Reference Number: 1701413

About the Team:
Radio Astronomy applies ‘STEM’ based disciplines to capture and analyse ultra-faint signals from the universe. In doing this, we push the boundaries of technology and techniques in electromagnetics, signal processing, software development, and radio frequency communications.

The Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA) and The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) deliver a dedicated Translation and Impact program (T&I;) with a strong reputation for forging meaningful, mutually beneficial collaborations with industry to share our skills, knowledge, and expertise for mutual benefit. By collaborating with experts in other domains, we can help boost capability, train WA’s future workforce, grow businesses, and create jobs.

About the Role:
You will work with the Director, Translation and Impact to identify, develop, manage, and provide broad support to the technical experts who deliver on collaborative projects.

In this role you will develop a thorough appreciation of the capabilities and underlying skill sets of our team (including physics, electrical engineering, and data science), and matching them to opportunities for collaboration and impact outside of radio astronomy.

You will engage with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including State, Commonwealth, and international governments, various industries (commonly, Defence and Space), and other research organisations. This will involve identifying and leveraging funding opportunities to support ICRAR’s Translation and Impact objectives.

You will be responsible for providing broad project support, including operational support, and navigating internal Curtin policies and procedures to enable our subject matter experts to deliver on commercial projects as required. This will involve budgeting, commercial contract negotiation, contract delivery, and reporting.

Please note will consider applicants seeking a full time or part time position (minimum 0.7FTE), with some flexibility as to working hours (having regard to individual project or business requirements).

Your responsibilities will include:

- Building relationships with, liaising with, and maintaining communication and productive relationships with relevant partners and stakeholders.
- Managing all activities related to assigned projects, from start up, planning, implementation and close-out, to achieve the defined project outcomes. This will include liaising with internal University service functions (e.g. Research Office, Risk & Compliance, International Risk and Security, People and Culture, Legal Services, Financial Services).
- Developing relevant business cases, funding proposals, and project initiation documentation, including work plans, timelines, costings, budgets, commercial contracts, and communication strategies.
- Identifying, source, manage and assign necessary project resources.
- Identifying impacts and risks associated with the project and reporting on and managing these. This may include field trip risk assessments, safety protocols and logistics.
- Preparing documents required for the export of certain technical goods and services, including Defence Export Controls and other customs requirements, ensuring compliance with Curtin University policies and procedures.
- Managing internal and external resources associated with the delivery of assigned projects, and managing the procurement of any third party services, ensuring relevant practices and processes are adhered to.

Who We Are Looking For (Selection Criteria):




We are looking for someone personable, with experience applying commercial and political acumen, servicing a combination of stakeholders across industry, government, and not for profit sectors.

The scope of your role can vary significantly between individual projects, stakeholders, and activities. For that reason, you will be comfortable working in an environment that is more driven by specific project needs than by explicit rote tasks. In particular, you will be comfortable adapting rapidly to a diversity of tasks/roles, to prioritise workloads, and multitask, as opportunities and initiatives move through their lifecycle.

You will be comfortable working alongside technical subject matter experts to understand and communicate effectively our industry-relevant capabilities. Previous experience in a relevant technical discipline (e.g. involving physical sciences, computing, or engineering) will enable you to understand and credibly communicate CIRA capabilities to stakeholders.

Essential Criteria:

1. Relevant tertiary qualifications and extensive experience in business development and industry engagement within a complex organisation; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education training.
2. Demonstrated commercial acumen and a successful track record in securing and integrating funding support from industry, government and other organisations into collaborative ventures.
3. Demonstrated experience in contract negotiation and management.
4. Demonstrated ability to engage and influence others and a proven capacity to build and maintain effective and productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
5. Demonstrated high level communication (written and oral) with the ability to engage and present information clearly and informatively to diverse audiences and prepare business cases.
6. Demonstrated experience in conducting analytical research and providing reports on public documents to identify significant information.

Desirable:

1. Familiarity with commercial contract terms and conditions generally, and ideally (but not necessarily) the negotiation of commercial contract terms or contract management in any sector will be highly valued.
2. Ideally (but not necessarily) some experience supporting demand-driven (commercial) research or working in a university environment.

Role Requirements:

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

Your new Team – CIRA:
The Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA) is a multi-disciplinary research institute engaged in a range of projects involving or motivated by radio astronomy. CIRA’s activities draw together academic research and professional staff from a variety of science, engineering, and computing disciplines to tackle unique and demanding challenges in astronomy and non-astronomy domains. Committed to research translation and impact (T&I;), CIRA is committed to engaging with partners to share our skills, knowledge, and expertise for mutual benefit and impact beyond astronomy.





CIRA is the lead organisation and operator of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), a key participant in the international SKA Project. CIRA is also the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) which was established in 2009, and one of the largest and most enduring academic research initiatives in Western Australia.

CIRA celebrates diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from all cultures, races, nationalities, genders, identities, and abilities aligning with the selection criteria, and are committed to preserving our principles of equitable and inclusive work and study environments.

To learn more about CIRA and our projects and initiatives, please visit the below websites:
www.astronomy.curtin.edu.au
www.icrar.org

About Curtin University
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, full-time (or part-time at 0.7 FTE or higher), G08 level role attracts a full-time remuneration of $122,699 - $130,758 (pro rata for part-time) + 17% superannuation.

Situated on Whadjuk Nyungar Country, our vibrant Bentley campus includes an art gallery, gym, childcare and medical centre, bus station, accessible parking and endless food options including a supermarket. Aside from the vibrant campus life, we offer more than just a job. 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/

Join Us!
If this sounds like your next role, please click APPLY NOW ensuring to attach the following documents:

- Up to date resume
- Cover Letter outlining your interest, experience and addressing the section criteria for the role (no more than two pages)

If you have any queries in relation to this prospect or the application process, please contact our careers team on ••••@curtin.edu.au or 08 •••• •000 (option 3,1), quoting the reference number. Please note applications will not be accepted via this email address.

Applications close: 8pm AWST, Sunday, 15 November 2026

Disclaimer: Please note that there is no standardised time for the closing of adverts on the specified date. Therefore, we recommend submitting your application ahead of this deadline. Late applications will not be considered, and only successful candidates will be contacted.

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, not to make an appointment, or to appoint by invitation, at any time. We reserve the right to remove the advert earlier than the date on the advert.

📌 Business Development Manager - Translation and Impact (Bentley)
🏢 Curtin University
📍 Bentley