Executive Director, Australian Plant Phenomics Facility

An outstanding opportunity exists for an exceptional leader with an entrepreneurial vision to lead the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF), a Commonwealth funded national research infrastructure facility with nodes at the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and the Australian National University.

The Executive Director will be a distinguished leader and an exceptional communicator, able to promote national consultation and knowledge exchange, and to inspire and unify diverse and complex groups to ensure Australia continues to be a serious international contender and attractive collaborative partner in the relatively new, but rapidly developing field of plant phenomics.

The Executive Director will work in close collaboration with the APPF Advisory Board. Nurturing productive relationships with a range of private, governmental and non-profit stakeholders in Australia and overseas, and consulting with leaders in agriculture, food and wine science, the Executive Director will develop and implement the APPF strategic plan, ensuring APPF infrastructure is aligned with the needs of the research community and industry to help tackle some of the biggest challenges for agriculture of our time.

To be successful you will need:

• Quality background in ‘science to delivery' and sound understanding of the Australian research and innovation sector.
• Demonstrated ability to attract co-investment and to drive and meet growth targets.
• Significant commercial experience, well-developed business acumen and evidence of success in influencing policy development and decision-making.
• Extensive understanding of Australian plant and agricultural science and related industry

Providing state-of-the-art phenotyping tools and expertise

Established in 2009, the APPF was developed with funding from the Australian Government under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and co-funding from the governments of South Australia and the ACT, the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and the Australian National University to develop a globally collaborative plant phenomics capability that provides leadership in infrastructure, skills and service for agricultural research and industry to maximise productivity in Australia's unique and variable environment.

The APPF provides access to cutting-edge research infrastructure and expertise in plant phenomics to facilitate innovative research projects. The collaborative nature of the facility helps accelerate knowledge transfer, increases cross-disciplinary collaboration and promotes data sharing to help academic and commercial plant scientists understand the relate the performance of plants to their genetic make-up. 

The nodes of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility are strategically located at three leading research and development capabilities for grains, plant breeding, soil science, wine and viticulture and natural resource management within Australia.

Position details

The Executive Director will be appointed for three years, with the possibility of an extension. An attractive salary package will be negotiated.

To learn more about this critical position, please contact Ms Helli Meinecke, A/Executive Officer of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, and Managing Director of The Plant Accelerator® on Tel: +61 8 8313 0808 or by email at helli.meinecke@adelaide.edu.au

Closing date: 18 October 2018     

The University of Adelaide is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position are strongly encouraged to apply.

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