum, Government Chief Digital Officer, Department of Internal Affairs (NZ)

The EFP focuses on three key leadership themes: leading the self and others (including neuroleadership), leading an organisation (including adaptive leadership) and systems leadership. These themes are explored using contemporary issues as a focal point, including the post-COVID-19 world, social movements and civil unrest, as well as preparedness in the face of the global spectre of war.

By exploring contemporary issues, participants will benefit from engaging and relevant learning opportunities with real-world application.

The EFP leadership framework underpins the themes, content and teaching methods of our program, highlighting the capabilities required of a successful leader.

Circular image of the EFP Leadership Framework and Toolkit with four themes on each side – Self, Others, Organisation, and Environment

Outcomes

Throughout the program, you will explore the three leadership themes outlined above. Outcomes from these themes, include:

• explore the latest thinking on leadership
• discover leadership frameworks which can be applied immediately in your agency
• develop a greater sense of self-as-a-leader
• build skills to effectively lead across cultural boundaries in an increasingly complex operating environment
• broaden and deepen your professional networks
• gain deeper insights into the operating environment of the public service with particular attention to politics, the media, the international sphere and other sectors
• increase capabilities in reading and shaping organisational cultures
• find inspiration and opportunities to take your leadership to the next level
• learn how to better communicate in your relationships with ministers, staff and stakeholders, to create and deliver public value

Owned by and working for the governments of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, ANZSOG creates and delivers education programs tailored to meet the needs of public sector leaders. Our programs are designed with significant government input, for government, and led by renowned academics and respected practitioners.

Who should I nominate?

The EFP is designed for high performing senior public sector executives, from Deputy Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Deputy Director-Generals and Deputy Secretaries, and executives two-levels below CEO, Director-General or Secretary. Executives looking to take the next step in their careers or further their leadership capabilities will thrive in the EFP. We encourage you to nominate Māori and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people with disability and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

For more information about the suitability of your candidate/s, please complete the expression of interest form or email: programs_team@anzsog.edu.au

First Nations Public Administration Scholarship

An Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori public servant will receive a fully-funded place in one of ANZSOG’s 2024 foundation programs, which include the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), through the 2024 ANZSOG First Nations scholarship. Applications for the 2024 Scholarship open on 31 May and close on 6 October 2023.

This second ANZSOG scholarship was announced at the First Peoples to All Peoples conference in Meanjin Brisbane in March 2023, and is part of ANZSOG’s commitment to building capability in First Nations administration and lifting the number of potential First Nations leaders in all levels of the public sector.

This scholarship will help to build the capacity of First Nations leadership within the public sector and give the recipient a career-changing opportunity.

The recipient of the scholarship will be able to choose any ANZSOG foundation program: Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), the Executive Fellows Program (EFP), Towards Strategic Leadership (TSL), or Deputies Leadership Program, and have all academic costs covered.

The inaugural 2021 Scholarship was awarded to Palawa woman Brenda McDermott, currently working in the Victorian public service. Brenda commenced the EMPA in 2022.

Applicants for the scholarship must Identify as either Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori and be currently working in the public sector in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand, and are expected to remain in the public service for the period of their scholarship.

Applications for the Scholarship are now open and close on 6 October. Full criteria for the scholarship are available here.

Investment

The sponsoring agency, jurisdiction or organisation pays the program costs, which includes tuition fee and program materials.

Shared learning

You will have opportunities to apply new insights immediately to your workplace and are encouraged to share what you learn with others. The module delivery provides opportunities to apply your insights into your workplace while completing the program. The EFP deliberately invites managers into the learning environment at several points to witness the insights that have been gained and to share cross-jurisdictional learning.

We encourage sponsoring managers to facilitate opportunities for participants to share and add further value as a result of their studies.

Applications are encouraged from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pacific Peoples, and from people with disabilities or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Some jurisdictions have specific registration processes. If you work for the governments of Western Australia, New South Wales or Victoria, please contact your department or agency’s Human Resources or Learning and Development team about your application or expression of interest.

If you work for the Northern Territory government, please contact the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment at swpd.ocpe@nt.gov.au about your application or expression of interest.

If you work for the Aotearoa New Zealand government, please contact Lynn Evans at the Leadership Development Centre at LDCProgrammes@ldc.govt.nz about your application or expression of interest.

If you work for the Queensland government, your Public Sector Commission has a limited number of scholarships available for the program. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship via your jurisdiction’s Public Sector Commission, we encourage you to contact them for further information including dates for application submission. You are also welcome to make your own arrangements with your agency.

Expressions of interest for EFP 2023, Program 2 are now open. Submit an expression of interest to be contacted by a member of the Programs team or email: programs_team@anzsog.edu.au.

You can also find out more about the history of the EFP by downloading the brochure.

We encourage you to speak to one of our EFP alumni to get an insider’s perspective. Please contact our Alumni Coordinator via email at: alumni@anzsog.edu.au, to arrange an introduction.