Job Description

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

Role highlights

• ​​​​​​ Lead the role as a deputy in a globally significant science and infrastructure project of national importance
• Work at the intersection of governance, operations and stakeholder engagement in partnering with state and federal government agencies
• Support operations across one of the world's most remote and advanced radio-astronomy observatories

About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge. CSIRO is one of the world’s largest and most successful publicly funded R&D organisations. Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The opportunity

CSIRO plays a leading role in delivering SKA, one of the world's most ambitious radio astronomy projects, set to transform our understanding of the Universe. Based at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio‑astronomy Observatory on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia, this role sits within CSIRO's Site Entity team, which manages the Observatory and supports the delivery of critical infrastructure for the SKA‑Low telescope across regional and metropolitan WA. Visit Space and astronomy - CSIRO for more information.
Working closely with the Site Entity Lead, the Deputy Site Entity Lead will contribute to the effective operation of this nationally significant facility, with a strong focus on governance, operational compliance, and stakeholder engagement with government and key partners.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Build and maintain strong, productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, representing CSIRO and the Site Entity with credibility and influence.
• Coordinate governance, compliance, reporting, and responses to information requests in line with CSIRO processes, SKAO agreements, and legislative requirements.
• Support financial management, including budget preparation, contract negotiation, quarterly reviews, and reporting against work plans.
• Provide leadership within a dispersed team, contributing to effective team performance, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage procurement and ensure compliance with CSIRO policies and relevant State and Commonwealth legislation, including HSE requirements.
• Identify, manage, and resolve risks and complex or competing obligations through proactive analysis, stakeholder liaison, and timely escalation.

Role particulars

Location: Perth, WA (preferred); other CSIRO locations may be considered

Salary: AU$135K – AU$158K per annum (pro-rata for part-time) plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified term for 5 years, Full-time (preferred); Open to consider Part-time (no less than 30hr/week) or job-share arrangements.

Reference: 102329

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline, or equivalent relevant experience in policy, governance, project management, or operations.
• Experience in budget management, forecasting and reporting
• Demonstrated practical experience managing dispersed teams and coordinating work group deployments, overseeing operations and project outcomes.
• Demonstrated people management skills: building a strong and cohesive team and developing staff.
• A proven ability to establish and maintain co-operative relationships in a complex, multifaceted environment, anticipating potential issues and leading delivery of effective resolutions to complex problems.
• Strong project management skills, meeting deadlines and managing an overlapping and complex set of deliverables with a range of timescales.
• Possession of an Australian Class ‘C’ driver’s license (or equivalent)
• An ability to travel on an as-needed basis.

Desirable

• Experience in infrastructure design and construction practices and management, preferably within the Commonwealth framework.
• Previous exposure to working with Traditional Owner agreement implementation and heritage management.

For full details about this role, please review the

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

Setting You Up for Success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact the Talent Consultant and let us know how we can support you.

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO

Inclusion and belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise that true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/ New Zealand citizens or Australian Permanent residents residing in Australia. Appointment to this role is subject to the provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy

How to apply

Please apply online and provide a CV and a detailed cover letter (maximum 2 pages) that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please attach your selection criteria responses to your cover letter as one document.

Applications close

15 March 2026, 11:00 pm AEDT

We strongly encourage you to apply early, as we will review applications as they come in. CSIRO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date, if required.