Acknowledgement of Country

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation

Child Safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View ourChild Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

CSIRO’s National Research Collections Australia (NRCA) discovers and characterises Australia’s unique biodiversity so that it can be conserved, managed, and used for the benefit of our people, industry, and environment in a changing world. NRCA provides biological research infrastructure and capability to the Australian and international community, delivering specimens, data, science, training, and advice to end-users across government, industry and the STEM sector.

The Canberra Collections Accommodation Project (CCAP) is a co-funded project with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) to build a new purpose-built research facility for NRCA on the CSIRO Black Mountain site.

The building will include specimen preparation areas, curation laboratories, integrated genomics facilities and digitisation suites.

As a National Collections Relocation Laboratory Technician (Cryo), you will prepare the cryo collections stored at -80C for the move and assist with the relocation itself. The scope of the relocation activities for this role includes approximately 8000 specimens in the Australian National Insect Collection’s molecular labs.

Please note, this is a part-time opportunity at 0.6 FTE (full-time equivalent).

We offer flexibility in terms of the days the successful candidate will work each week, provided that working at a total of 1.2 FTE per fortnight is completed.

Your duties will include:

• Undertaking general relocation activities, under the direction of the National Collections Relocation Manager, including:
  • Transferringfrozen samples into standardised, barcoded tubes,
  • Other preparatory curation activities, including sub-sampling specimens for molecular-based identification,
  • Updating relevant databases,
  • Assisting with other decant activities including cleaning, consolidating and tidying-up.
• Communicating openly, effectively and respectfully with all staff, clients and suppliers in the interests of good business practice.
• Working collaboratively as part of a team, within a dispersed business unit to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO scientific objectives and to achieve team goals.

Location:Black Mountain, ACT

Salary: AU$68,148 - AU$ 86,733 (pro-rata for part time) per annumplus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure:Specified term ending August 2024

Reference: 93225

To be considered you will need:

Essential:

• Relevant certificate or work experience in Natural History collections curation, registration, or conservation.
• Experience with handling temperature sensitive samples in a careful yet time-efficient manner.
• Sound knowledge and proven ability to work with, and handle, biological collection specimens.
• Ability and willingness to carry out repetitive tasks requiring accuracy and close attention to detail.
• Strong organisational skills, ability to prioritise demands, and escalate issues when required.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team, positively contributing to the team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, contribute to improved solutions in work situations, and try creative ways to deal with routine problems and opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly adapt to technological, structural, and procedural changes and maintain professionalism and flexibility.

Desirable:

• Experience with molecular laboratory workflows, in particular high-through methodologies.
• Proven knowledge or understanding of vertebrate, invertebrate and/or plant taxonomy.

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents or you must either hold, or be able to obtain, a valid working visa for the duration of the specified term. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Please note, this role will involve lifting, moving, and carrying objects / trays up to 6kg.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish.

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact.

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs, whether we are undertaking research, engaging with the public or nurturing future scientists in person or online. Source – CSIRO Child Safe policy 2023

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrateyour motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

4th July 2023, 11:00pm AEST/AEDT

Shortlisting for this role may take place as applications are received. We therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy once a suitable candidate has been appointed. Please consider applying as soon as possible.