Paul Neeraj
Googong,Australia
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
Director (EL2) of Data Centre and Networks
Services Australia
Canberra, Australia
04.2025 - Current
- Provide strategic leadership and direction across the Data Centre Networks and Data Centre Facilities Management teams to ensure the secure, reliable, and efficient operation of core ICT networking infrastructure.
- Oversee the planning, design, implementation, and maintenance of data centre network architecture, including LAN/WAN, software-defined networking (e.g. Cisco ACI), and connectivity for internal and partner agency services.
- Manage the physical and environmental infrastructure of data centres, including cabling, space utilisation, and continuity planning to meet operational and compliance requirements.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, external vendors, and shared services partners to ensure coordinated delivery and continuous improvement.
- Drive capability uplift and workforce development across both teams, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and technical excellence.
- Develop and manage capital and operational budgets, contracts, and service agreements to ensure cost-effective delivery of infrastructure services.
- Provide clear reporting and advice to SES leadership, supporting strategic planning and governance decision-making.
Director (EL2) of Data Lifecycle Management Solutions
Services Australia
Canberra, Australia
02.2025 - 04.2025
- Led enterprise-wide strategic planning, governance, and oversight of data lifecycle management, aligned with whole-of-government data initiatives.
- Directed team in managing data acquisition, retention, archival, and disposal in line with internal policies, legal requirements, and APS privacy standards.
- Partnered with stakeholders across Mainframe, Midrange Storage, Microsoft Windows, RHEL, Oracle Solaris, Cyber Security, Legal, Records Management, Analytics, and Business units to ensure coordinated governance.
- Oversaw the development of automation tools for metadata tagging, data classification, and quality assurance to improve data accuracy and reporting.
- Led the decommissioning of redundant and obsolete data on Mainframe tape systems, improving infrastructure efficiency and reducing storage costs.
- Provided regular updates to SES and governance boards on data lifecycle risks, compliance, solutions, and program progress.
Team Leader (EL1) of Midrange UNIX Operations and Midrange UNIX Development
Services Australia
Canberra, Australia
02.2023 - 02.2025
- Provide day-to-day leadership, resource planning and technical direction to the UNIX Operations and Development teams, ensuring stable, secure, and high-performing compute services across enterprise environments.
- Oversee the delivery, maintenance, patching, and support of UNIX platforms, including IBM AIX, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and Oracle Solaris, aligned with organisational SLAs and compliance standards.
- Coordinate incident response, change management, and problem resolution activities, ensuring minimal service disruption and effective root cause analysis.
- Collaborate closely with stakeholders across Applications Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Storage, Network, and Architecture teams to support system integrations and project delivery.
- Plan and implement lifecycle management activities, including upgrades, decommissions, and platform modernisation initiatives (e.g. PPC+, RHEL refresh).
- Mentor and support a large team of technical engineers by professional development, promoting continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
- Maintain strong working relationships with key vendors (e.g. IBM, Red Hat, Oracle), managing support contracts and service escalations where required.
Assistant Director (EL1) for Network Operations and Wireless & Distributed Network
Services Australia
Canberra, Australia
01.2022 - 02.2023
- Managed the day-to-day operations of wired and wireless networks, including distributed branch connectivity, remote access, and data centre network integration.
- Supervise the implementation, configuration, and maintenance of networking hardware and software, including routers, switches, wireless controllers, firewalls, and SD-WAN solutions.
- Lead incident and problem management processes for network-related issues, ensuring timely resolution, clear escalation, and minimal business disruption.
- Supported delivery of major networking modernisation programs, such as the delivery of Cisco ACI solution and refresh of wireless access points throughout Services Australia's sites.
- Mentored technical staff, supported workforce planning, and contributed to a culture of continuous improvement and service excellence.
Senior Incident Manager (EL1)
Services Australia
Canberra, Australia
09.2020 - 01.2022
- Lead and coordinate the end-to-end management of critical ICT incidents, ensuring timely resolution and minimisation of service disruption to business operations and public-facing services.
- Act as the central escalation point for high-severity incidents, managing communication across technical teams, business areas, executives, and external vendors during crisis events.
- Chair critical incident response bridges and war rooms, ensuring structured triage, clear accountability, and adherence to incident response protocols.
- Provide direct advice to Senior Executive Service (SES) and stakeholders on incident status, business impact, risk mitigation strategies, and recovery timeframes.
- Drive root cause analysis and post-incident reviews to identify systemic issues, improvement opportunities, and lessons learned, ensuring follow-through of remediation actions.
- Maintain and improve incident response frameworks, runbooks, escalation matrices, and communication templates to support rapid and consistent incident handling.
- Prepared executive-level incident briefings, impact assessments, and technical summaries to inform governance forums and audit reviews.
- Promote a culture of service continuity, resilience, and accountability within the CSM team and across broader ICT operational areas.
Education
ITIL Foundation V4
Canberra01.2020
Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving & Decision Making
Melbourne01.2019
Project Management Cert IV
Institute of Management
Canberra01.2016
Master of Diplomacy & Trade
Monash University
Melbourne01.2014
Graduate Study Select Program
Australian National University
Canberra01.2012
Hobbies and Interests
- Emerging Tech Enthusiast
- Technology Podcast Listener
- Project-Based Hobbies for Renovation & Design
- Strategy Games
- Practising Mindfulness and Unplugging
References
- Rogith Mendoza, 0475987249, Director (EL2) of Midrange UNIX section in Core Infrastructure Branch at Services Australia [rogith.mendoza@servicesaustralia.gov.au]
- Tara Spinks, 0448239182, National Manager (SES) for Telecommunication and Network Engineering Branch at Services Australia / Current line manager [tara.spinks@servicesaustralia.gov.au]
Timeline
Director (EL2) of Data Centre and Networks
Services Australia
04.2025 - Current
Director (EL2) of Data Lifecycle Management Solutions
Services Australia
02.2025 - 04.2025
Team Leader (EL1) of Midrange UNIX Operations and Midrange UNIX Development
Services Australia
02.2023 - 02.2025
Assistant Director (EL1) for Network Operations and Wireless & Distributed Network
Services Australia
01.2022 - 02.2023
Senior Incident Manager (EL1)
Services Australia
09.2020 - 01.2022
ITIL Foundation V4
Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving & Decision Making
Project Management Cert IV
Institute of Management
Master of Diplomacy & Trade
Monash University
Graduate Study Select Program
Australian National University
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