Our organisation

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Australian Government's primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. Our purpose is to protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.

Section overview

The Emergency Management Section ensures ARPANSA can lead Australia’s response to radiological or nuclear events in alignment with national and international frameworks. It supports this role by providing high-quality advice to decision-makers, maintaining strong relationships with Commonwealth agencies and state and territory responders, and contributing to coordinated national preparedness and response arrangements. The Section undertakes these responsibilities under the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework (AGCMF) and leads the development of the national radiological and nuclear event plan, the AUSRNEPLAN.

The Section oversees internal agency readiness by managing the Incident Response Officer roster, conducting training and exercises, and ensuring systems, processes and staff capability align with the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS). It also supports situational awareness and executive decision-making through the development and maintenance of dashboards, reporting products and other decision-support tools, and monitors readiness across personnel, systems and operational arrangements. The Section contributes to continuous improvement by capturing lessons identified from exercises, activations and stakeholder engagement, and translating these into updates to plans, procedures and capability development.

What we offer

- Values and behaviours that underpin a culture characterised by commitment, respect, delivery, inclusion and collegiality.
- Opportunities to engage with national and international stakeholders, in a context that values leading practice science.
- The opportunity to pursue your interests while contributing to the Australian community.
- A commitment to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees are valued. We appreciate the experiences, skills and perspectives of all individuals and harness a collaborative environment. We actively encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds.
- Great working conditions including competitive salaries with 15.4% superannuation, generous leave conditions, flexible work practices, modern amenities, and free parking at both our Yallambie and Miranda sites.

To find out more about the employment conditions at ARPANSA, please refer to our Enterprise Agreement via our website.

Primary purpose of the role

In this role you will perform complex technical, scientific and operational work supporting Australia's preparedness for and response to radiological and nuclear emergencies. The role is suited to candidates with qualifications in physics, or related science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Candidates with qualifications solely in emergency management without a relevant scientific background may not meet the technical requirements of the role. Working under limited direction, you will contribute to the development and maintenance of national emergency preparedness arrangements, radiation monitoring capability, environmental assessment systems and operational decision-support tools.

You will assist in maintaining ARPANSA's readiness to fulfil its responsibilities under the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework (AGCMF) and the Australian Radiological and Nuclear Event Plan (AUSRNEPLAN), while contributing specialist advice on radiation protection, health physics and radiological monitoring activities.

The role includes participation in training, exercises, field deployments and operational responses,



including rostered emergency preparedness and response duties. Domestic and international travel may be required.

Key accountabilities

- Support the implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of ARPANSA's emergency preparedness and response arrangements, including plans, procedures and operational systems.
- Contribute technical expertise in radiation protection, health physics and environmental monitoring to support radiological and nuclear emergency preparedness and response activities.
- Assist in the development, operation and maintenance of radiation monitoring, environmental sampling and assessment capabilities used during exercises and incidents.
- Develop and maintain situational awareness products, geospatial information systems, dashboards and decision-support tools used during emergency responses.
- Contribute to the development and delivery of AIIMS-based training, drills and exercises and support organisational readiness activities.
- Coordinate and administer ARPANSA's emergency preparedness and response duty officer arrangements, including roster management, procedures, training, reporting and continuous improvement activities.
- Assist with the assessment, interpretation and communication of radiation monitoring data and technical information to support decision-making during incidents.
- Support ARPANSA's preparedness activities associated with nuclear-powered warship visits, including monitoring arrangements, stakeholder engagement and operational planning.
- Participate as a member of Incident Management Teams and fulfil rostered emergency preparedness and response responsibilities, including duty officer functions and operational deployments.
- Contribute to technical projects and capability development initiatives that enhance ARPANSA's radiological and nuclear emergency preparedness arrangements.

Our ideal candidate - job specific capabilities

To be considered for this position, you will hold a tertiary qualification in physics or another relevant STEM discipline from an Australian tertiary institution, or comparable qualification, and relevant experience which is appropriate to the duties of the position. You will have demonstrated knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas:

- radiation protection and health physics;
- radiation monitoring and environmental assessment;
- radiological or nuclear emergency preparedness and response;
- emergency management systems and operations;
- geospatial information systems (GIS);
- scientific programming, data analysis or decision-support systems.

You will possess strong analytical skills, sound judgement and the ability to communicate technical information clearly to a range of audiences. Experience working within multidisciplinary teams and contributing to operational activities will be highly regarded.

You will have well developed interpersonal skills and the ability to contribute effectively in a team environment, sometimes in a leading role, together with the ability to liaise with all levels of staff, clients and members of the general public. You will have the ability to consistently perform efficiently and effectively at a high level and the demonstrated ability to make well balanced and informed decisions.

You must hold Australian citizenship and be prepared to travel interstate from time to time as required. ARPANSA requires all current employees to obtain and maintain a national security clearance as a condition of engagement. You must also meet required pre-employment checks as necessary.

Selection criteria





The selection criteria for this role are:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of radiation protection, health physics or environmental monitoring and the ability to apply this knowledge in emergency preparedness and response contexts.
2. Demonstrated understanding of Australian emergency management arrangements and the ability to support radiological or nuclear emergency preparedness activities.
3. Proven ability to contribute to the development, delivery and evaluation of training, exercises or operational readiness programs.
4. Demonstrated ability to support technical systems, data products, monitoring arrangements or decision-support tools used in operational environments.
5. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, exercise sound judgement and manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

Eligibility

Employment with ARPANSA is subject to:

- conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999
- agency and role specific pre-employment security checks that may include, but are not limited to:
- entitlement to work in Australian
- national criminal history
- international criminal history
- professional memberships
- qualifications
- sanctions
- anti-money laundering & counter-terrorism financing
- ASIC banned & disqualified persons
- ASIC credit registered persons
- bankruptcy & national personal insolvency
- directorship
- global media check

- former Australian Government employer information sharing
- Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) security clearance eligibility requirements
- evidence of citizenship status required
- evidence of qualifications required of the role
- internal security assessment
- security clearance vetting
- the CEO of ARPANSA, or their Delegate, approving a Notice of Engagement.

The Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website provides detailed information about the requirements for obtaining a security clearance at the required level, the documentary evidence you will be required to provide, the forms that need to be completed, and the relevant timeframes. Please ensure that you are able to provide the required evidence if you apply for the position. Failure or refusal to complete the required forms, or to comply with reasonable requests from AGSVA, will result in ARPANSA withdrawing your security clearance application, and your employment with the agency not progressing.

ARPANSA is responsible for assessing how information relates to the agency’s security risks, as well as a person’s suitability for employment by the agency. ARPANSA will use the information you provide to undertake relevant checks in order to identify any factors or circumstances that pose a security risk to the agency and assess whether you are suitable to have access to the agencies non-public assets. You will be notified if you are assessed as unsuitable for employment by the agency.

How to apply

Applications can be lodged through ARPANSA Recruitment Portal. Your application should consist of a resume, and a ‘500-word pitch’ that considers:

- Key accountabilities
- Job specific capabilities
- Selection criteria.

ARPANSA recognises the need for our workforce to reflect the community we serve and provide an inclusive environment that respects and values diversity. We strongly encourage qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

RecruitAbility

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme applicants who choose to apply under the scheme will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy, where they meet the minimum requirements for the position. ARPANSA will provide reasonable adjustments or flexibilities in the recruitment process as requested. For more information visit: https://www.apsc.gov.au/recruitability.

Merit pool

The selection process will establish a merit pool that may be used to fill similar positions within 18 months of advertising.

📌 Emergency Management Officer (Yallambie)
🏢 Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
📍 Yallambie