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

The opportunity

• With your passion for animal welfare, provide dedicated support and monitoring throughout all stages of animal care and use at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness 
• Develop systems, frameworks, technical refinements and processes that support animal welfare compliance and continuous improvement
• Bring your passion for animal care and wellbeing to this critical role supporting infectious disease research

CSIRO is Australia’s National Science Agency and one of the world’s largest and most successful research and development (R&D) organisations. We have improved the lives of many around the world through our R&D including WiFi, the Hendra Virus Vaccine, Aerogard and the Total Wellbeing Diet. With over 50 locations across Australia and internationally, CSIRO solves the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia in a global context.

CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP, formerly the Australian Animal Health Laboratory) is one of the world’s largest microbiologically secure facilities. ACDP helps to protect Australia’s livestock and aquatic industries, as well as its people through the provision of critical diagnostic and research capability required to investigate and respond to emerging infectious animal and zoonotic diseases.

As an Animal Welfare Officer, you will be responsible for the provision of dedicated support and monitoring of the wellbeing, care and use of animals at ACDP to promote delivery of compliant and best practice animal welfare outcomes. You will contribute to the newly established Animal Welfare & Compliance Team, to implement a vital function providing animal welfare support and promoting best practice and high-quality outcomes associated with scientific activities across a range of domestic, non-domestic, and aquatic species, housed in highly unique animal care settings. There are two positions available, one being an indefinite/ongoing position and the second being a term until 30 June 2027.

Whilst this role provides direct support to animal health outcomes and welfare response, it is best suited to veterinarians looking to support systems-based thinking and procedural solutions, with a willingness to research and design novel solutions to drive progressive change, via a culture of collaboration and respect. The role offers an opportunity to provide real-world impact through the provision of best practice outcomes and high-quality research at ACDP. 

The role requires travel to other sites (particularly Werribee) as directed and may require afterhours work, and the appointee must be able to meet ACDP microbiological security and security assessment requirements as detailed in the position description.

Your duties will include:

• Monitor research projects to ensure care and welfare of animals are in accordance with requirements of the Code, Victorian legislation, site policy, and project-specific conditions of AEC approvals. Identify concerns and refinements and support animal welfare enhancements in collaboration with Project Leaders, Facility Managers and Veterinarians.
• Promote best practice in the care and use of animals in research via support of renewed approaches, integration of contemporary thinking, research, and standards; and provision of guidance on experimental proposals and animal care and use. 
• Promote implementation of the 3Rs, compliance needs and high-quality scientific approaches via a collaborative mindset; supporting robust and ethical scientific outcomes throughout each phase of studies, and the lifetime of animals.
• Support the establishment and delivery of best practice outcomes for animals under high biocontainment laboratory conditions via research, including development of solutions, process refinements, and continuous improvement initiatives within the Animal Welfare Team.
• Contribute to development of written procedures, policies, experimental protocols, and animal care and use reference materials, and guiding documents (e.g. technical SOP’s and guidelines).
• Support the development and implementation of internal audits and visits to ACDP animal facilities, to ensure compliance, record keeping and effective systems and workflows, provide written reports and recommendations where needed. 
• Contribute to personnel training and capacity development as appropriate based on animal welfare priorities and facility requirements to enhance scientific and animal use outcomes. 
• Contribute to incident reporting, data management and support of corrective actions, and development and implementation of formalized post-approval monitoring system within the Animal Welfare Team. 
• Abide by and promote microbiological security regulations at ACDP, and that apply to infectious disease agents, including zoonotic agents to ensure safety and security to staff and users of the facility.

Location:  Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) Geelong, Victoria
Salary:  AU$110k – AU$119k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure:  One role is a Specified term until 30 June 2027, the second role is Indefinite/ongoing
Reference:  97471

To be considered you will need:

Essential

1. A relevant degree (veterinary, biological sciences, etc.) or substantial relevant industry experience.
2. Demonstrated experience working within a scientific, academic, or research environment.
3. In depth understanding of contemporary animal welfare and ethics, principles of the 3R's and the ethical conduct of research, and knowledge of relevant state and national requirements, including their application to laboratory or scientific use of animals.
4. Proven ability to effectively handle sensitive and confidential information, work respectfully, interpret policies, procedures, and guidelines to provide clear and consistent communication, with a strong attention to detail.
5. Proven ability to work effectively and adaptably in a team environment, collaborate broadly with internal and external stakeholders, and establish effective and trusting interpersonal relationships with a wide variety of personnel.

Desirable:

1. Degree in Veterinary Medicine registrable with the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria and post-graduate veterinary training or qualification in laboratory animal medicine, avian medicine, and/or animal welfare or behaviour, and/or an interest in contributing to zoonotic disease research and scientific innovation.
2. Clinical experience working with aquatics, laboratory animal species, livestock, poultry or wildlife highly regarded.

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens and Australian Permanent Residents. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements specific to working at the ACDP facility, as detailed in the position description.

Flexible working arrangements

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

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.

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 demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications close

12 August 2024, 11:00pm AEST/AEDT

We encourage early applications as we will begin interviewing as soon as suitable candidates apply. We reserve the right to withdraw the advertising early if we find suitable candidates.