Executive Director, Natural Sciences

The organisation

Queensland Museum (QM) is a vibrant and inclusive cultural institution at the heart of Queensland’s storytelling. With five distinctive sites across the state, QM welcomes millions of visitors annually, delivering immersive exhibitions, pioneering research, and transformative educational experiences. As a leader in cultural heritage and scientific discovery, QM connects communities, inspires curiosity, and celebrates the rich diversity of Queensland’s people and places.

Queensland Museum is entering a transformative new chapter with a renewed strategic focus on research, collections, impact and growth. Central to this vision is the elevation of the Natural Sciences portfolio and the important role it plays in positioning Queensland Museum as a globally relevant scientific and research institution.

The Natural Sciences portfolio oversees one of Australia’s most significant natural history collections, comprising more than 14 million specimens spanning marine and terrestrial biodiversity, geosciences and palaeontology. These collections underpin critical research informing biodiversity conservation, environmental management, biosecurity and climate resilience.

The opportunity

Reporting to the CEO and contributing as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Executive Director, Natural Sciences will lead a multidisciplinary portfolio of scientists, curators and collection specialists across Brisbane, Hendra and Townsville.

This newly created executive role will set the strategic direction for Queensland Museum’s Natural Sciences research agenda, ensuring the organisation continues to strengthen its research profile, scientific partnerships and public impact. The Executive Director will work closely with government, universities, funding bodies, industry and philanthropy partners to grow research capability, increase access to the collections as critical research infrastructure, and secure sustainable funding opportunities.

The role will also oversee the stewardship and development of Queensland Museum’s internationally significant collections and lead the ongoing evolution of the Collections and Research Centre at Hendra. Working collaboratively across the organisation, the Executive Director will help translate complex scientific knowledge into meaningful public outcomes through exhibitions, partnerships, programs and engagement initiatives.

About you

You are an accomplished executive leader with deep experience across scientific research, collections management, academia, museums or related sectors. You bring both scientific credibility and strategic leadership capability, with the ability to set a contemporary research agenda that responds to emerging environmental, scientific and community priorities. You understand the evolving research landscape and can identify opportunities to strengthen impact, relevance and innovation across a complex portfolio.

You are highly skilled at building strategic partnerships and working collaboratively with government, universities, industry and funding bodies to secure investment, grow capability and strengthen influence. Commercially astute and politically savvy, you are confident navigating complex stakeholder environments and translating scientific knowledge into accessible and compelling narratives for diverse audiences.

Most importantly, you are an authentic and collaborative people leader who can inspire high-performing teams across multiple locations and disciplines. You bring a future-focused mindset, balancing stewardship of world-class collections with innovation, succession planning and organisational growth. You are motivated by the opportunity to elevate Queensland Museum’s Natural Sciences profile and contribute meaningfully to scientific knowledge, biodiversity research and environmental resilience.