The role

This is a list of primary duties and responsibilities that are typically performed in this role:

• Provide strategic leadership and innovation for Questacon’s visitor experience, providing diverse offerings for diverse audiences, leading Questacon’s digital campus, and ensuring excellent customer service and high-quality science engagement.
• Grow visitation and audience reach by leading the digital campus, and brand, marketing and communications.
• Lead Questacon’s commercial opportunities, reviewing data insights, and oversee sustainable revenue streams, including ticketing, tourism products, retail, events, commercial partnerships, and sales and hire.
• Lead security, emergency management and business continuity arrangements, including acting as Questacon’s senior on-call officer and Emergency Liaison Officer and maintaining effective relationships with intelligence and emergency service agencies.
• Contribute to Questacon’s financial sustainability, budgets, expenditure and oversee asset management and the capital investment program across property, ICT and exhibitions.
• Work collaboratively with departmental enabling service providers to ensure effective support for Questacon’s operations.
• Adopt a whole of organisation perspective aligned to Questacon’s strategic objectives and provide strategic and innovative advice and support to the Executive Director and Questacon executive.
• Represent Questacon and the department on relevant committees and with government, cultural institutions, tourism bodies, industry partners and other key stakeholders.

Job description

About the Department

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources and our broader portfolio are integral to the Australian Government’s economic agenda. Our purpose is to help the government build a better future for all Australians through enabling a productive, resilient and sustainable economy, enriched by science and technology. We do this by:

• Growing innovative & competitive businesses, industries and regions
• Investing in science and technology
• Strengthening the resources sector.

The APS and the department offer a clear direction and meaningful work. You will be able to create positive impact in people’s lives whilst contributing to improved outcomes for Australia and our people.

If you would like to feel a strong connection to your work and you are accountable, committed and open to change, join us in shaping Australia’s future.

Please see the APSC’s APS Employee Value Proposition for more information on the benefits and value of employment within the APS.

About the team

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is a specialist division of the department. Questacon’s vision is for Australians to be inspired by science and technology and the opportunities it creates for the future, and Questacon’s purpose is to be a fun interactive learning experience that stimulates engagement in science and technology.

As a critical asset of the Australian Government, Questacon provides programs and activities for individuals, schools and communities focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to support economic development and science engagement.

Questacon engages, connects and inspires Australian’s with innovative learning experiences and increased awareness of the importance of STEM skills and careers. In particular, they encourage young Australians to participate in STEM disciplines to help build the workforce of the future. This is achieved by delivering a vibrant centre, with well targeted exhibitions, science shows, programs and activities, underpinned by excellent customer service.

Questacon welcomes around 500,000 people each year to the Centre in Canberra, which is open 364 days each year, and annually reaches thousands of people across Australia through national touring and educator programs delivered to schools and communities, travelling exhibitions and digital offer. Questacon builds interactive exhibits and offers learning experiences in science and technology.

The opportunity

This is a significant executive leadership opportunity to help shape the future of Questacon, Australias National Science and Technology Centre. As General Manager Visitor Experience and Operations, you will lead innovative, visitor-centred experiences integrated across the visitor journey, and provide operational leadership across a complex, high-volume public-facing environment, ensuring organisational resilience and public safety.

Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as a key member of Questacon’s executive team, you will develop and translate strategy into results and oversee visitor experience and operations. This includes delivering a vibrant centre, high-quality experiences for diverse audiences, leading the digital campus and communications, brand and marketing, and commercial opportunities. Operationally you will lead the capital program including asset planning and management, digital and technology systems, sustainability, emergency response and business continuity. You will balance long-term priorities and innovation with immediate operational demands while maintaining strong governance, accountability and risk management.

You will lead and develop high-performing teams, strengthen sustainable revenue streams, and build productive relationships with enabling areas of the department, and across government, cultural institutions, tourism bodies, emergency and intelligence agencies, industry partners and sector organisations. Your sound judgement, excellent visitor engagement and customer service skills, commercial acumen and commitment to science engagement will support Questacon to extend its national and international impact.

Our ideal candidate

Our ideal candidate will have the capabilities as outlined below:

• Strategic and sector leadership — an accomplished senior leader with a proven track record of developing future plans and translating strategy to achieve results aligned to the organisation’s vision and purpose.
• Proven ability to innovate and integrate professional expertise in audience centred design to improved customer and digital services and overall performance. 
• Strong commercial acumen — experience in reviewing data insights and developing sustainable revenue streams and overseeing commercial activities such as ticketing, tourism products, events, retail, commercial partnerships, sales or related services.
• Operational leadership in a complex public-facing environment — the ability to lead high-volume operations while maintaining service quality, organisational resilience and public safety.
• Investment oversight — strong capability in financial strategy, budget management, commercial investment and capital works or infrastructure programs.
• Security and business continuity leadership — sound judgement and experience managing critical incidents, emergency response, security risks and business continuity arrangements.
• Stakeholder influence and representation — the credibility to build productive relationships with enabling areas and represent Questacon with government, cultural institutions, tourism bodies, intelligence and emergency service agencies, partners and international organisations.
• People and capability leadership — a record of leading large and complex teams, including volunteers, developing senior leaders, building high-performing teams, and creating an inclusive, collaborative and accountable culture.
• Adaptability and sound judgement — the capacity to balance strategic priorities with urgent visitor and operational demands and make timely, evidence-based decisions.
• Commitment to Questacon’s vision and purpose — enthusiasm for science engagement, lifelong learning and strengthening Questacon’s regional, national and international impact.

Questacon is committed to embracing First Nations knowledge, sustainability and promoting inclusion and diversity, with an ambition of remaining an employer of choice. This reflects the importance we place on our people and on creating a workplace culture where every one of us is valued and respected for our contribution. Our ideal candidate adds to this culture and our workplace in their own way.

Eligibility requirements

Prior to commencing, successful applicants will be required to:

• Undergo a ‘Working with Children’ Police Check; and
• Obtain or hold a current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011.

To be eligible for employment in the APS and the department, candidates must be Australian Citizens.

Positions require a Baseline security clearance initially. The successful candidate will be required to obtain and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 (NV1) security clearance following commencement.

About the agency

The department’s Enterprise Agreement and policies provide for a flexible working environment to assist staff balance their work and home life. Staff and managers work together to balance the operating needs of the department with the needs of the individual. Options may include full time/part time working arrangements, working from home or other arrangements. Our employees say they recommend our department as a good place to work. Our workplace is one that encourages and supports all employees to have a sense of belonging and a culture that allows them to bring their authentic selves to work every day. Our reconciliation vision supports a workforce with opportunities and career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The vision allows them to feel empowered and helps to ensure that the department and broader community can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Australia’s First Peoples. We encourage applications from people of all ages, abilities, nationalities and backgrounds including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, mature age, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people of the LGBTIQA+ community and people with disability. The department wants to give candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their full potential during a recruitment process. We encourage candidates who require any adjustments or support as part of the recruitment process to reach out and discuss them with the job’s contact officer. Candidates are also welcome to contact our Inclusion team at [email protected] for a confidential discussion if you identify from any of these diverse backgrounds and would like to discuss how we can support you.

Notes

A merit pool may be established and used to fill future vacancies within 18 months from the date the vacancy was first advertised in the Gazette. 

This vacancy is Canberra based, operating from the Questacon Centre site located in Parkes. Flexible work arrangements that provide employees with flexibility to manage their personal commitments, while ensuring Questacon’s operational requirements, may be considered. Please reach out to the Contact Officer to discuss this further.