Assistant Director – Quality Management

Australian Submarine Agency; Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Submarine Agency is seeking an EL1 Assistant Director Quality Management to lead quality assurance, governance and continuous improvement across the organisation. You will establish a cross-organisational quality framework, provide expert guidance, and drive policy development and document control to ensure conformance with Defence and regulatory standards.

The role requires strong technical judgement, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to coach teams while delivering

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to apply quality management principles and align activities with compliance frameworks in a Nuclear context.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance and continuous improvement methodologies with experience mentoring quality professionals.
• Ability to manage complex issues, assess risks and provide practical, compliant recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Establish and implement the ASA Quality Management Framework.
• Provide specialist quality management advice, guidance and training to stakeholders.
• Develop policy and procedures to operationalise the quality function across the organisation.
• Lead lessons-learned programs and document assurance reviews to improve governance.
• Facilitate change-management activities arising from policy or process updates.
• Lead the Document Control team and collaborate with the document library team to improve processes.
• Coach and review work to uplift team capability and promote continuous improvement.

Skills

Quality management principles

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Coaching and guidance

Autonomous working

Written and verbal communication

Education

Quality management qualifications

Job description

The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines is an historic and transformative endeavour for Australia. The whole-of-nation effort to safely and securely deliver the cutting edge nuclear-powered submarine program will transform Australia’s economic and national security landscape for decades to come.

The EL 1 Assistant Director Quality Management plays a critical role in supporting ASA’s quality, governance and continuous improvement functions. Operating under broad direction, the role is responsible for working with stakeholders to establish a cross-organisational quality assurance and performance excellence framework befitting a 21st century sovereign nuclear enterprise.

The position requires strong technical and analytical capabilities, sound judgement and the ability to provide specialist advice across a range of quality, assurance and continuous improvement functions. Working in a dynamic environment, the EL1 Assistant Director Quality Manager will oversee and lead assurance reviews, support reform initiatives, manage change arising from policy and process updates, and help uplift capability across the team through coaching and guidance. The role requires autonomy, accountability and the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders to support the delivery of ASA’s priorities and contribute to high quality organisational outcomes.

An EL 1 Assistant Director Quality Management will have a considerable level of stakeholder engagement and will liaise with stakeholders in relation to complex issues. They will be required to identify, anticipate and respond to stakeholders’ needs and expectations to achieve work-unit and the Australian Submarine Agency outcomes.

The duties of an APS EL 1 Quality Manager include but are not limited to:

• Establish and implement the ASA Quality Management Framework, ensuring it captures standards that align with Defence best practice, Australia’s regulatory requirements within the Nuclear context, and recognizable to our trilateral partners.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to provide specialist quality management advice, guidance and training, ensuring activities align with the quality framework. This includes developing productive working relationships, influencing outcomes, and supporting stakeholder capability development through clear and timely communication.
• Develop relevant policy and procedures to operationalise the quality function across the organisations quality workforce and manage the ongoing conformance to the quality requirements.
• Lead and contribute to ASA’s lesson’s learned program, ensuring quality and reform initiatives, such as planning, delivery and documentation of assurance reviews, to validate compliance, enhance governance and identify continuous-improvement opportunities. Apply analytical reasoning to interpret findings, develop evidence-based insights and support decision-making.
• Facilitate ASA’s change-management activities that arise from policy, system or business-process updates, ensuring effective integration into the Quality Management System (QMS). Provide guidance to stakeholders, monitor implementation progress, and support sustainable adoption of improved processes.
• Lead the Document Control team who manage the ASA master document control register, provide document templates, and conduct document review and quality checks.
• Liaise closely with the document library team and collaborate to improve document library and processes according to ASA document control requirements.
• Support team capability by providing coaching, feedback and quality review of work undertaken by others, contributing to a positive, high-performing team culture. Encourage knowledge sharing, professional development and continuous improvement consistent with APS EL1 leadership expectations.Live and work as a visible example of the Nuclear Mindset.
• Exercise sound judgement, initiative and professional integrity in interpreting policy and applying established quality-management practices and procedures, including resolving complex issues, assessing risks, and formulating practical, compliant and informed recommendations consistent with APS values and organisational requirements.
• Work independently with a high degree of autonomy and accountability, managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines and delivering consistent, high-quality outputs with minimal supervision while demonstrating reliability and professional self-management.
• Collaborate with management and team members to achieve ASA and organisational priorities, contributing to planning, sharing insights, supporting continuous-improvement initiatives and modelling constructive, cooperative and service-oriented behaviours.

