Systems Engineering Deputy Director

• Canberra ACT, Port Adelaide SA

he 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 Systems Engineering (SE) Deputy Director will perform a key role within the ASA Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO) and manage the systematic link between capability requirement set and engineering product baseline for Australia’s Nuclear Powered Submarines.

Under the broad direction of the AEO Engineering Director, the role will work with a wide range of stakeholders including the NPS Capability Manager, engineering and technical branches, operational experts, scientist and modelling specialists.

Key outputs will be to:

1. Develop and maintain endorsed requirement sets inclusive of conceptualisations for analyses.
2. Define the Verification and Validation Policy.
3. Promulgate SE best practices and advise senior staff and directors on SE matters.
4. Conduct milestone reviews.
5. Manage SE budgets.
6. Oversee requirements management and SE model development and maintenance.
7. Develop analysis of alternatives, support trade off analyses, configuration management and change control, and integration effort.
8. In addition, the Systems Engineering Deputy Director will lead, plan and deliver critical and complex engineering activities in support of ISO15288 implementation, provide advice in the field of systems engineering, interact with suppliers, manage risks, and promote and manage key strategic alliances with internal and external stakeholders.

About our Team

The Program Engineering Branch works within the Australian Submarine Agency to integrate Engineering and Technical functions into the ASA Nuclear Powered Submarine (NPS) and Infrastructure delivery programs. This is the sharp end of ensuring sovereign technical control of the NPS capability and key to maintaining design intent through life of the NPS, its support infrastructure and equipment, and across the supply chain. The branch spans all the NPS technical domains, is predominately based at the delivery locations, and works closely with our partners in Australian industry, and the relevant US and UK government departments. Our people are capable, committed, and diverse. We support an inclusive culture that emphasises respect and collaboration, and we prioritise safety and security. Our greatest asset is our people.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are a dynamic organisation 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:

1. The ability to lead, plan, and deliver critical and very complex engineering activities using Systems Engineering expertise across a broad range of activities spanning the agency. 
2. Inspires a sense of purpose and direction through communicating the purpose and importance of the work to achieving organisational goals and strategic objectives, and the desired outcomes.
3. Engages with the team and stakeholders to understand issues and long term strategic impacts of their work and work area.
4. Seeks and uses information and opportunities from a wide variety of sources to explore new ideas and perspectives to identify critical gaps in knowledge and seeks continuous growth, seeking out knowledge of the organisation and the context it operates in to discover best practices and approaches to apply to their work.
5. Exercises good judgement, intelligence, and common sense in taking decisions through an objective systematic approach that is supported by evidence, and takes into consideration interconnected issues, to break through problems and draw conclusions that identify innovative and practicable solutions.
6. Exemplifies personal drive and integrity, acting impartially, operating in the boundaries of organisational processes, legal, and policy constraints. Constructively challenges important issues in a respectful, impartial, and forthright manner.
7. Commits to action by taking personal responsibility for meeting objectives and progressing work by taking the initiative and leaning in to do what is required to see that goals are achieved.
8. Continues to move forward to achieve objectives with persistence and a positive attitude, despite criticism and setbacks.
9. Communicates clearly with confidence, focused on key points using precise language and appropriate medium, written and oral, for conveying the information with clarity.
10. Involves people, encourages them and recognises their contribution. Keeps others informed of issues and works collaboratively and operates as an effective team member.
11. Recognises the positive benefits gained from diversity and encourages exploration of diverse views and tries to see things from different perspectives.
12. Guides develops and mentors people, making time for them despite competing priorities; providing guidance and offers full support when required. Assisting staff in identifying knowledge gaps and encouraging them to seek the appropriate development opportunities.
13. Five years of experience in the application of ISO 15288 preferably in the maritime domain.
14. Training and experience in the application of Model Based Systems Engineering, desirable Systems Modelling Language Certification.
15. Demonstrated proficiency in SE methodologies, the application of international best practice for model development and use, and familiarity with the One Defence Capability System.
16. Familiarity with verification and validation in an industrial/production environment.

Application Closing Date: Sunday 14 June 2026

For further information please review the job information pack, reference ASA/02868/26 on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=EE825629-DEA4-357D-3070-ECF0D6D0AEAC