Steve Tiffen

Background

About Steve Tiffen

An experienced Marine Engineer with over 36 years in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Rear Admiral Tiffen is currently Head Maritime Sustainment in the Naval Shipbuilding & Sustainment Group. Born in 1966, Steve joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1986 as an Undergraduate Engineer Officer whilst studying Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. Steve has held numerous sea positings as a marine engineer including HMA Ships Paramatta (1989-91), Newcastle (1993-95), Canberra (1996-97), and Anzac (2002-04). In 1998 Steve was selected for an exchange officer position at HMS Sultan in the United Kingdom, instructing marine engineering theory and practice to Royal Navy marine engineers. Steve has held several positions in capability and fleet management throughout his career. He was posted to Defence Materiel Organisation as Platform Systems Director for the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Program in 2006 and in 2007 was selected to manage the project’s design interface activities at Navantia’s Ferrol facility in Spain. Promoted to Commodore in 2010, Steve commenced duties as a project General Manager with responsibilities for the establishment of the sustainment arrangements for the future Hobart Class AWDs. In late 2014 he commenced duties as Director General Major Surface Ships responsible for the materiel aspects of asset management of 17 major warships. In mid-2018 he returned to shipbuilding in Adelaide and commenced as the inaugural Director General of Naval Construction Branch, responsible for overseeing all aspects of shipbuilding in SA and WA and the delivery of the last two Air Warfare Destroyers. In the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Steve was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for exceptional service in surface ship acquisition and sustainment for the Australian Defence Force”. On 18 October 2022, Steve was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed as Head Maritime Sustainment within Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group with responsibility for sustainment business conducted through Maritime Support Branch, Major Surface Ships Branch, Specialist Ships Branch and Maintenance Branch. Steve is a chartered fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST), and Engineers Australia (EA) and an Affiliate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.