Meeting the media at Arden St on Tuesday, the 43-year-old said he immediately felt at home at North and that he's confident he's the modern coach North feel they need to take them to the the next level.
Graham was previously an assistant at the Dockers under Justin Longmuir and had long craved a senior role. He was unsuccessful at Carlton and Essendon before landing the Kangaroos job.
Seven men have coached North since 2019 and they last made the finals a decade ago under Brad Scott.
Bitter fallout arose at the start of September after four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson was sacked as North coach.
Club president Sonja Hood and football boss Todd Viney had given a candid media conference that left Clarkson feeling like North had danced on his grave.
Hood had spoken of the need for a coach who could bring them more in line with the modern game.
She and Viney looked on at Tuesday's presser as Graham sat alongside chief executive Jen Watt and outlined his bona fides.
"All I will say is I've been involved (at) Fremantle, we've just played in a grand final, so I'm confident I'm up to speed with where the game's at," he said.
"Then we're dealing with people and I don't think that's changed, the fact that you need to care first and then hold them accountable.
"People don't care how much you know until they know much you care."
Asked about Clarkson, Watt said the club would be "forever grateful" to him, adding he was the right coach at the time.
But she was also adamant North had the right man now, in Graham.
North went for a first timer, rather than an experienced hand such as Nathan Buckley, who was in the mix early on before pulling out.
In a letter to members, Hood also outlined why they had chosen Graham.
"Our selection panel ... felt the alignment of Jaymie's personal values with those of our club, along with all of his extensive football credentials and clear capabilities, made him the very best person to take our club forward," Hood said in a letter to members.
Graham started on Tuesday and said he already felt like he was in the right place.
"It's amazing how life works - I've missed out on a few opportunities ... but things happen for a reason," he said.
"I really feel like I belong already, with the people I've met.
"It's very similar - Fremantle are a port city, blue-collar, and I've walked in here, Arden St, Shinboners."
Asked if he would bring Wharfie Time across, Graham replied it was now "Northy Time".
Graham also noted the past week had been "a whirlwind" in the wake of Fremantle's grand final loss.
Graham only played 37 games at West Coast before his AFL career was wrecked by injury and personal circumstances.
"I didn't have the 300-game, two-premiership playing career of some others, but I have life experiences, I've been coaching for 15 years and been in a number of environments," he said.
Graham and Watt would not give a timeframe on how long it might take for North to return to the finals, but he was encouraged by the state of the club and their playing list.
"There's already been a lot of work done," he said. "I want to contribute to that environment.
"There's clearly some talent on this list, but there's also some work to do."
Graham also warned the process would not be linear.
"It could be a little bit clunky. It will be like driving a manual car, for the older people in the room who learned with one," he said.
Graham presented to the board on Monday and beat Hawthorn assistant coaches David Hale, Daniel Giansiracusa and North assistant Xavier Clarke to the job.
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