James joined NSC in April 2025, on secondment from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR), where he has had an extensive public service career managing Commonwealth policy responses to key economic security and sovereign capability challenges facing Australia. 

James has been appointed as a senior Ministerial advisor on international, budgetary and innovation matters, and has recently led the DISR portfolio’s Ministerial and Executive Engagement Branch where he was responsible for parliamentary engagement, board management and corporate reporting. He has been key to the government’s sovereign capability agendas and led efforts to onshore mRNA manufacturing, develop Australia’s critical minerals industry, and guided development of the National Innovation and Science and Future Made in Australia agendas. 

James has a track record of establishing new policy and program capabilities and led establishment of the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency’s Program Delivery Branch, the Australian office of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Tasmanian Major Projects Approval Agency and refreshed the Commonwealth’s approach to international science and resources partnerships. James was named valedictorian in 2022 from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and winner of the Dean’s Prize for overall academic achievement for his studies in public policy.