Head of Bioresources

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute; Adelaide; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging options

Job summary

SAHMRI in Adelaide seeks a Head of Bioresources to provide senior leadership for its SPF small animal research facility. You will guide strategic direction, operational performance and compliance, ensuring high-quality welfare standards and research support.

The role involves working with internal teams and external partners to advance research outcomes while maintaining robust health monitoring, biosecurity and governance.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a laboratory animal facility or similar environment.
• Strong understanding of animal welfare, ethics and regulatory compliance.
• Knowledge of ISO, GLP and AAALAC standards.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Comfort with training and staff development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction, day-to-day operation, service delivery and continuous improvement of SAHMRI’s Bioresources facility.
• Maintain SPF status through health monitoring, biosecurity and biocontainment.
• Provide expert advice on animal models, procedures and experimental design.
• Support research projects involving wild type and genetically modified animals with welfare in mind.
• Develop and improve standard operating procedures and care protocols.
• Introduce new technologies and methods to enhance facility capability.
• Lead and develop direct reports; foster a collaborative, safe team culture.
• Oversee training programs, stakeholder engagement and governance activities.
• Oversee facility administration, reporting, budgeting and inventory.
• Work with partners to optimize use of research infrastructure.

Job description

• Employment type: FP - Full-time Permanent

At the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), we are dedicated to groundbreaking health and medical research that improves quality of life for all people.

Located in Adelaide’s health and biomedical precinct, SAHMRI brings together researchers, clinicians and partners to drive innovation, discovery and impact across health and medical research.

About the role

SAHMRI is seeking an experienced and collaborative Head of Bioresources to provide senior leadership for the strategic direction, operational performance, scientific standards and service delivery of its small animal research facility on North Terrace.

This senior role will provide specialist expertise in laboratory animal science and lead the implementation of best-practice standards within a Specified Pathogen Free (SPF) research environment. You will play a critical role in shaping facility capability, supporting high-quality research outcomes and upholding exceptional standards of animal welfare, ethics, compliance and client service.

You will work closely with SAHMRI’s Scientific Services and Operations Manager, Animal Welfare and Compliance Officer, Animal Ethics Officer, Animal Ethics Committee, Director-PIRL, researchers and operational teams. You will also engage with external stakeholders, including South Australian universities, commercial partners and regulators.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction, day-to-day operation, service delivery and continuous improvement of SAHMRI’s Bioresources facility
• Maintain the facility’s SPF status through robust health monitoring, biosecurity, biocontainment, quarantine and quality practices
• Provide expert advice to researchers on animal models, procedures, pilot studies, experimental design and resource requirements
• Support successful research projects involving wild type and genetically modified animals while promoting exceptional animal welfare and ethics compliance
• Develop, review and improve standard operating procedures, animal care protocols and research-specific procedures
• Introduce new technologies, methodologies and process improvements to enhance facility capability and research support
• Lead, support and develop direct reports while fostering a collaborative, safe and service-focused team culture
• Oversee user training programs, workshops, stakeholder engagement and research governance activities, including contributions to SAHMRI’s Animal Ethics Committee
• Oversee facility administration, reporting, cost recovery, budgets, animal inventory, consumables and equipment to ensure sustainable and effective service delivery
• Work with internal and external partners to optimise the use of research infrastructure, specialist equipment and shared capability

About You

You will be an experienced laboratory animal science professional with sound judgement, strong operational capability and a commitment to high standards of animal welfare, compliance and research support.

You will bring:

• A tertiary qualification in veterinary science, medical science, laboratory animal science or a related research field involving laboratory animals
• Postgraduate qualifications, progress towards postgraduate qualifications and/or extensive relevant experience
• Significant experience managing research facility resources, including people, animals, budgets, equipment and operations
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience using, caring for and managing laboratory animals in a research environment
• Strong understanding of laboratory animal welfare, ethics and regulatory compliance requirements
• Knowledge of a broad range of laboratory species, pathogen exclusion, health monitoring, biocontainment and quarantine practices
• Understanding of quality systems such as ISO, GLP and/or AAALAC, with a commitment to implementation and continuous improvement
• Strong people leadership, communication, stakeholder engagement and interpersonal skills
• Confidence using relevant software, systems and research facility management tools
• The ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and meet deadlines
• A strong client service mindset and commitment to supporting research excellence
• Experience delivering or supervising training workshops, which would be highly regarded

Special Requirements

• Some out-of-hours work may be required
• The successful candidate may need to be contactable outside normal working hours at certain times

Everything we do is underpinned by our values of excellence, innovation, courage, integrity and teamwork. We are proud of the work we do and are committed to building a culture that enables and demands research excellence.

As a not-for-profit organisation, SAHMRI employees can access salary packaging options up to $15,900, helping reduce taxable income and increase take-home pay.

Additional information

To be considered for this position, applicants must hold relevant working rights within Australia at the time of application.

Applications may close earlier than advertised if a suitable candidate is identified.

At SAHMRI, we live our commitment to equity and diversity every day: respecting people as individuals and valuing differences to create a working environment that is fair and flexible, promotes personal and professional growth and benefits from the capabilities of a diverse workforce.

SAHMRI is located on Kaurna Country. We pay respects to the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are committed to embracing knowledge and culture as we continue our working journey to incorporate Aboriginal health research across all of our themes and further reconciliation.

(Learning and knowledge are the pathway to alter the mind)