As Director, I was responsible for leading a team of professional staff to manage the Institute's portfolio of research and research translation including leading the engagement with relevant internal and external staff in relation to research development and management, and enhancing the Institute’s operations, financial planning and budgeting. A key leadership position within the Institute, this role manages the budget and reporting function to support the management team to deliver a high quality research program that has positive impacts on the TAC, WSV and their clients. In addition, the role leads team performance, enhances, builds and maintains strong internal and external partnerships and drives the achievement of operational excellence and continual improvement.

Responsibilities: Manage VICSES’ community education program and resources including leading projects to enhance the delivery of the VICSES Community Education and Communications for the FloodSafe, StormSafe, QuakeSafe and TsunamiSafe programs in accordance with the VICSES Community Education Strategy to build community risk acceptance and resilience. This includes ensuring consistent and evidenced based multi-modal communications on complex scientific topics such as hydrology and seismology. As part of the Emergency Management Planning and Communications Directorate, I provide expert advice to the organisation on community education and communication strategies and training to volunteers and staff to improve the delivery of VICSES programs to ensure they are effective and achieving impacts through alignment to the evidence base and alignment of programs to adult learning theory, school curriculum and behaviour change theory. In this role I am required to obtain funding for the programs through investigating and developing funding applications, sponsorship agreements and partnerships to assist in funding community education programs and manage grant-reporting processes. I have enhanced VICSES’ impact on community behaviour during emergency events through developing an effective evaluation framework for the programs and implementing standard, policies and guidelines to direct the agency’s work program.As part of the leadership of VICSES, I have implemented professional development strategies for key staff and ensured that the agency is well represented on key national and state networks and forums.

Responsibilities: Manage and deliver the agency’s education programs and public programs aimed at promoting the work of the agency and increasing the understanding of Geoscientific applications in our lives.In this role I was required to work with teachers and students to assist in the development and delivery of educational material and sessions for the Geoscience Australia education centre including collecting feedback, monitoring membership and promoting the education centre to teachers to increase visitation to both the education centre, participation in educational programs such as the Geologi and participation at public programs including the annual Open Day which attracted over 3000 visitors and required me to coordinate over 50 staff volunteers.

As a Smart Moves Presenter I was responsible for researching, designing and delivering engaging science and innovation based presentations for secondary students in regional and rural Australia. This role required excellent liaison skills including with teachers, science researchers, inventors and students to develop and deliver research based, curriculum based presentations to secondary students aimed at engaging them to undertake careers in science. This multi-faceted program was aligned to the Federal Government’s Department of Science and Innovation’s key targets to promote innovation and entrepreneurialism as well as encouraging students to undertake careers in science, technology and engineering fields. As the Invention Convention Manager, I managed Questacon’s Invention Convention, which was a national youth conference for enterprising and innovative young people to empower them to follow their ideas and make them entrepreneurial. In this role I was responsible for all aspects of the management of the week-long conference including logistics, promotion, developing the educational program, sourcing mentors and supervising support staff. This role required excellent budget management, time management, project management and performance management of staff. This role further developed my skills in the development of educational programs aimed at secondary students.