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
In this role you will perform complex technical, scientific and operational work supporting Australia's preparedness for and response to radiological and nuclear emergencies. The role is suited to candidates with qualifications in physics, or related science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Candidates with qualifications solely in emergency management without a relevant scientific background may not meet the technical requirements of the role. Working under limited direction, you will contribute to the development and maintenance of national emergency preparedness arrangements, radiation monitoring capability, environmental assessment systems and operational decision-support tools.
You will assist in maintaining ARPANSA's readiness to fulfil its responsibilities under the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework (AGCMF) and the Australian Radiological and Nuclear Event Plan (AUSRNEPLAN), while contributing specialist advice on radiation protection, health physics and radiological monitoring activities.
The role includes participation in training, exercises, field deployments and operational responses, including rostered emergency preparedness and response duties. Domestic and international travel may be required.
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
