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 our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

The SKA Observatory is a next-generation radio astronomy facility that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. Enabled by cutting-edge technology, it promises to have a major impact on society, in science and beyond.

In Australia, the SKA Observatory is collaborating with CSIRO to operate and support the construction of the low frequency telescope (SKA-Low) in remote Western Australia on Wajarri Yamaji Country.

The Traditional Owners and native title holders, the Wajarri Yamaji, have gifted CSIRO with the traditional name Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara for the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, home to the SKA-Low telescope. The traditional name means ‘sharing sky and stars’ in the Wajarri language.

In your role as the SKA-Low Network Engineer you will be responsible for the deployment, configuration, and support of the networking infrastructure of the SKA-Low Telescope, the Science Operations Centre (SOC) and the SKAO Science Processing Centre (SPC) located at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre. You will work alongside the SKAO’s Network Architect, SKA Low Network Engineer at the Engineering Operations Centre in Geraldton, SKAO’s Computing Infrastructure Lead, and other domain specialists, project managers and system engineers to ensure the networks for the SKA-Low Telescope are fit for purpose, providing the quality needed for a system that will have to last, and be continually developed, for decades. You will also be an active contributor to the general design and implementation of the SKA-Low Networks. This role reports directly to the SKA-Low Site Reliability Engineering Manager.

Due to the locations involved in the SKA Project, in particular South Africa and the United Kingdom, this role will require work outside of normal hours. It will also require domestic travel to Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory on Wajarri Yamaji Country, to our facilities in Geraldton, and occasionally internationally, specifically to the United Kingdom and South Africa. 

Your duties will include:

• Working with the stakeholders to continually refine the network requirements for the SKA Telescopes to ensure they meet the system requirements in an appropriate and cost-effective manner.
• Assisting in the deployment, configuration, and support of networking infrastructure for the SKA-Low Telescope deployed at the Science Processing Centre (SPC) at Pawsey and the Science Operations Centre (SOC). This may also require travel to the Observatory site and the Engineering Operations Centre (EOC) in Geraldton to support networking activities at those locations.
• Being an integral member of the international SKAO Networking team, and actively contributing to on-going design network design activities.
• Being involved in the initial population of tools for asset management and engineering management as equipment arrives during construction.
• Being responsible for preparing documentation and training materials for future installation work during ongoing operations, and documenting lessons learned as the construction phase progresses.
• Providing feedback on 'as built' details for the installation due to practical changes & issues arising during construction.

Location:     Perth, Western Australia

Salary:         AU$105,806 - AU$114,500 plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure:        Indefinite

Reference:  95586

To be considered you will need:

Essential:

• Qualified to degree level in a relevant subject or an equivalent level of experience and expertise.
• Demonstrated experience in installation, optimisation and maintenance of network and security devices and services.
• Ability to assure compliance with SKAO security policies and applicable legislation and regulation.
• Knowledge in the design of network systems at enterprise-level, datacentres, or large distributed systems with understanding of new and emerging networking and security technologies.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders including gathering and distilling information and tailoring it appropriately for the target audience.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of:
  • Long-haul networking technologies
  • Software-defined networking systems
  • Zero-trust networking principles
  • System information and event management (SIEM) systems and syslog tools
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments
• Cisco Certifications/Qualifications such as CCNA or higher
• Knowledge and/or background with IT Service Management disciplines and Frameworks such as ITIL and/or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
• Experience in the procurement, management, and delivery of network contracts in a complex, high-value environment

CSIRO is an Equal Opportunity employer working hard to recruit world-class talent that represents the diversity across our society. As part of our commitment to equitable employment outcomes for under-represented groups, preference will be given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the role criteria. CSIRO conscious inclusion practices are intended to constitute a special/equal opportunity/affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth).

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.

Flexible Working Arrangements

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

CSIRO and the SKA Observatory value and respect difference, and we are committed to building an inclusive culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will do your best at work if you have a work / life balance. We are open to discussing flexible working opportunities with this role being offered on a full-time, part-time or job share basis. Please raise your preference in your application.

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.

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

To apply for this role, please apply on-line providing your CV, and a Cover Letter clearly addressing the essential criteria of this role and your motivation for applying. Under CSIRO policy, only those who are able to demonstrate how they can meet the essential criteria may be appointed

Applications Close

11th February 2024, 11:59pm AWST