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 our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

​​​​​​•    Enhance your lab skills and field experience through a multi-faceted role 
•    Support research scientists in a range of laboratory & field activities
•    Great role for an early-career research assistant to join CSIRO!

Are you a science student interested in a gaining experience through a hands-on, research-based role? We have a great part-time casual opportunity for a driven Laboratory and Field Assistant to join our ‘Aquatic Remote Sensing Team’ within CSIRO Environment Business Unit!

Based at our CSIRO Black Mountain site, you will have a key role within the team, providing crucial research project support for a number of ongoing projects. Under the direction and support of research staff, you will assist the team’s laboratory activities and carry out a range of field duties in aquatic environments. Your work will involve mobilisation and demobilisation of processes related aspects of water quality, bio-optics of water, and remote technology monitoring systems. The primary goal of this role is to assist in the collection and analysis of water observations to enhance our understanding of water quality through remote sensing techniques.

If you’re an early-career scientist looking to apply your well-developed laboratory and organisational skills into a varied role, this will be a great role for you to collaborate with a dynamic team of research scientists and further develop your competencies! CSIRO will offer you excellent career development and professional support, and we are strongly committed to diversity and supporting flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

•    Assisting in conducting instrumentation maintenance and calibration as well as the mobilisation and demobilisation of instrumentation for field campaigns.
•    Undertaking laboratory organisation, such as receiving samples, preparation/preservation, equipment inventory, non-remote fieldwork, sensor testing, data management, and archiving.
•    Under technical direction, undertaking processing and archiving of data and equipment.
•    Assisting in laboratory and fieldwork in aquatic environments, including inland boat operations; instrumentation calibration, operation, and maintenance; data processing and data management; sample filtration and preparation.
•    Deploying instrument hardware, (as well as configure and operate menu-driven instrument software) 
•    Performing routine experimental or operational tasks requiring skills that have been developed through experience or training, and following pre-determined protocols to achieve experimental and research objectives.

Location: Canberra (Black Mountain), ACT

Salary: AU$26 - AU$34 per hour plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term until June 2024/ Casual, Part-time 30 hours per fortnight

Reference: 95000

To be considered you will need:

•    Certificate of high school education and/or relevant work experience in a scientific field.
•    Demonstrated experience in laboratory work, including the proper handling and use of chemicals.
•    Familiarity with maintaining laboratory equipment, glassware, and/or instruments. 
•    Knowledge of safety protocols and best practices when working with chemicals, including the handling of hazardous materials. 
•    Strong organisational skills for managing equipment, maintaining inventory, and ensuring efficient equipment storage and transportation for field research.
•    A current driver’s licence. 

For full details about this role please review the Position Description.

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens or 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.

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 online, and provide a detailed cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please note that we strongly encourage you to respond to each of the selection criteria in detail, and attach it to your cover letter as one document.

Applications Close

11 February 2024, 11:00pm AEDT

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