Director, CSIRO Publishing

Acknowledgement of Country 

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation. 

The Opportunity

• Lead CSIRO Publishing – Australia’s leading science publisher with an outstanding global reputation
• Drive strategic growth and sustainable transformation in a changing publishing landscape
• Champion financial and operational excellence while leading a high-performing, purpose-driven team

CSIRO Publishing is an editorially independent, not-for-profit business unit within Australia’s national science agency. As Australia’s foremost publisher of quality scientific, technical and health journals and books, we are committed to excellence and integrity in science communication. Our internationally recognised portfolio spans agriculture, plant and animal sciences, chemistry, health and environmental science — from scholarly journals to trade books and children’s titles.

We are seeking a dynamic and commercially astute leader to take CSIRO Publishing into its next phase. As Director, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the business, leading major transformations including the shift to a sustainable open access model and implementing long-term financial and commissioning strategies. You’ll be responsible for the overall commercial performance of the business and lead a committed team to deliver impact aligned to CSIRO’s broader mission.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Strategic leadership – Set and deliver the business strategy, aligning publishing activity with CSIRO’s organisational direction. Identify new opportunities, manage risk and secure resources to support long-term goals.
• Business transformation – Lead the transition of the scholarly journals program to a sustainable open access model and implement a financially viable commissioning strategy for the books program.
• Commercial and financial management – Drive the commercial success of CSIRO Publishing, including managing a multi-million-dollar budget with full P&L responsibility, identifying new market and partnership opportunities across national and international publishing sectors.
• Team and operations leadership – Lead and develop a high-performing, customer-focused team. Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, with clear accountability, coaching, and support for team development.
• Stakeholder engagement – Build strong relationships across the scholarly publishing ecosystem. Engage internal and external stakeholders to position CSIRO Publishing as a leader in science communication and secure ongoing support and investment.
• Organisational contribution – Participate in the CSIRO Science Connect Leadership Team and contribute to broader organisational strategy and policy development.

Location: Melbourne (Clayton – Bunurong Country), Australia

Salary: Attractive package + up to 15.4% superannuation (visa sponsorship and relocation package available if required)

Tenure: Specified term of 3 years

Reference: 100903

To be considered you will need:

1. Deep knowledge and experience in the publishing industry, with a proven record of success in senior leadership roles.
2. Demonstrated strategic leadership capability, including planning and implementing strategy, managing change, and delivering on long-term business goals.
3. Strong commercial acumen and financial management experience, including full P&L responsibility and managing a multi-million-dollar budget.
4. A track record of transformational leadership – identifying growth opportunities, leading change, and implementing new business models.
5. Proven ability to lead, coach and manage high-performing teams through change, fostering a values-based culture.
6. Experience with digital publishing technologies and emerging tools (e.g. AI) and their implications for business growth and ethics.
7. Relevant tertiary qualifications in Science or Business.
8. Experience working in scientific, research or not-for-profit environments is desirable.

For full details about this role please view the Position Description.

Setting you up for success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact Nicole on nicole.poole@csiro.au and let us know how we can support you.  

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO.

Inclusion and belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Eligibility 

Applications for this position are open to Australian and international candidates. Visa sponsorship may be provided if required. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Child safety 

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy. 

How to apply 

Please apply online and submit a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and CV that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.

Applications close 

14 September 2025, 11:00pm AEST