Counter Software Threats Discipline Leader - Department of Defence - ResearchCareer

First listed on: 18 July 2017

Executive Level 2 (S&T Level 6) 
$111,559 - $133,905 (plus super)
Edinburgh, SA

Overview:

The Discipline Leader leads a small team of scientists and/or, engineers and/or technicians.

The Discipline Leader typically:

  • is responsible for the management and development of a component of a Science Technology Capability (STC)
  • is responsible for delivering results to meet Defence/National Security needs
  • has a significant depth of knowledge in an S&T area relevant to the STC
  • has experience, awareness and knowledge of Defence/National Security context
  • provides effective supervision and mentoring of staff

The overall purpose of the Counter Software Threats Discipline Leader role is to lead a team that applies software (program) analysis techniques to address challenges in the analysis and assessment of directed software threats to our military cyber systems and capabilities. This position has a specific focus on developing new program analysis techniques to be applied to reverse engineering, malicious software threat analysis, and assessment of the efficacy of defensive strategies in the presence of such threats.

Our research is applied in nature, leading to important operational outcomes for Defence and National Security clients as the end goal. We work closely with these operational clients ensuring our staff understand the full context of military cyber operations, allowing them to deliver with impact. To get the best possible R&D outcomes we also ensure our talented researchers have the freedom to tackle problems in the way they see fit.

The cyber security challenge is larger than we can address alone. We seek to advance the state-of-the-art in this research domain through strong collaborative relationships with our R&D partners in academia, industry, and other national/international research agencies.

Continuing to develop the cyber security knowledge, skills and expertise of staff is critical to our effectiveness and success. Ongoing support is provided through opportunities for training, further tertiary education, secondments to Australian and overseas partners, workshops, conferences. Underpinning this is a strong Science & Technology career path within DST Group, allowing development as a technical leader or deep specialisation in a chosen field. 

Duties and Key Result Areas:

The key objective of the role is to lead R&D activities to deliver novel tools and techniques for the analysis and assessment of directed software threats to our military cyber systems and capabilities.

The successful applicant will undertake the following major duties:

  1. Articulate vision and direction for the counter software threats team aligned with branch strategy and client requirements;
  2. Together with the team, work closely with clients to understand their mission, capabilities, gaps and opportunities;
  3. Plan, lead and develop team's work program emphasising research impact against Defence's requirements;
  4. Manage all stages of client tasking, from negotiation and requirements gathering through to delivery;
  5. Guide and contribute to research on software (program) analysis as applied to threat analysis and assessment
  6. Build an effective, engaged team that positively contributes to the culture of the Branch;
  7. Support the development and well-being of staff through effective supervision, coaching and mentoring;
  8. Enhance S&T capability through targeted collaboration with other DST Group teams, academia, industry, and other national/international research agencies.

Application Closing Date: 15 August 2017     

For further information please review the job information pack, reference DST/01904/17 on www.defence.gov.au/apscareers