Our organisation
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Australian Government's primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. Our purpose is to protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.
Section overview
The Emergency Management Section ensures ARPANSA can lead Australia’s response to radiological or nuclear events in alignment with national and international frameworks. It supports this role by providing high-quality advice to decision-makers, maintaining strong relationships with Commonwealth agencies and state and territory responders, and contributing to coordinated national preparedness and response arrangements. The Section undertakes these responsibilities under the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework (AGCMF) and leads the development of the national radiological and nuclear event plan, the AUSRNEPLAN.
The Section oversees internal agency readiness by managing the Incident Response Officer roster, conducting training and exercises, and ensuring systems, processes and staff capability align with the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS). It also supports situational awareness and executive decision-making through the development and maintenance of dashboards, reporting products and other decision-support tools, and monitors readiness across personnel, systems and operational arrangements. The Section contributes to continuous improvement by capturing lessons identified from exercises, activations and stakeholder engagement, and translating these into updates to plans, procedures and capability development.
Primary purpose of the role
The Assistant Director Emergency Management provides leadership of ARPANSA's technical and operational emergency preparedness capabilities. Working with a high degree of independence, you will lead the continuous improvement of radiological and nuclear emergency preparedness arrangements, provide specialist advice on radiation protection and health physics matters, and coordinate emergency management capability development across the Agency.
You will play a key role in ensuring ARPANSA can effectively fulfil its responsibilities as the Australian Government Coordination Agency for radiological and nuclear incidents. This includes maintaining operational readiness, supporting national preparedness initiatives, overseeing technical systems and radiation monitoring capabilities, and contributing to national and international emergency management activities.
The role includes leadership responsibilities within ARPANSA's incident management arrangements and participation in operational responses, exercises and national preparedness activities.
How to apply
Hit the apply button below and follow the application instructions. For your application you will need a resume and a 500-word pitch that considers:
- Key accountabilities
- Job specific capabilities
- Selection criteria