About our Team

The Platform Systems Branch of the Australian Submarine Agency Engineering and Technical Division works to assure and evolve the non-nuclear platform system engineering capabilities that will underpin the safe, stealthy, effective and enduring sovereign operation of Australia’s nuclear powered submarines.

Our branch is responsible for the technical governance, safety certification and OQE development for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine capability through managing a wide spectrum of specialist technical functions, including naval architecture, transverse systems integration, and stealth management.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a leader who is dynamic, agile, innovative and energised by complex and high paced work. Our candidate is highly-motivated and collaboration-minded and will have the opportunity to contribute significantly to a once-in-a-lifetime program.

Our ideal candidate will bring the following attributes and skills to the role:

• Demonstrated ability to apply quality management principles and align quality activities with established compliance frameworks, particularly within a Nuclear context, using sound analytical skills to interpret policy, assess risks and ensure practices support organisational objectives. Formal quality management qualifications and experience highly desirable!
• Strong understanding of quality assurance and continuous improvement methodologies, with the ability to identify inefficiencies, recommend practical solutions and support initiatives that drive measurable change. You possess direct working experience using quality tools, instructing or mentoring quality professionals in the utilization of said tools, and experience tailoring an organizational quality toolset to its operational context.
• Strong background in engineering and quality assurance experience
• Highly developed written, verbal and negotiation skills, with the ability to confidently engage, influence and build effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels across internal and external Defence environments. You tailor communication to audience needs and communicate with clarity and purpose.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision, exercising initiative, sound judgement and professional integrity when managing complex or competing tasks. You show resilience, actively seek new knowledge, and adapt positively to change.
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a small, high performing team, contributing to shared goals, supporting colleagues, and fostering a positive, inclusive and results focused team culture.

Security Clearance

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.

The key duties of the position include:

The Role

The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines is an historic and transformative endeavour for Australia. The whole-of-nation effort to safely and securely deliver the cutting edge nuclear-powered submarine program will transform Australia’s economic and national security landscape for decades to come.

The EL 1 Assistant Director Quality Management plays a critical role in supporting ASA’s quality, governance and continuous improvement functions. Operating under broad direction, the role is responsible for working with stakeholders to establish a cross-organisational quality assurance and performance excellence framework befitting a 21st century sovereign nuclear enterprise.

The position requires strong technical and analytical capabilities, sound judgement and the ability to provide specialist advice across a range of quality, assurance and continuous improvement functions. Working in a dynamic environment, the EL1 Assistant Director Quality Manager will oversee and lead assurance reviews, support reform initiatives, manage change arising from policy and process updates, and help uplift capability across the team through coaching and guidance. The role requires autonomy, accountability and the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders to support the delivery of ASA’s priorities and contribute to high quality organisational outcomes.

An EL 1 Assistant Director Quality Management will have a considerable level of stakeholder engagement and will liaise with stakeholders in relation to complex issues. They will be required to identify, anticipate and respond to stakeholders’ needs and expectations to achieve work-unit and the Australian Submarine Agency outcomes.

The duties of an APS EL 1 Quality Manager include but are not limited to:

