Acting Director, Centre for Accelerator Science

Position Overview

• Fixed term position for parental leave cover
• Full Time | Salary commensurate with experience +15.4% super
• Member of the ANSTO Nuclear Science and Technology (NST) Senior Leadership Team
• Leading and managing a national user facility

About the Opportunity

An opportunity is open to lead ANSTO’s Centre for Accelerator Science (CAS) for fixed period of 13 months, with a start date in early July to enable 1 month handover with the Director at the start and 2 months handover when the Director returns part-time, after 10 months of leave.

The Acting CAS Director will benefit from a handover and shadowing period with the existing CAS Director, to comprehensively cover duties, information, key contacts and training needed for the position. They will also benefit from advice and guidance from the NST senior leadership team throughout the duration and will be well supported in local management of CAS via direct reports responsible for operational and scientific excellence, stakeholder engagement, and strategy development. 

The Acting CAS Director will lead a department of 53 staff, working across accelerator science and technical operations, who together deliver high impact research outcomes via a safe, compliant and high-quality user operations programme, collaborative research and capability development projects, and technology and instrumentation upgrades.

They will oversee the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of CAS, and drive forward the initiatives within the CAS business plan for FY26, following the CAS principles:

• Community driven: support, and collaborate with, our community in the pursuit of ​world-class skills, science, discovery, and innovation​
• Advancing: continuous programme of development in our expertise and ​ our capabilities to catalyse new opportunities and growth​
• Sustaining: excellence in our people and infrastructure for world-class facility ​ operations and end-to-end user experience

About You

The ideal candidate will be a champion for science, research excellence, and safety and regulatory compliance with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the capability to support people to achieve excellence, desired organisational outcomes and optimal work performance. They will also have:

• Awareness of financial management systems for forecasting, planning and cost control
• Experience in managing effective relationships with key stakeholders
• Potential for strategic thinking and planning skills and the capacity to address complex, multi-faceted issues and problems.

The key duties of the position include:
Your Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure the delivery of operational and research excellence within the platform by fostering a culture of high-performance that encourages innovation, improves productivity and promotes teamwork and collaboration.
• Lead and manage the safe, compliant, and efficient operation and development of CAS to achieve NST’s strategic and collaborative program of utilisation of infrastructure, scientific capabilities and expertise to realise new opportunities, serve users and create value.
• Provide best-practice facility utilisation, ensuring availability of facilities, equipment and expertise and partner with researchers from across many industries and sectors to provide expert advice and platform access to facilitate their research.
• Management of scientific infrastructure, facilities, equipment through an asset management framework and improvement program to ensure reliability of assets, productivity and availability to users and ensure operational safety, security and sustainability and compliance with applicable standards, legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Encourage and support a project management approach to the management of platform and research projects, provide oversight and direction with the ongoing monitoring, reviewing and timely completion of projects, consistent with project deliverables.
• Manage and oversee all aspects of platform operations, including endorsing plans, identifying and allocating resources, developing budgets and control and management of financial performance.
• Develop and maintain a range of collaborative networks across NST and ANSTO and externally to support and advance the delivery of science programs and projects, share knowledge and deliver outcomes from partnered research which is mutually beneficial and has impact.
• Maintain the highest standards of open communication, collaboration, data and knowledge management.

Please click here to view the Position Description.

Eligibility
About Us

ANSTO Centre for Accelerator Science supports research and industry users to explore the past, monitor the present, and design for the future with a suite of capabilities that can help answer some of the most complex and exciting questions of today.

CAS is a national user facility operating four world-class particle accelerators and twelve specialist chemistry laboratories open to all through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

Utilising ion beam irradiation, ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry capabilities, accelerators have numerous applications. The Centre for Accelerator Science is fundamental for many of Australia’s science and research priorities and delivers sovereign capability for areas of national interest.

Accelerator science is more important than ever in addressing the challenges of climate prediction, water resource sustainability, indigenous culture and knowledge preservation, space radiation testing, clean energy and quantum technology development, and in detecting and preventing nuclear proliferation as part of the IAEA’s network of analytical laboratories (NWAL).

CAS supports more than 300 individual users per year with access to:

• expertise in radioisotope dating, trace element and isotope analysis, surface engineering, and radiation testing,  
• ultra-sensitive accelerator mass spectrometry and ion beam analysis, and precision irradiation and implantation
• facilities for analytical chemistry sample preparation and early-career training for scientists and engineers

Key stakeholders and relationships include ANSTO, NCRIS, internal and external users, IAEA, University partners and collaborators.

Benefits of Working with Us

ANSTO employees are passionate about what they do. We enjoy being part of an organisation making a difference in the lives of Australians. 

We support and reward our employees through eligibility for:

• Training, development and mentoring opportunities 
• Performance based salary increases 
• Work-life balance with generous leave entitlements and flexible conditions

If you want to join a world class organisation that's making a difference in the lives of Australians, apply now!

How to Apply

For further technical information relating to this position please refer to the Position Description or contact Ceri Brenner on (02) 9717 3***.  For all other queries please contact Talent Acquisition on +61 (02) 9717 3***.

To be eligible for appointment, applicants will require a security and pre-employment medical assessment.

Application closing date:  11 May 2025 at 11:59pm.

All applicants must be Australian citizens.

In order to solve great challenges, we need great minds and great teams. At ANSTO, we understand that diverse teams produce better outcomes and we value the merit that a diverse perspective can bring to our team. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, primary carers, those with a disability, and women in STEM. ANSTO is a charter member of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative and is proudly taking action to create a gender-inclusive workforce. 

Getting to know the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

ANSTO leverages great science to deliver big outcomes.  We partner with scientists and engineers and apply new technologies to provide real-world benefits.  Our work improves human health, saves lives, builds our industries and protects the environment.  ANSTO is the home of Australia's most significant landmark and national infrastructure for research.  Thousands of scientists from industry and academia benefit from gaining access to state-of-the-art instruments every year.