Business Manager - Research & Finance

Curtin University; Western Australia; On-site; AUD 123,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Health and wellbeing services

Discounts for staff

Job summary

Curtin University invites applications for the role of Business Manager, Research and Finance within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA). The role oversees budget development, reporting and compliance across eight university nodes, reporting to the COO and linking the Centre with Curtin finance and research offices.

Success requires strong leadership in financial management, budgeting, and research administration, with experience in multi-institution

Qualifications

• Experience managing research funding, including project budgets, reporting and acquittals.
• ARC Centre of Excellence or multi-institution environment experience is highly regarded.
• Formal qualification not essential, but postgraduate or accounting body membership is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and monitor the Centre's annual budget, forecasts and project budgets.
• Lead budget reviews and re-forecasts, reporting on expenditure, variances and risks.
• Design and improve finance and research administration processes while ensuring compliance.
• Lead financial reporting and acquittals to ARC, Curtin and partner organisations.

Skills

Leadership

Financial management

Reporting

Stakeholder management

Education

Postgraduate qualification or accounting body membership

Job description

$122,699 - $130,758 + 17% superannuation.

Reference: 1699932

About the Role:

As Business Manager, Research and Finance, you will lead financial management and research operations for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA). Led by Curtin University, this nationally significant research centre operates across eight participating universities, known as nodes. You will help keep the Centre well managed, meet its complex budget, reporting and contractual requirements, and demonstrate progress against its objectives.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), you will be the key link between the Centre, Curtin's service areas and the participating universities on finance and research administration. You will provide expert advice, oversee budget development and monitoring, and help ensure the Centre meets its obligations under the ARC Funding Agreement and partner agreements.

As a foundational appointment in the Centre's first year, this role offers a unique opportunity to design the financial and research administration framework of a multi-institution Centre from the ground up.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Develop and monitor the Centre's annual budget, forecasts and research project budgets, in consultation with the Chief Operating Officer, Director and the University’s finance.
• Lead regular budget reviews and re-forecasts with the Director, COO and Centre leads, reporting on expenditure, variances and risks and recommending corrective action.
• Design, implement and continuously improve the Centre's finance and research administration systems and processes that ensure compliance while supporting and enabling researchers to manage their finances effectively, without adding unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, and assure the quality of transactional finance processing undertaken by Centre staff
• Lead the Centre's financial reporting and acquittals to the ARC, Curtin and partner organisations, including node cash and in-kind contribution reporting.
• Manage all reporting and contractual obligations of the Centre, including the ARC Funding Agreement and partner and multi-institutional agreements.
• Provide expert advice to the COO, the Director, researchers and Centre leads on operational and regulatory matters pertaining to research, the University’s research and financial processes, and the research project lifecycle, from proposal and budget development through to project closure.
• Oversee Centre cost centres and node-level financial arrangements, ensuring compliance with ARC, University and partner financial requirements and reporting standards.
• Oversee the administration of internal funding schemes, including budgets, application and approval processes, payments and acquittals.
• Develop, document and maintain the Centre's finance and research administration policies, procedures and guidelines, consistent with University and ARC requirements, and provide clear advice to staff and nodes on their application.
• Work with node administrators to ensure node financial and KPI data is accurate, timely and consistent across all nodes.
• Liaise and collaborate with University service groups, including Finance, the Research Office, Human Resources and Properties, and with the ARC and external partners.
• Other duties as directed, consistent with the classification level of the role.

Who we are looking for:

To be successful in this role, you will have previous experience in a leadership and management role, with highly developed financial management, reporting and monitoring skills. You will have demonstrated experience managing research funding, including project budgets, reporting and acquittals, and the ability to interpret financial information and make clear recommendations to senior leaders. You will have very good knowledge of research finance and funding administration, gained through relevant experience, training or qualifications. You will build strong relationships and negotiate effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including across multiple institutions. A formal qualification is not essential, but the following will be highly regarded:

• Experience within an ARC Centre of Excellence or a similar multi-institution research or higher education environment
• Completion of a relevant postgraduate qualification, or membership of, or progress towards membership of, an internationally recognised accounting body

Your New Team - ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age:

Despite growing investment in digital transformation, the potential of technology to improve the quality of work has not been fully realised. The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA) aims to address this challenge by bringing together leading researchers alongside industry and government partners from institutions across Australia and the globe to explore how new technologies can be integrated responsibly to create and sustain productive, inclusive and healthy work.

The Centre brings together diverse experts from social and technical disciplines across three interlinked research streams: Augmented Working, Networked Workplaces and Future-Ready Workforce. To learn more about QWiDA, please visit qwida.org.au

Role Requirements:

• As this is a fixed-term contract, you will require current work rights in Australia that match the tenure of this role.
• Successful applicants are subject to a National Police Clearance, and background, integrity, and reference checks to Curtin's satisfaction.

About Curtin University

Curtin University proudly stands among the top one percent of global universities according to the ARWU 2025 rankings. We are an energetic, dedicated team of academics and professionals working together to provide global solutions through quality graduates and innovative research. Curtin is a welcoming space where integrity, respect for one another, courage, excellence, and impact are essential to everyday life.

First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, parents, carers, people of all ages, abilities and genders, and people of diverse ethnicity, nationality and faith are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live. For more information, please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page - https://staff.curtin.edu.au/discover-curtin/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-curtin/

What We Offer You:

This Fixed Term G08 level role attracts a remuneration of $122,699 - $130,758 + 17% superannuation.

Based on our Perth city campus Curtin offers a wide range of generous benefits, including additional leave, salary packaging, health and wellbeing services and an array of discounts for retail, travel and much more.

For more reasons to work at Curtin, please visit https://staff.curtin.edu.au/discover-curtin/

Applications close: 8pm (AWST) Thursday 26th of November 2026.

Please note we are not accepting applications from recruitment agencies at this time.

Curtin reserves the right at its sole discretion to withdraw from the recruitment process, remove the advert, not to make an appointment, or to appoint by invitation, at any time.