[2] His PhD thesis, which he completed in 1994, was titled The Determinants of Trade Union Membership: Evidence from Two Australian Surveys.
In the South Australian public service, Grimes obtained the role of Deputy Under Secretary in the Department of Treasury and Finance.
[4] In January 2007, Grimes took up an Australian Public Service position as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Finance and Administration.
[5] Grimes was appointed Acting Secretary of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in September 2010,[6] moving into the role formally in 2011.
[15] Grimes reportedly wrote that he "agreed that the minister would be better supported... by a new secretary with a different background and set of policy skills.