Job Director, Data Processing, Quality, and Integrity

Geoscience Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Cultures, and to elders past and present.

About us
Geoscience Australia is Australia's pre-eminent public sector geoscience organisation. We are the nation's trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia. We apply science and technology to describe and understand the Earth for the benefit of Australia. We apply our diverse professional expertise, our deep and trusted knowledge, our national-scale Earth observation infrastructure and our strong partnerships, to the opportunities and challenges that face our nation.

Our culture
Our strength lies in our people, including our diversity in backgrounds, skills and experiences, and the way we work together to respond to the emerging needs of our work. We value diversity in gender, backgrounds, culture, and experiences of our employees and are committed to providing an inclusive workplace culture that ensures everyone has equal opportunity to contribute, participate and progress. Applications from people who reflect this diversity are encouraged.

Our workplace is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and offers a variety of flexible working arrangements to enhance flexibility, including remote working arrangements.

What we can offer you
When you work at Geoscience Australia you will have access to a range of benefits and the opportunity to experience a workplace culture that truly values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. To learn more about our competitive salary, free onsite parking, generous flexible working arrangements and the role you can play in growing our culture click here.

The key duties of the position include
The opportuntity
The Australian Government has announced it will partner with the United States in its flagship Landsat Next Earth satellite program. Underpinned by new investment of $207.4m over the next 4 years and $38.2m per annum ongoing, Australia will become the first country to join the Landsat 2030 International Partnerships Initiative.

Australia's contributions to this partnership will be delivered by Geoscience Australia and will involve investment in new science to take full advantage of Landsat Next's advanced capabilities, including an up to nine-fold increase in spatial resolution for key bands, more than twice the number of spectral bands, and increased frequency of data collection. Geoscience Australia will also deliver significant improvements to our satellite ground station in Alice Springs, our data processing and distribution, quality assurance and integrity monitoring, and Digital Earth and Digital Atlas capabilities.

Our team
The Satellite Land Imaging Collection Branch (SLIC) will be at the forefront of Australia's delivery of the Landsat Next partnership. A small but rapidly growing branch, SLIC comprises experts from a range of disciplines including data science, engineering, programmatics, Earth observations and remote sensing science, quality and technical assurance.

SLIC will deliver the enhanced satellite ground segment including an upgraded Alice Springs ground station, expanded satellite data processing and delivery architectures, new quality and integrity monitoring systems and science, supported by robust partner and stakeholder engagement, integrated systems engineering, governance, and program management.

The role
The Director, Data Processing, Quality, and Integrity is responsible for the design, establishment and operation of a quality and integrity monitoring service for Earth observation data and satellite missions.

In this role you will:

• Lead a diverse team of project managers, system architects and operators responsible for the design and management of a quality and integrity monitoring service for Earth observation data and satellite missions.
• Establish and oversee a service contract with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to acquire, operate, and manage ground-based calibration and validation infrastructure (instrumented and non-instrumented sites) in Australia and the Pacific region.
• Identify the technical and user requirements for a quality and integrity monitoring service for Earth observation data and satellite missions.
• Engage satellite operators and international coordination groups such as the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) to build support for the quality and integrity monitoring service.
• Engage users to understand their needs for quality and integrity monitoring of satellite data distribution and access and promote the objectives of the Landsat Next partnership in domestic and international meetings and forums.
• Provide professional, trusted, and strategic advice to the Branch Head, Satellite Land Imaging Collection, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the strategic planning of Satellite Land Imaging Collection branch and Landsat Next partnership objectives. Set the strategic direction for the Data Processing, Quality, and Integrity Monitoring section, develop long-term business plans and budgets, and monitor workflow and performance.

To be successful in the role you will:

• Apply and maintain an extensive understanding of the role and responsibilities of the organisation, incorporating a comprehensive awareness of strategic relevance of the Landsat Next partnership to Australian Government policies and objectives and priorities
• Be able to delegate effectively, and mentor, coach and encourage individuals in their delivery of outcomes and professional development while role modelling inclusive workplace culture behaviour.
• Have excellent interpersonal skills, strong stakeholder engagement capabilities, strategic focus, business acumen and outstanding financial management skills, alongside commitment and exceptional communication abilities.

Skills, knowledge, experience and/or qualifications
Our ideal candidate will have:

• Existing networks and relationships with international satellite operators, particularly commercial new space operators.
• A post-graduate degree in an Earth observation discipline or equivalent experience.
• Experience with international technical forums such as the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE), European Space Agency's Third-Party Missions (TPM) and Very High-resolution Radar & Optical Data Assessment (VH-RODA) programs, and other international forums on data standards and quality.
• An in-depth understanding of internationally accepted Earth observation data standards and formats.
• A record of achievement in the development and management of commercial procurements and contracts.

Are you unsure about applying?
Did you know that a Hewlett Packard internal report found that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60 per cent of the job requirements? Women and other people from diverse backgrounds tend to only apply when they check every box. If you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point on what we are looking for, please still apply or get in touch with the contact officer to learn more about the role.

To Apply
Please visit the careers page of our website to submit your application via our e-Recruit system. Your application should include:

• Your resume (no more than 3 pages) including publication history but not part of page limit
• A brief statement (no more than 700 words) outlining your transferable skills, experience and capabilities related to the role and the value you would bring to Geoscience Australia.

If you have any questions regarding the role, please contact David Hudson on (02) 6249 9853 or email Write to the company

To learn more about applying for roles within the Australian Public Services please review, ' Applying for an APS job: cracking the code'.