• Establish and implement the ASA Quality Management Framework, ensuring it captures standards that align with Defence best practice, Australia’s regulatory requirements within the Nuclear context, and recognizable to our trilateral partners.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to provide specialist quality management advice, guidance and training, ensuring activities align with the quality framework. This includes developing productive working relationships, influencing outcomes, and supporting stakeholder capability development through clear and timely communication.
• Develop relevant policy and procedures to operationalise the quality function across the organisations quality workforce and manage the ongoing conformance to the quality requirements.
• Lead and contribute to ASA’s lesson’s learned program, ensuring quality and reform initiatives, such as planning, delivery and documentation of assurance reviews, to validate compliance, enhance governance and identify continuous-improvement opportunities. Apply analytical reasoning to interpret findings, develop evidence-based insights and support decision-making.
• Facilitate ASA’s change-management activities that arise from policy, system or business-process updates, ensuring effective integration into the Quality Management System (QMS). Provide guidance to stakeholders, monitor implementation progress, and support sustainable adoption of improved processes.
• Lead the Document Control team who manage the ASA master document control register, provide document templates, and conduct document review and quality checks.
• Liaise closely with the document library team and collaborate to improve document library and processes according to ASA document control requirements.
• Support team capability by providing coaching, feedback and quality review of work undertaken by others, contributing to a positive, high-performing team culture. Encourage knowledge sharing, professional development and continuous improvement consistent with APS EL1 leadership expectations.Live and work as a visible example of the Nuclear Mindset.
• Exercise sound judgement, initiative and professional integrity in interpreting policy and applying established quality-management practices and procedures, including resolving complex issues, assessing risks, and formulating practical, compliant and informed recommendations consistent with APS values and organisational requirements.
• Work independently with a high degree of autonomy and accountability, managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines and delivering consistent, high-quality outputs with minimal supervision while demonstrating reliability and professional self-management.
• Collaborate with management and team members to achieve ASA and organisational priorities, contributing to planning, sharing insights, supporting continuous-improvement initiatives and modelling constructive, cooperative and service-oriented behaviours.

About our Team

The Platform Systems Branch of the Australian Submarine Agency Engineering and Technical Division works to assure and evolve the non-nuclear platform system engineering capabilities that will underpin the safe, stealthy, effective and enduring sovereign operation of Australia’s nuclear powered submarines.

Our branch is responsible for the technical governance, safety certification and OQE development for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine capability through managing a wide spectrum of specialist technical functions, including naval architecture, transverse systems integration, and stealth management.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a leader who is dynamic, agile, innovative and energised by complex and high paced work. Our candidate is highly-motivated and collaboration-minded and will have the opportunity to contribute significantly to a once-in-a-lifetime program.

Our ideal candidate will bring the following attributes and skills to the role:

• Demonstrated ability to apply quality management principles and align quality activities with established compliance frameworks, particularly within a Nuclear context, using sound analytical skills to interpret policy, assess risks and ensure practices support organisational objectives. Formal quality management qualifications and experience highly desirable!
• Strong understanding of quality assurance and continuous improvement methodologies, with the ability to identify inefficiencies, recommend practical solutions and support initiatives that drive measurable change. You possess direct working experience using quality tools, instructing or mentoring quality professionals in the utilization of said tools, and experience tailoring an organizational quality toolset to its operational context.
• Strong background in engineering and quality assurance experience
• Highly developed written, verbal and negotiation skills, with the ability to confidently engage, influence and build effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels across internal and external Defence environments. You tailor communication to audience needs and communicate with clarity and purpose.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision, exercising initiative, sound judgement and professional integrity when managing complex or competing tasks. You show resilience, actively seek new knowledge, and adapt positively to change.
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a small, high performing team, contributing to shared goals, supporting colleagues, and fostering a positive, inclusive and results focused team culture.

Eligibility

Security Clearance

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.

Getting to know the Australian Submarine Agency

The Australian Submarine Agency was established on 1 July 2023 and is responsible and accountable for the management and oversight of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program.Australia’s acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines through the AUKUS partnership will be critical to ensuring our Defence Force has the capabilities needed to keep Australians safe.The Australian Submarine Agency operates under the Defence portfolio and maintains strong linkages with the Department of Defence. Our workforce comprises a mixture of Australian Public Servants, Australian Defence Force members and contractors.At the Australian Submarine Agency you will enjoy experiences and opportunities that, as an APS employee, you simply would not get in any other organisation. You are able to undertake interesting, challenging and unique work. This ranges from intelligence and strategic policy right through to human resources, communications, infrastructure and engineering, and information technology.As part of the Australian Submarine Agency you will be working at the cutting edge of capability delivery, supported by professionalisation pathways so you can continue to develop, along with unique and varied career opportunities.

We offer flexible working arrangements and a range of formal and informal professional development opportunities.