Facility Manager - Secure Animal Facility

CSIRO; Geelong; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong is seeking a Facility Manager to lead a skilled technical team within our Secure Animal Facility. You will oversee high-quality animal care and specialist services enabling research into emerging diseases, vaccines and therapeutics. This role combines leadership with hands-on technical expertise, emphasising welfare and safety.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in animal science or related discipline, or equivalent experience in animal research or facility operations.
• Experience leading diverse teams in animal research, scientific or similarly complex technical environments.
• Strong knowledge of the Victorian Animal Code of Practice and the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes.
• Experience supporting animal research involving multiple species with hands-on handling and supervision.
• Experience working in regulated environments with animal ethics, regulatory and environmental requirements, biocontainment and quality frameworks.
• Excellent collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills across researchers, veterinarians and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a diverse technical team within the Secure Animal Facility, fostering capability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee day-to-day facility operations, ensuring safe, efficient delivery of high-quality research support.
• Coordinate complex technical procedures and drive development, implementation and standardisation of animal care and research techniques.
• Provide specialist technical support to research programs involving small animal species in collaboration with scientists.
• Champion animal welfare, safety and regulatory compliance with veterinarians and researchers.
• Promote safety, biosecurity and quality within ISO 9001 frameworks and microbiological security requirements.

Skills

Team leadership

Regulatory compliance

Animal welfare

Facility operations

Communication skills

Education

Animal science degree

Job description

Facility Manager - Secure Animal Facility

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 ourvision towards reconciliation.

Role highlights

• Lead skilled technical team supporting world-class animal health and infectious disease research at ACDP
• Play a critical role in enabling research into emerging diseases, zoonoses, vaccines and therapeutics
• Build distinctive experience in a research and high-containment environment unlike conventional veterinary or animal-care practice

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.VisitCSIRO.au for more information.

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 a Facility Manager, take on a critical leadership role at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), leading a skilled technical team within our Secure Animal Facility in Geelong. You’ll oversee the delivery of high-quality animal care and specialist services that enable research into emerging and infectious diseases, including zoonoses, animal infection models, vaccines and therapeutics. Combining people leadership with hands-on technical expertise, you’ll champion animal welfare, safety and operational excellence while helping deliver research with real-world impact.

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 diverse technical team within the Secure Animal Facility, fostering capability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Oversee day-to-day facility operations, ensuring activities are delivered safely, efficiently and effectively to support high-quality research outcomes.
• Coordinate complex technical procedures and drive the development, implementation and standardisation of animal care and research techniques.
• Provide specialist technical support to research programs involving a variety of small animal species, working closely with scientists and multidisciplinary teams.
• Champion animal welfare, quality and regulatory compliance, partnering with Facility Veterinarians, Animal Welfare Officers and researchers to maintain high standards of animal care and research practice.
• Promote a strong culture of safety, biosecurity and quality, supporting ACDP’s ISO 9001 management systems and adherence to microbiological security requirements, including those relating to infectious and zoonotic agents.
• Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite. Role is predominantly site-based due to lab work
• 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: 104425

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 tertiary qualification in animal science or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience in animal research, care or facility operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing diverse teams, ideally within an animal research, scientific or similarly complex technical environment.
• Strong knowledge of understanding of the Victorian Animal Code of Practice for Animal Welfare, and the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes and how these are applied in a research setting.
• Demonstrated experience supporting animal research involving a variety of species, with the ability and willingness to undertake activities ranging from hands-on animal handling and husbandry through to complex technical procedures.
• Sound experience working within regulated and compliance-driven environments, including animal ethics, regulatory and environmental requirements, biocontainment and associated quality frameworks.
• Excellent collaboration, communication and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with researchers, veterinarians, animal welfare professionals and other internal and external stakeholders, while proactively addressing animal welfare and operational issues.

Setting you up for success

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 *************@csiro.au 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 the 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.