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 safety and compliance at a critical research facility
• Hands-on role managing permits, contractors and safety systems
• Join a collaborative team supporting world-class science

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

As the Technical Officer – Safety & Compliance you’ll support CSIRO’s scientific research by providing high-quality technical services across laboratory and field environments as part of a centralised service team.

Reporting to the Compliance and Services Manager the role manages the permit system to ensure compliance with engineering standards, supervises trades and contractors (including after-hours support), and oversees the safe isolation and de-energisation of equipment for maintenance and upgrades.

You will also deliver and coordinate safety training, implementing CSIRO’s Health, Safety and Environment systems in line with legislation and policy, maintaining safety equipment, and driving continuous improvement. Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills are essential to support operational excellence and contribute to CSIRO’s research outcomes.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Oversee the permit system to ensure all engineering departments and contractor activities comply with established standards and procedures. Act as Permit Officer. Supervise tradespeople and contractors engaged by the Safety & Compliance team and broader CBIS, providing support as required, including after-hours and call-out assistance.
• Identify, document and ensure that plant and equipment are isolated and de-energised as required for maintenance, contract services, repairs and minor capital improvements. Ensure all safety related equipment is always maintained in a safe and operational condition.
• Develop and deliver relevant tailored training (e.g., permit to work) for maintenance and engineering staff, including facilitating internal programs and coordinating external training (e.g. Working in Confined Spaces, Working at Heights). Assess and sign off staff competency for relevant safety training, ensuring documented evidence of training and capability is maintained in accordance with CSIRO requirements.
• Implement and manage CSIRO’s Health, Safety and Environment systems, assisting with the fulfilment of engineering management obligations under relevant legislation and CSIRO policies and procedures. Administration, updating, monitoring and reporting on safe systems of work, including housekeeping checklists, Take 5’s, risk assessments and other CSIRO safety systems.

• Lead the design, development and implementation of a safety reporting dashboard for B&IS, to ensure safety issues are addressed quickly. Prepare safety reports as required.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Geelong, VIC

Salary: AU$100,103 – AU$113,251 per annum (pro rata for part-time), plus 15.4% superannuation + ACDP Site allowance

Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite

Reference: 102294

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential criteria

1. Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge/experience and appreciation of relevant procedures/protocols associated with Health and Safety requirements applicable to personnel operations, safety and security at CSIRO’s research facilities.
2. Competence in the application of contractor management systems, permit / access procedures, Risk Management, undertaking Risk Analysis and Job Safety Analysis for minor works, maintenance and repair activities.
3. Demonstrated ability to monitor safety of maintenance and contracted works
4. Demonstrated ability to use and maintain the currency of computer-based safety systems, e.g. Donesafe.
5. Demonstrated experience in supervising and managing contractors and a demonstrated ability to liaise with contractor personnel.
6. Experience in maintaining accurate training records and compliance documentation in alignment with organisational and legislative standards.
7. Demonstrated judgement and flexibility in decision making, and ability to prioritise work to achieve deadlines and agreed outputs.
8. Ability to work collaboratively with clients, external stakeholders, and colleagues within your team, the business unit and across the Compliance & Services Team, to reach objectives

Desirable

1. Demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience in the delivery of trade-based services in support of facility management.
2. Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering site-specific safety training programs, including the ability to tailor content to various audiences within a workplace setting, and/or
3. The ability to obtain formal "train the trainer" training within a reasonable timeframe.
4. Demonstrated ability to work under broad direction, accept responsibility and accountability of outcomes.
5. Willingness to study for and attain further qualifications, where necessary.

Other special requirements:

Applicants must:

1. Possess a current driver’s licence, reside within 45 minutes travelling time to ACDP and be willing to participate in an on-call roster.

2. Be willing and able to adhere to CSIRO ACDP microbiological security requirements and HSE policies.

3. Be willing and able to be vaccinated against rabies, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis or other agents.

For full details about this role, and other criteria, 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 Careers.online@csiro.au 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 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 Citizens, the successful candidate will be required to obtain and maintain a security clearance at the Negative Vetting 1 level. The successful applicant will be required to abide by ACDP - Security Assessment and Microbiological Security Requirements for Personnel Working on the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (ACDP) Site. And may be required to obtain a National Health Security (NHS) Clearance. Appointment to this role is subject to 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 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 submit a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and CV that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.

Applications close

29 January 2026, 11:00pm AEDT