Animal Studies Operations Lead

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; Geelong; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Geelong seeks an Animal Studies Operations Leader to guide a multidisciplinary veterinary and animal welfare team within a high-containment research environment. The role blends people leadership with hands-on veterinary expertise to deliver high-quality animal care, research support and regulatory compliance.

You will work alongside researchers to shape ethical, scientifically robust animal studies while supporting

Qualifications

• Veterinary degree eligible for registration with Victoria Board and 5+ years of veterinary experience.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing teams and staff development.
• Experience applying veterinary knowledge to animal health and research settings.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Understanding of animal welfare and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead veterinary and animal welfare operations at ACDP Geelong.
• Provide staff leadership and hands-on veterinary support.
• Collaborate with researchers on study design and ethics.
• Ensure animal care, welfare, biosecurity and regulatory compliance.
• Support after-hours and emergency response requirements.

Skills

Veterinary leadership

Team management

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory compliance

Education

Veterinary degree (registered)

Job description

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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. View our vision towards reconciliation .

Role highlights

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary veterinary and animal welfare team supporting nationally significant science
• Combine senior leadership with hands-on veterinary and scientific expertise in ACDP’s high-containment research environment
• Join ACDP during major investment in modern laboratories, infrastructure and animal research capability

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—helping Australia anticipate, detect and respond to serious biosecurity threats such as lumpy skin disease, African swine fever and avian influenza. Whether your role supports research, diagnostics, surveillance, animal care, laboratory operations or critical infrastructure, your work can strengthen Australia’s preparedness, protect animal health and industries, and help reduce risks to the environment and community. You’ll also build distinctive experience in a complex, highly regulated environment unlike conventional veterinary, animal-care or laboratory practice.

The role:

As an Animal Studies Operations Leader, lead the veterinary and animal studies operations at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), where your expertise will help enable nationally significant research into emerging infectious diseases, animal health and biosecurity. You’ll lead a multidisciplinary team of veterinary and animal welfare professionals, combining people leadership with hands‑on veterinary and scientific expertise to deliver high-quality animal care, research support, workforce capability and operational excellence. Working alongside researchers and specialist teams, you’ll help shape safe, ethical and scientifically robust animal research while contributing to preparedness programs that protect Australia and the region from serious disease threats.

Animal research at ACDP takes place within rigorous animal ethics, biosecurity, safety and regulatory frameworks. Depending on the role, you may support animals throughout the research lifecycle, including infectious disease research. Candidates must be comfortable working in an environment where animals may not be able to leave the facility and where humane euthanasia may form part of approved research or biosecurity requirements.

Where you will make an impact:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary veterinary and animal welfare team, fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture across ACDP’s animal facilities.
• Provide strategic and technical leadership across veterinary services, animal health, welfare and animal studies operations.
• Apply your veterinary and clinical expertise to animal-based research, including health assessments, disease investigations, surgery, diagnostic procedures and emergency veterinary care.
• Partner with researchers to provide veterinary input into study design, animal ethics, husbandry, clinical monitoring and implementation of animal research projects.
• Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement, including capability development, technical training and high standards of animal welfare, biosecurity, quality and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate across scientific, veterinary, animal welfare and facility teams to enable safe, ethical and scientifically robust research, including supporting ACDP’s after-hours and emergency response requirements.
• Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite. Role is predominantly site-based
• Applications are open to Australian Citizens only.
• Appointment is subject to obtaining or holding an Australian Government Negative Vetting 1 security clearance and providing a national police check. Other security, medical or character requirements may also apply.
• Job Reference Number: 104424

What you will bring:

We’re looking for people who combine a genuine commitment to animal welfare with strong procedural discipline, sound judgement and accountability. You’ll work calmly and constructively across disciplines, follow detailed procedures consistently, speak up when something isn’t right and adapt to a highly regulated, sometimes time-critical environment.

Selection criteria:

• A veterinary degree eligible for registration with the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria with a minimum of five years’ veterinary experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in managing teams, developing staff capability and fostering a positive, high-performing workplace culture.
• Demonstrated experience applying veterinary knowledge and professional judgement to support animal health, clinical care, disease investigations, and animal management within veterinary, research, diagnostic, or related environments.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to build productive relationships, prepare technical documentation and reports, and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated understanding of animal welfare, ethical animal use, and regulatory requirements relevant to the care and use of animals for scientific purposes,
• Willingness to work with zoonotic or exotic disease agents, including within high-containment environments following appropriate training.

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We’re happy to discuss what adjustments to our process may help you feel safe, respected and able to participate fully. Please contact [e-mail] and let us know how we can support you.

Life, benefits and flexible work arrangements

Options for part-time, job-share and flexible work arrangements can be discussed based on needs of role and individual circumstances. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO .

Inclusion and belonging

As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Platinum Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy .

22 November 2026, 11:00pm AEDT