Team Leader – Animal Welfare and Regulatory Compliance in Geelong

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Role highlights:

• Lead animal welfare and biorisk specialists at CSIRO’s ACDP
• Champion animal welfare and ethical research
• Drive compliance and improvement in high-containment research

About CSIRO:

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong is a nationally significant high-containment facility protecting Australia from serious and emerging animal and zoonotic disease threats. Our teams work across research, surveillance, diagnostics and emergency response, helping safeguard Australia’s animal industries, environment and communities.

This is a pivotal time to join ACDP. A major Part-Life Refit is modernising laboratories, infrastructure and animal research capability to support the Centre’s critical work for decades to come at the Geelong site. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to science with genuine national impact in helping Australia anticipate, detect and respond to serious biosecurity threats such as lumpy skin disease, African swine fever and avian influenza.

The opportunity:

As the Animal Welfare and Regulatory Compliance Team Leader, you’ll lead a team of animal welfare and biorisk specialists supporting ethical, compliant animal and scientific operations at ACDP. You’ll oversee compliance with the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (2013), DAFF biosecurity controls, OGTR guidelines, the SSBA Regulatory Scheme and internal policies.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Lead animal welfare and biorisk management officers to deliver expert advice and support best-practice animal care and compliant research.
• Oversee compliance and microbiological security requirements for research involving biosecurity goods, genetically modified organisms and security-sensitive biological agents.
• Coordinate transparent external and internal audits across ACDP, ensuring non-compliance is reported appropriately and corrective actions are implemented.
• Support adverse-event investigations, advise on animal welfare interventions and report outcomes and recommended actions to relevant committees and authorities.
• Collaborate with research, facility and quality teams to develop consistent procedures, policies and compliance frameworks across ACDP.
• Partner with the Animal Research Ethics Team to align practices with CSIRO’s Animal Welfare Procedure and the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes.
• Provide expert regulatory guidance and contribute to training in technical procedures, animal welfare and animal ethics across CSIRO.
• Contribute to biorisk management leadership, advise on emerging compliance and welfare matters, and foster inclusion, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

Location: Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC

Salary: AU$135k - AU$158k per annum + 15.4% superannuation

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Tertiary qualification in veterinary science, animal science, bioscience, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience working in a heavily regulated laboratory or scientific environment.
• Demonstrated experience within a scientific or health institution, with a requirement for experience in system development, implementation, and compliance framework management.
• Demonstrated understanding of quality, compliance, regulatory and environmental processes.
• Proven ability to effectively handle sensitive and confidential information, interpret policies, procedures, and guidelines to provide clear and consistent advice and support on compliance animal welfare issues and the ethical conduct of research.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment, collaborate widely both internally and externally, and establish effective interpersonal relationships with a wide variety of people.
• Demonstrated experience working with animals in a laboratory environment or under animal ethics systems that consider welfare.
• Demonstrated understanding of the compliance requirements for work with biosecurity, GM or SSBA materials and animal research ethics principles and state and national requirements.
• Further qualifications or formal training in animal welfare, laboratory animal medicine or compliance management.
• Experience working under a quality management system with demonstrated accomplishments in the delivery of continual improvement and systemic improvements.

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens, New Zealand Citizens, and Australian Permanent Residents. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

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