Chief Operations Officer

Classification: Senior Manager 2 
Salary package: Competitive salary package plus 17% superannuation
Term: Full-time, Fixed Term (until June 2027)

Working at ANU
This is an opportunity to work with a world class University that undertakes cutting edge research and has a strong tradition in research-led teaching excellence.
We offer:

• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid arrangements working both on our beautiful, green campus and working remotely,
• Generous paid parental leave entitlements of up to 32 weeks. We are one of the leading employers in Australia for parental leave entitlements,
• Designated parent rooms, quiet spaces and childcare facilities on campus,
• Career support, training, mentoring & upskilling opportunities.

For more information on a range of lifestyle, financial and non-financial rewards and programs, please click here.

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A Diverse and Inclusive Team
ANU is introducing measures to support the recruitment, inclusion and retention of employees with disability. To find out more, please click here.
ANU is a large, diverse employer with staff working across numerous professions (see the full list of available roles here. We are a recipient of the bronze award through the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program and a platinum member of the Australian Network on Disability. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities and from individuals who may have had a non-linear career path, career gaps or career breaks.

The Area
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) brings together five Australian and 13 leading international universities as well as Australian and global companies to create entirely new optics-based technologies with enormous market potential. The Centre has received $34.9 million funding from the Australian Research Council to operate from 2020-2027.
TMOS will develop the next-generation of miniaturised optical systems with functionalities beyond what is conceivable today. By harnessing the disruptive concept of meta-optics, the Centre will overcome complex challenges in light generation, manipulation and detection at the nanoscale. The Centre brings together a trans-disciplinary team of world-leaders in science, technology and engineering to deliver scientific innovations in optical systems for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
As a Centre, we strongly believe that diversity improves ideas and innovation and leads to better outcomes and productivity. Diversity and fostering a culture of inclusiveness will be a key contributor to the scientific excellence of TMOS. Along with other initiatives, we will provide carer grants to support our centre members with caring / family responsibilities to participate in professional activities.
TMOS aims to develop a multidisciplinary, dynamic, interactive and collaborative culture fostering future research leaders who thrive in academic excellence and are equipped with strong transferable skills. The centre will also offer a mentoring program for early career researchers while providing opportunities to hone other skills such as outreach, industry engagement, and building international networks.

The Position
Based in the Research School of Physics, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) is responsible for the overall management, administrative leadership and compliance of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems over five university nodes (ANU, University of Melbourne, University of Western Australia, UTS and RMIT University) and multiple Academic and Industry partner organisations in Australia and overseas. This includes supervision of a distributed team of administrative, finance, and education/outreach staff.

The Person
To excel in this role, you will have postgraduate qualifications and a demonstrated management experience and expertise in a complex administrative education environment. We are looking for someone who likes challenging problems and encourages team members and colleagues to workshop effective solutions. 

Learn more about the ground-breaking research and work class facilities of the Research School of Physics here.
For more information about the position please contact Professor Dragomir Neshev on T: +61 2 6125 3792 E: Dragomir.Neshev@anu.edu.au.  

To Apply
To be considered for this position, please upload the following documents:

• A current curriculum vitae (CV), and
• No more than a two page summary addressing your suitability against the selection criteria.

The committee will consider candidates that do not meet one or more aspects of the selection criteria.

If you require adjustments to participate in any of the above assessments, please contact our HR team at E: hr.cos@anu.edu.au or T: +61 2 6125 9371. Any adjustment request or the disclosure of disability will not be communicated to the selection committee without the candidates consent and it will not having any bearing on hiring decisions.

For examples of common reasonable adjustments please click here.

The successful applicant must have rights to live and work in this country and will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process. An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results.