He was the Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet of the Government of South Australia from 2018, before moving to become CEO of Nova Systems, a global engineering services and technology solutions company, in November 2020.
[1] McDowell worked in legal, commercial and marketing roles with aerospace company Bombardier Shorts for 18 years after graduation.
Under his leadership, the company expanded to become Australia's largest defence firm, with more than 6,500 employees and annual sales of approximately AUD $1.7 billion.
He oversaw a significant expansion of BAE's Australian operations and established the company's headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia.
[4] In 2014 McDowell left BAE Systems Saudi Arabia and returned to Adelaide,[1] marking a career shift from the private to the public sector, as CEO of the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
[11] In 2015, McDowell was a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on the Future Submarine Competitive Evaluation Process, formed by the Australian Government.