Senior Above Water Submarine Signatures Engineer

Senior Above Water Submarine Signatures Engineer

Australian Submarine Agency

Melbourne VIC

The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines represents a historic and transformative endeavour for Australia, set to reshape the nation's economic and national security landscape for decades.

This position is situated within the Technical Program Submarine Signature area, reporting to the Technical Lead, Electromagnetic Signatures. The role will contribute to the technical management of above-water signatures for submarines. Key responsibilities include developing and maintaining Australia's capability to characterise, predict, and minimise above-water signatures of current and future platforms, managing collaborative partnerships, and liaising with national and international stakeholders.

The role involves engagement with peers across the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) to deliver Science & Technology (S&T) Services and provide Technical Authority input for the above-water signature management of Virginia Class Submarines and SSN-A Class Submarines. Externally, engagement will occur with Defence (RAN, CASG, DSTG, NSSG, Regulators), Industry (Original Equipment Manufacturers, Shipbuilders, Suppliers), S&T institutions, and International partners and their government agencies.

As a Senior Engineer - Above Water Signatures, the position will:

• Contribute to and oversee, as required, the development of technical capability within Australia to minimise/optimise the above-water signatures of current and future submarines.
• Provide input in developing measurement, testing, and validation capability within Australia to characterise submarine above-water signatures.
• Maximise submarine performance, survivability, and lethality through minimising submarine above-water signatures.
• Understand the design and operating intent of acquired submarine designs to examine and act upon anticipated credible risks of the submarine design operating in Australian conditions.
• Liaise with US and UK counterparts to develop Australia’s signature management capability in preparation for the Submarine Rotational Force and the acquisition of SSNs.
• Plan and manage a range of human and physical resources required to carry out complex technical programs.
• Initiate, develop, and maintain collaborative programs with Defence, Australian universities, industry, and international partners.

This role is eligible for an additional remuneration benefit known as a Building Capability Payment (BCP). This enables ASA to provide a premium, in addition to the base salary otherwise payable under the ASA Enterprise Agreement, for positions in occupational disciplines/classifications critical to ASA capability. For further information, please contact the contact officer.

About our Team

The Platform Systems Branch of the Australian Submarine Agency Engineering and Technical Division works to assure and evolve the non-nuclear platform system engineering capabilities that will underpin the safe, stealthy, effective, and enduring sovereign operation of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines.

Our branch is responsible for the technical governance, safety certification, and objective quality evidence (OQE) development for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine capability through managing a wide spectrum of specialist technical functions, including naval architecture, transverse systems integration, and stealth management.

The position sits within the Signatures Directorate, which delivers submarine signature management capability across the nuclear-powered submarine enterprise. This includes the development and integration of technical solutions to support platform performance, survivability, and certification. The Directorate operates within ASA’s technical governance framework, providing validated technical inputs and OQE to support assurance and decision-making. Work is delivered in collaboration with Defence, industry, academia, and international partners, supporting sovereign capability development and interoperability with United States and United Kingdom programs.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are a dynamic organisation seeking employees who are agile, innovative, and energised by high-paced work.

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of specialist technical knowledge, leadership capability, and the ability to operate strategically across a complex national and international stakeholder environment. They will be comfortable working at the intersection of engineering, operational capability, and program delivery, and will be driven by the opportunity to contribute to a critical national capability.

This role may include work that ranges in nature from specialised to quite broad. The successful candidate may also have the opportunity to work across technical streams.

In order to excel in this role, our ideal candidates will bring the following attributes and skills to the role:

• Strong technical expertise in RF, RADAR Cross Section, Visible, and Infra-Red signatures.

Salary: $124,393 - $140,315 (EL 1) + 10% BCP + Super Work Type: Full-time Location: Melbourne VIC Work Arrangement: Onsite