Senior Manager, Pre Award

An exciting opportunity is available for a Senior Manager, Pre Award to join the Grants and Major Bids Department at Australia's pre-eminent biomedical research institute.

About the Position

The Senior Manager, Pre Award plays a critical role within the Grants and Major Bids team. Reporting to the Head, Grants and Major Bids this role is responsible for translating the Institute's objectives into a funding strategy that responds to the local and global funding landscape. This role will lead the Grants and Major Bids department's research and funding development initiatives, which support the competitive positioning of individual researchers all the way to multi-institutional programs, to increase WEHI's success in a competitive funding environment.

Through their leadership of a high performing team, the Senior Manager is responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, internal guidance, resources, tools and systems that maximise the ability of researchers to achieve their funding goals and support WEHI's ambitions. The Senior Manager, will ensure that these enabling resources support researchers in ways consistent with our tiered service model, which includes knowledge enabling self-service, standardised services and specialist support.

Selection Criteria

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience
• Considerable experience in leading a team to develop strategic funding pathways and plans, and delivering for an organisation
• Demonstrated experience in research development, including teaming and concept formation, assessments of research maturity, pitch coaching and theory of change models.
• Strong knowledge of funding rules, compliance, and regulatory frameworks
• Experience advising on legal and commercial aspects of research funding
• Understanding of national and international funding environments

Personal Qualities:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to identify trends and adapt to achieve in a complex changing environment
• Advanced communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capability
• Ability to manage complexity, risk, and competing priorities
• Ability to build credibility and work in partnerships to deliver results

Terms of Appointment

This position is ongoing in a full time capacity. Salary is Professional Services Employee Level 9 ($141,910 - $153,610). Very attractive salary packaging options are available for general living expenses, meal entertainment, novated leasing and more. 12% superannuation payable, plus up to a further 5% after the first 6 months of service via our matching superannuation scheme.

General enquiries can be directed to ***email_hidden***.

A position description is available here..

How to Apply

Please apply by uploading your CV, cover letter and a document addressing the key selection criteria in pdf format.

Application Closing Date: The closing date for applications is

Sunday 12 July 2026, however, we will be reviewing applications as they are received, and WEHI reserves the right to appoint a suitable candidate prior to the closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing this opportunity.

WEHI - Brighter together

WEHI is where the world's brightest minds collaborate and innovate to make discoveries that will help us to live healthier for longer. Our medical researchers have been serving the community for more than 100 years. We bring together people with different skills and experience who are committed to long-term discovery. Our teams of researchers are committed to solving the most complex health problems, making transformative discoveries for cancer, infectious and immune diseases, developmental disorders and healthy ageing.

WEHI is a place where people are able to shine. People who are inquisitive, who are committed, who are passionate. People who want to make a difference. And we are committed to ensuring they have the tools to flourish, personally and professionally. We are a community of researchers, students and professional service staff who work towards achieving discoveries that improve human health. We are driven by collaboration, curiosity and creativity. We are committed to making a positive difference to the lives of people in Australia and around the world. We are WEHI. We are brighter together.

WEHI's commitment to diversity and inclusion

At WEHI we strive to foster a flexible working environment that encourages individual differences and promotes collaboration and creativity. We recognise that talent does not sit within a single identifiable group in our society and that WEHI's ability to shape contemporary scientific thinking and deliver leading professional services relies on a diversity of thought within our organisation. Our action to promote gender equality has been recognised with an Athena SWAN Bronze Award from Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) and we offer a range of support for women researchers.

Our commitment to celebrating diversity and addressing inequities is further demonstrated through our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, Gender Action Plan, Reconciliation Action Plan and our WE-Pride network for LGBTQIA+ staff and students. We actively encourage applications from, people with a disability, culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse people and people with diverse genders and sexualities. Should you require support during the recruitment process due to special needs or consideration, please contact the People and Culture team.

WEHI's commitment to Indigenous employment

WEHI is working to create a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be engaged at the scientific frontier, making exciting discoveries and decisions about the future of health in this country, and part of a leading professional services workforce supporting the realisation of these discoveries. We are committed to creating a culturally safe workplace and offering career development and leadership opportunities to First Nations staff and students. We strongly encourage any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply.