Contract Quality Assurance Director

The Role

The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines is an historic and transformative endeavour for Australia. The whole-of-nation effort to safely and securely deliver the cutting edge nuclear-powered submarine program will transform Australia’s economic and national security landscape for decades to come.

The Sovereign Submarine Program Delivery (SSPD) Branch of the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) seeks an experienced, motivated EL 2 Contract Quality Assurance Director to join our Adelaide team responsible for delivering Australia’s nuclear powered submarines. This role is accountable for establishment, management, continuous improvement and reporting on Contract Quality Assurance activities within the AUKUS Phase 3 program.

The Contract Quality Assurance Director will exercise a significant degree of independence and perform an important leadership role. They will be responsible for influencing and developing strategies, policies, priorities and practices in support of ASA objectives such as ensuring contract compliance. This role provides strategic advice to senior management and stakeholders and lead sensitive projects with strategic, political and operational significance.

In this role you will establish and maintain strong relationships with a network of stakeholders internally and externally and will have the ability to recognise shared agendas and work toward mutually beneficial outcomes.

About our Team

Within the ASA, SSPD is accountable for identifying the most appropriate program delivery model and construction methodology, defining infrastructure requirements, analysing and modelling existing Australian industry and workforce capability and capacity and undertaking cost estimation for acquiring and sustaining the future Nuclear Powered Submarine fleet, in consultation with our AUKUS partners. SSPD consists of the following directorates: Business and Operations, Build, Test and Evaluation, Commercial Management, Engineering and Shipyard Infrastructure.

As part of the Build, Test and Evaluation Directorate, the Contract Quality Assurance Team assures the quality of the nuclear powered submarine builder’s methodology, systems of work and procedures. The team provides assurance through risk based oversight of quality management, audit, construction observation and inspection and management of non-conformance.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are a dynamic organization seeking employees who are agile, innovative and energised by high-paced work. Our ideal candidates will bring the following attributes and skills to the role:

• The ideal candidate for this role will have extensive knowledge of methodology, systems and procedures within the management and Quality Assurance function and have the ability to translate this into strategy.
• Proficiency as an ISO 19011 Qualified Auditor and Workplace Competency Assessor will be advantageous.
• Desirable qualifications for this role include a Bachelors Degree in Management and a Masters Degree in an aligned field. Extensive experience working in Contract Quality Assurance of highly complex construction projects, preferably in ship or submarine building and extensive experience working within a quality controlled system e.g. an ISO 9001:2015 certified system, will be important to success in this role.
• The successful candidate will exemplify the Defence Values and Behaviours, generate a culture of innovation and agility and embody the nuclear mindset.

Application Closing Date: Thursday 21 March, 2024

For further information please review the job information pack, reference ASA/02081/24 on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=26211253-0AB6-0495-C61B-DA8D7793FCEC