Director Research & Strategy

ASPI Director Research & Strategy

• Join one of the world’s top performing and most influential national security think tanks
• ASPI is looking for an exceptional and dynamic senior leader to drive and oversee its analytical output, shape and support ASPI’s major strategic activities, generate new ideas and support the strategic vision of the Executive Director
• This role directly reports to the Executive Director, is a senior executive-level position and involves managing staff and projects
• The Director of Research role, also known in some think tanks as Director of Studies, works with the Executive Director to set the strategic research direction of the institute and across the institute to ensure the highest quality analysis and product.
• This role engages with senior stakeholders across Parliament, governments, business and civil society
• Join a progressive, supportive and diverse organisation with an engaging and vibrant organisational culture

About ASPI

ASPI is an independent, non-partisan think tank that produces expert and timely advice for strategic, defence and policy leaders and decision makers. ASPI is one of the most authoritative and widely quoted contributors to public discussion of strategic policy issues in the Indo-Pacific region and a recognised Australian voice in international discussion on defence, strategic, national security, cyber, critical technology, climate and foreign interference issues.

The key duties of the position include :

About the Role

ASPI is searching for an exceptional and dynamic senior leader to fill a crucial position which exists at all major think tanks globally - Director of Research (sometimes called Director of Studies). A think tank’s objective is to influence and impact domestic and international public policy making and this role is essential in overseeing ASPI’s analytical output. Currently, functions including contestability, analytical production and design, strategic communications & media and events sit within the small but high-performing team which reports to this role.

This role, and the team more broadly, must drive new ideas and ways of doing things, embed quality control and contestability within all of ASPI’s analytical output, help to encourage innovative tradecraft practices and ensure ASPI’s output (from research to events to podcasts) is strategically communicated to target audiences.

At ASPI, the Director of Research role also leads on ‘Strategy’ which means the role is also responsible for supporting the strategic vision of the Executive Director and shaping and supporting ASPI’s key strategic initiatives. Such initiatives include the Sydney Dialogue , Raisina Down Under and supporting the development and build of ASPI’s globally influential data-driven projects, examples of which include the Critical Technology Tracker , Chinese Defence Universities Tracker and other sites . Like all senior roles at ASPI, the Director of Research and Strategy engages in fundraising and that includes working with other seniors to drive change and innovation in business models, creating value out of ASPI’s intellectual property and enhancing global partnerships.

The role provides a unique opportunity for a strategic and creative leader to help drive ASPI’s strategic direction, support the continued development of ASPI’s data-driven and policy relevant research, and help ASPI continue to build and leverage global networks across governments, industry and civil society.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented senior leader to contribute to the work of one of the Indo-Pacific’s top policy think-tanks.

Duties

The Director will :

Eligibility

Selection Criteria :

Remuneration will be competitive and commensurate with experience and relevant skillsets.

ASPI has headquarters in Canberra, Australia and an office in Washington DC, USA. This role is Canberra-based. ASPI welcomes applications from APS employees and is open to secondment arrangements in line with agency approvals.

Notes

How to Apply

ASPI promotes a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and values unique contributions of all people. The Institute strongly encourages women and people from diverse cultural backgrounds including applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds to apply.

The closing date for applications is midnight 7 July 2025– an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.

Discover excellent career opportunities with our 'top picks' - outstanding roles sourced from APSJobs, public sector job boards, and other sources, selected by The Mandarin team that are available now.

J-18808-Ljbffr