Senior Above Water Submarine Signatures Engineer – Australian Submarine Agency
📌 Vacancy Fact Sheet
- Reference Number: VN-0770354
- Agency: Australian Submarine Agency
- Job Title: Senior Above Water Submarine Signatures Engineer
- Position Number: ASA/03513/26
- Classification: Executive Level 1
- Closing Date: Sunday 19 July 2026
- Job Type: Full-Time, Ongoing
- Location: Melbourne VIC, Perth WA, Sydney NSW, Adelaide
- Future Merit Locations: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide
- Salary: $124,393 – $140,315
- Office Arrangement: Hybrid (Candidates are required to work in the location)
About Australian Submarine Agency
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, with understanding of
naval platform design and operational considerations.
Demonstrated capability in submarine signature management, applying expertise to predict, measure, analyse,
and treat submarine above water signatures.
Well-developed collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with Defence to assist with, and lead as
required, planning, execution, assessment and reporting on signature related trials.
Proven leadership capability in multidisciplinary engineering environments, including guiding teams through
complex technical challenges.
Effective stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with Defence, industry, and
academia.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical information and it’s implications
to Defence and other stakeholders.
Demonstrated capability in supervision and mentor technical staff, fostering a skilled and experienced workforce
and providing career development guidance.
Duties
- The Role
- The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines is an historic and transformative endeavour for
- Australia.
- The whole-of-nation effort to safely and securely deliver the cutting edge nuclear-powered submarine program will
- transform Australia’s economic and national security landscape for decades to come.
- The position is within the Technical Program Submarine Signature area, reporting to the Technical Lead, Electromagnetic
- Signatures. The position will contribute to the management of the Above Water signatures of submarines from a
- technical perspective. This includes developing and maintaining capability within Australia to characterise, predict, and
- minimise above water signatures of current and future platforms, managing collaborative partnerships, and liaising with
- national and international stakeholders.
- The position will engage with their peers across the ASA to deliver S&T Services and provide Technical Authority input in
- support of the above water signature management Virginia Class Submarines and SSN-A Class Submarines.
- Externally the position will engage 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, this position will:
- Contribute 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 the acquired submarine design to examine and act upon
- anticipated credible risks of the submarine design operating in Australian operating conditions.
- Liaise with US and UK counterparts to develop Australia’s signature management capability in preparation to 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 in ASA 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 that are critical to ASA capability. For further
- information, please contact the contact officer.
Eligibility / Notes
- Security Clearance:
- Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Negative Vetting Level 1”.
- Mandatory Qualifications:
- Bachelor Degree in accordance with the Washington accord related to engineering (electrical,
- electronics, mechatronics, aerospace, maritime, naval architecture), physics, mathematics, or an
- equivalent technical area.
How to Apply
Position Contact ASA Recruitment, [email protected]
Agency Recruitment Site https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=1DDC3725-AA49-7667-D564-ED081BB43
Applicants to vacancies notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette should be aware:
that the names of successful applicants will also be notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette
applicants found suitable may be offered similar employment opportunities by other Australian Public Service agencies
Vacancy