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 SME Connect supports Australian start-ups and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) pursue innovation.

Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) Programconnects regional universities with start-ups and SMEs in Queensland to drive local innovation and economic growth through research collaboration.Funded by the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) and delivered by CSIRO’s specialist SME Connect team, this eligibility-based program will run until June 2027.

The RUIC Program Facilitator role will require an understanding of the Queensland University and SME sectors with experience at the interface between industry and the research. In this role you will assist in building capabilities with researchers, managing SME leads, facilitating connections and applications and manage after-project feedback. A key aspect of the role will be working with start-ups and SMEs to help understand and articulate their research/development idea and connecting them with researchers at the Partner Universities. You will also be involved in building internal and external awareness for the program, integrating with the innovation ecosystem in your region, and partaking in key program planning and monitoring.
The successful candidate will operate with a high level of independence and network effectively with dynamic small Australian companies across their QLD region.

Your duties will include:

• Building close relationships with the Partner Universities and providinga single point of contact for accessing and understanding the program and its benefits.
• Building and managingpipelines of start-up and SME applicants for RUIC, through development of relationships and networks across industry, industry bodies, innovation ecosystem, investors, research organisations, universities, and CSIRO.
• FacilitatingR&D projects between start-ups/SMEs with the partnering universities.
• Providing end-to-end support with project scoping, application preparation and regular check-ins to ensure both parties’ expectations are managed.
• Gaining deep knowledge and fostering capability building at the Partner Universities to expedite leads when engaging with SMEs.
• Engagingwith industry associations and developing deep networks across regional industry to grow knowledge of the program and identify new opportunities.
• Connecting with the wider SME Connect team to ensure other opportunities (including follow-on funding) for businesses are identified.
• Presenting R&D Voucher applications to the Voucher Review Team for approval decision.
• Organisingand facilitatingmasterclasses and network events at the Partner Universities and online.
• Supporting the Junior Facilitator and the Operations Support officer.
• Representing and promotingCSIRO and our SME Connect Programs externally, including in public forums, with industry, the innovation ecosystem, the research sector, and Government

Location: Townsville or Cairns preferred, other QLD locations considered

Salary: Attractive salary commensurate with experience plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term until June 2027

Reference:97400

To be considered you will need:

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications in science, engineering and/or business with business development experience, or equivalent skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Demonstrated business acumen with experience in a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) or working in businesses that have successfully engaged with PFROs.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in working as a facilitator to support Universities and SMEs to facilitate collaborative R&D partnerships and commercialisation of research.
• Deep knowledge of the Queensland innovation ecosystem and opportunities for regional SMEs, with established relationships and a broad network across industry, universities and PFROs, government, and investors.
• Highly developed engagement and networking skills with proven ability to facilitate R&D collaboration and build trusting and productive relationships with customers; extensive experience in negotiation and representation.
• A history of achieving and exceeding performance targets.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills, track record of contributing to, and supporting, cohesive teams; proven ability to establish productive relationships with colleagues.
• A valid Australian Driver’s License.

Desirable

• Experience in presenting and or delivering learning sessions or masterclasses to business or research sector audiences.

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.

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

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

28th of July 2024, 11:00pm AEST/AEDT