About This Opportunity
In July 2025 we secured the ARC Training Centre for Climate-Resilient Water. This Centre will be a national hub for innovation, training, and collaboration—driving change in governance, efficiency, and circular water systems via new precinct design. The need for resilient, low-emissions water solutions has never been greater because climate change threatens water reliability and quality, and is increasing costs, energy use, and emissions.
Our vision is to create a world-leading, industry-embedded research and training centre that catalyses Australia’s transition to climate-resilient, reliable, affordable, low-emissions water systems. We are building a national legacy including: A repository of training resources, tools, and technologies, on-site innovations and real-time quality and high-resolution E-DNA monitoring, New water treatment solutions, Policy frameworks and collaborative planning models and creating a vibrant community of practice across sectors.
The Centre Manager is a vital role and expected to lead the business and operational administration of the ARC Training Centre for Climate-Resilient Water. As one of the first appointees, you will also play an important role in conjunction with UQ Research (lead) in coordinating the negotiation and execution of the participating organisation agreements in collaboration with organisations.
You will effectively be the operational and strategic backbone of the centre, ensuring that its research, training, and partnership goals are delivered smoothly and sustainably. You will work with the centre training manager (based at Griffith University) to ensure training outcomes align with the centre’s mission and performance indicators. You will also focus on “whole-of-centre” relationships and impact while the Training Manager handles day-to-day PhD and wider training program delivery.
Key responsibilities will include:
Strategic Operations and Centre Leadership: Provide high-level and hands-on operational leadership to ensure smooth functioning across administration, finance, HR, communications, outreach, facilities, and risk. Translate strategic objectives into effective delivery through project coordination, grant support, and alignment of research and training activities. Strengthen integration across research, training, engagement, and administration by establishing collaborative systems and processes. Lead resource and workforce planning, supervise administrative teams, and manage space, equipment, and infrastructure.
Financial Management and Contractual Oversight: Manage the Centre’s multi-year budget through forecasting, tracking contributions and expenditure, and advising leadership on financial strategy. Oversee contracts and agreements to ensure compliance with legal, financial, IP, and reporting requirements. Support efficient resource use and contribute to external revenue generation through events, partnerships, and profile-building activities.
Governance, Compliance and Reporting: Maintain strong governance, compliance, and risk frameworks while leading all major reporting duties, including KPIs, committee support, and research milestone tracking.
Partner, Government and Industry Engagement: Act as the Centre’s main operational contact for external partners while leading communications, events, and impact activities that align priorities and strengthen the Centre’s profile.
Cross-Centre Support and Leadership Contribution: Work with the Training Manager to deliver aligned HDR/ECR training, placements, and development initiatives, foster a collaborative high-performance culture, and ensure compliance with institutional and legislative standards, including OH&S, conduct, sustainability, and relevant ESOS requirements.
About UQ
As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.
Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you will have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.
Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:
Up to 26 weeks paid parental leave/paid primary care leave
17% superannuation contributions + 17.5% annual leave loading
Access to flexible working arrangements including flexible start/finish times, purchased leave, and a condensed fortnight
Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family
Career development opportunities –access to exclusive internal-only vacancies and our Study for Staff program
On campus childcare options
Affordable parking (from just $6.40 a day)
Salary packaging options
About You
Postgraduate qualifications or progress towards postgraduate qualifications and extensive relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education and training.
Demonstrated high-level leadership in strategic and operational management
Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder research or organisational operations,
including oversight of administration, HR, communications, facilities, risk, and cross-functional coordination across distributed teams.
Demonstrated project and operational management capability
Proven experience delivering project management in research or similarly complex
environments, including risk management, compliance, budget planning, reporting, and high-level organisational skills to manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently.
Strong technical and systems proficiency
High-level competency in using enterprise systems and software, including accounting,
spreadsheet, database, word processing, and reporting tools, with the ability to interpret
financial and operational data to support decision-making and external reporting.
Extensive experience in financial management and contractual oversight
Demonstrated capability in managing multi-year budgets, partner contributions, forecasting, expenditure control, and providing strategic financial advice to senior leadership, along with expertise in negotiating and administering complex research, partnership, and subcontracting agreements.
Advanced skills in compliance, governance and reporting for major research initiatives
Proven experience developing and maintaining governance frameworks, risk management systems, ethics and compliance processes, and delivering high-quality reporting (e.g., annual and progress reports, KPIs, milestone tracking) aligned with institutional and funding-body requirements.
Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and public-profile capability
Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with experience leading strategic communications, events, impact and translation initiatives, and activities that enhance organisational visibility and reputation.
Strong record of partner, industry, and government engagement
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with industry,
government, universities, and partner organisations, including experience translating
organisational objectives into deliverables that meet stakeholder needs.
Proven ability to lead people, build culture, and manage resources effectively
Substantial experience in supervising staff, coordinating distributed teams, managing space and infrastructure resources, and contributing to a high-performance and collaborative organisational culture aligned with institutional leadership frameworks.
Desirable
Demonstrated capacity to coordinate effectively with training, research, and engagement leaders to ensure alignment of activities with strategic objectives, including supporting HDR/ECR development frameworks and centre-wide operational integration (without direct delivery responsibilities).
Experience working in a University environment including using relevant administrative tools and possessing a knowledge of university policies and procedures.
An understanding and/or experience of Australian Research Council funding schemes, especially those with industry linkages and cross-institutional collaborations.
The successful candidate may be required to complete a number of pre-employment checks, including: right to work in Australia, criminal check, education check, etc.
Work Rights?
You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.
Questions?
For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Steven Kenway via s.kenway@uq.edu.au.
For application inquiries, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.
Want to Apply?
We welcome applications from all individuals and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. To be considered, please ensure you upload:
Our strength as an institution lies in our diverse colleagues. We are dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an environment that mirrors our wider community. We are committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent. If you require an alternative method to submit your application due to accessibility needs or personal circumstances, please contact talent@uq.edu.au.
Other Information
UQ is committed to a fair, equitable and inclusive selection process, which recognises that some applicants may face additional barriers and challenges which have impacted and/or continue to impact their career trajectory. Candidates who do not meet all criteria are encouraged to apply and demonstrate their potential. The selection panel considers both potential and performance relative to opportunities when assessing suitability for the role.
Applications close on Monday, 22 December 2025 at 11.00pm AEST (R-58876). Please note that interviews will likely take place in January 2026.
