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

• Great opportunity to contribute to innovative fire engineering projects
• Apply your fire safety expertise across testing, consulting and research
• Join a collaborative team working on high‑profile national infrastructure

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.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The opportunity

CSIRO Infrastructure Technologies delivers testing, research and consulting services that support Australia’s built environment and critical infrastructure. The group works closely with industry, government and research partners, operating a NATA‑accredited laboratory with specialist fire testing capabilities and contributing to the development of national standards and regulatory frameworks.

As a Fire Safety Engineer, you will work as part of the Fire Safety Engineering Team, supporting the delivery of fire safety design, performance‑based solutions and compliance advice across a diverse portfolio of projects. You will contribute to consulting activities across sectors such as rail infrastructure, rolling stock, energy storage systems, defence, building construction and wildfire‑related projects, while also supporting laboratory‑based and full‑scale fire testing.

You will have opportunities to apply your technical expertise in practical settings, including the design and delivery of ad‑hoc fire tests, participation in hot smoke testing for major tunnel infrastructure, and collaboration with Australia’s leading research institutions. The role also provides scope to contribute to publications, industry engagement and the ongoing development of Australian standards.

You will bring a strong foundation in fire safety engineering or a closely related field, with well‑developed problem‑solving skills and the ability to apply engineering judgement in complex, real‑world environments. While experience in Australian fire safety consulting and testing is desirable, candidates from related consulting, research or testing backgrounds who can demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to learn will also be strongly considered.

If you’re passionate about fire safety engineering and keen to apply your expertise to projects with real‑world impact, this is a great opportunity to work alongside industry leaders and contribute to Australia’s infrastructure and safety outcomes – and we would love to hear from you!

Your high-level duties will include:

• Contributing to fire safety engineering design and consulting projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with project requirements, codes, and standards.
• Developing comprehensive fire safety strategies, performance designs, and inventive solutions.
• Carrying out modelling and calculations for fire and evacuation simulation.
• Assisting in managing and executing projects, addressing design complexities and technical risks and managing clients and stakeholders.
• Learning to operate and perform aspects of fire testing.
• Creating reports and performing calculations to support design concepts.
• Fostering strong professional relationships with team members and key stakeholders (internal and external).

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Melbourne (Clayton), VIC

Salary: AU$100K – AU$113K per annum plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified Term of 3 years; Full-time (preferred) – part-time and flexible work arrangements may be considered based on needs of the role and individual circumstances.

Reference: 102537

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• A tertiary qualification in a relevant Engineering or Science discipline, such as Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Fire Safety, Fire Protection Engineering, or other related disciplines.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in a related consulting, research, or testing discipline. In particular, hands-on capability in laboratory testing and instrumentation would be highly regarded.
• Proficiency in basic office software tools and some level of experience with computer modelling.
• Strong communication, presentation, and report writing skills, complemented by adept problem-solving abilities through teamwork, stakeholder engagement, and client interactions.
• Demonstrated initiative, accountability, and adeptness in managing multiple projects while adhering to commercial deadlines and income targets.
• Proficiency in producing comprehensive technical reports.

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 Acquisition Partner via email (see details in the Position Description) and let us know how we can support you.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must be either an:

• Australian or New Zealand Citizen;
• Australian Permanent Resident; or
• Australian Temporary Resident, currently residing in Australia, with an existing valid visa and unrestricted work rights for the full duration of the term (at least until July 2029) and with no requirement for visa sponsorship

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

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 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.

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

How to apply

Please apply online, and provide a CV and a detailed cover letter, responding to each of the selection criteria in detail, 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

10 April 2026, 11:00pm AEST

We strongly encourage early applications as we will be reviewing applications as they come through. CSIRO reserves the right to close the advertising early if we find our desired candidate.