Acknowledgement of Country

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 our vision towards reconciliation .

Role highlights

- Lead and develop a multidisciplinary veterinary and animal welfare team supporting nationally significant science
- Combine senior leadership with hands-on veterinary and scientific expertise in ACDP's high-containment research environment
- Join ACDP during major investment in modern laboratories, infrastructure and animal research capability

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.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

Why join ACDP?

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 prospect 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 an Animal Studies Operations Leader, lead the veterinary and animal studies operations at CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), where your expertise will help enable nationally significant research into emerging infectious diseases, animal health and biosecurity. You'll lead a multidisciplinary team of veterinary and animal welfare professionals, combining people leadership with hands-on veterinary and scientific expertise to deliver high-quality animal care, research support, workforce capability and operational excellence. Working alongside researchers and specialist teams, you'll help shape safe, ethical and scientifically robust animal research while contributing to preparedness programs that protect Australia and the region from serious disease threats.

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 multidisciplinary veterinary and animal welfare team, fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture across ACDP's animal facilities.
- Provide strategic and technical leadership across veterinary services, animal health, welfare and animal studies operations.
- Apply your veterinary and clinical expertise to animal-based research, including health assessments, disease investigations, surgery, diagnostic procedures and emergency veterinary care.
- Partner with researchers to provide veterinary input into study design, animal ethics, husbandry, clinical monitoring and implementation of animal research projects.
- Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement, including capability development, technical training and high standards of animal welfare, biosecurity, quality and regulatory compliance.
- Collaborate across scientific, veterinary, animal welfare and facility teams to enable safe, ethical and scientifically robust research, including supporting ACDP's after-hours and emergency response requirements.

A few important details:

- Location: Geelong, Victoria - Wadawurrung Country
- Salary: AU$135k - AU$158k plus 15.4% superannuation
- Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite. Role is predominantly site-based
- Applications

📌 Animal Studies Operations Lead (Geelong)
🏢 CSIRO
📍 Geelong