Deputy Director Digital Research

About AARNet

Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet) was established in 1989 and is widely regarded as the founder of the Internet in Australia. AARNet is renowned as the architect, builder, and operator of a world-class network for research and education. 

As Australia’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), we connect over one million users — researchers, faculty, staff, students, hospitals, vocational training providers, schools and museums — across Australia and internationally.

We are an organisation of innovators, doers, and courageous thinkers. We don’t settle for the status quo; instead, we anticipate the future needs of our customers and build solutions today. 

Role Purpose

The Deputy Director Digital Research, supports the Director Digital Research, in leading AARNet’s engagement with research and infrastructure communities. In this role, you will be responsible for building opportunities with the sector where AARNet’s assets and capabilities can be leveraged to support our charitable purpose. You will lead the delivery of exciting projects with research partners that focus on evolving network, security and emerging technologies.

In this role you will have opportunities to represent AARNet and to grow your own network. We engage on research that plays to our strengths and provides options for us to evolve our services to members – this includes evolving our network with quantum communication technologies, leveraging cyber security to further strengthen our network, facilitating and supporting compute infrastructure to support digital research including AI, and finally ‘big data’ movement.

Responsibilities

Engagement with the research community

·      Working with researchers to support the uptake of AARNet’s digital research services and to ensure their relevance and value;

·      Develop opportunities where AARNet’s assets (i.e., network) and capabilites (i.e., people) can support specific research projects and oversee the delivery on these engagements to support our charitable purpose;

·      Maintain strong personal and organisational representation within the Research sector;

·      Support the Director in articulating the value and research impact of the AARNet network, and AARNet’s over-the-top services, to institutions and research communities.

Development of Digital Research Services

·      Work with stakeholders and with other AARNet teams to identify and develop products and services to support digital research;

·      Track the development of innovative and emerging digital research technologies and techniques;

·      Drive adoption of AARNet’s digital research services, including curating and executing a pipeline of opportunities with customers and collaborators;

·      Ensure that AARNet’s infrastructure and services are applied to research directly, maximizing impact.

Leadership and Advocacy

·      Engage with national and international digital research organisations and service providers to coordinate and orchestrate integrated and cohesive outcomes for customer / partners;

·      Represent AARNet at inter-organisational forums and meetings including the preparation and delivery of papers and presentations;

·      Support AARNet’s culture of agility, innovation, trust and collaboration;

·      Lead by example to support a healthy, safe and diverse workforce.

Expertise, Experience & Qualifications

·      Tertiary qualifications in a STEM field;

·      Strong management experience within, and demonstrated understanding of, the research and education sector;

·      Demonstrated capability in supporting strategic development and detailed program plans;

·      Experience in customer and / or relationship management activities;

·      Ability to oversee programs and projects, often involving many stakeholder groups;

·      Excellent negotiation, influencing and stakeholder engagement abilities;

·      Demonstrated ability to engage with executive, senior management and technical staff at all levels;

·      Ability to prioritise tasks and juggle competing deadlines

·      Ability to anticipate, analyse and resolve complex problems as they arise;

·      Strong formal and informal communications skills, across a wide range of media forms;

·      Ability to work independently;

·      Exceptional presentation skills

Note: The Deputy Director Digital Research MUST be Australian citizen and obtain a full Police check along with any other background checking as required by AARNet.

Conditions of Employment

AARNet is committed to diversity and providing equal opportunity to all. We are a great place to work if you want to make a difference. Remuneration will be based on skills and experience and will include an above-market superannuation package.

At AARNet, all employees are responsible for:

·      Actively promoting safe work practices in the workplace during all activities consistent with AARNet’s policies and comply with all WH&S legislation, policies and procedures;

·      Actively contributing to a safe and supportive working environment that is inclusive of all staff;

·      Compliance with all workplace directions and processes;

·      Compliance with the applicable contract of employment; and

·      Maintaining a standard of performance that is acceptable to AARNet.

Individual performance KPIs will be put in place upon appointment to the role.