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

• Work at one of the world’s most scientifically productive telescopes
• Become a leading voice in maximising the scientific productivity of the ATCA Telescope and the Paul Wild Observatory
• Offered as a flexible full-time, part-time or job-share position, working from Narrabri, NSW

CSIRO Space and Astronomy (S&A) operates the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), which includes Murriyang, the Parkes 64-m telescope, the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), the Long Baseline Array (LBA) and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). 

The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has an outstanding international reputation for exceptional performance and astronomical research. 
The ATCA is currently undergoing a major upgrade, the new backend, named Broadband Integrated-GPU Correlator for the Australia Telescope (BIGCAT) will become one of the fastest GPU-based radio telescope signal processors in the world.

As the ATCA Support Scientist, you will take a leading role in maximising the scientific productivity of ATCA and the Paul Wild Observatory, and you will contribute to leading and participating in a series of commissioning tests to characterise the performance of BIGCAT.
You will be expected to gain a deep understanding of the telescope’s operation and help astronomers make the best use of the telescope in innovative ways.
You will contribute to the scientific specification and development of new systems and follow projects through to commissioning and scientific use.

Approximately 20% your time will be available for personal astronomical or instrumental research. The ATNF will provide training and support as you build your experience with the telescope. 

Generous relocation assistance will be provided to the successful candidate.
CSIRO offers the opportunity to establish flexible working arrangements, four weeks (pro-rata) of Annual Leave per year, access to salary packaging options and health and well-being initiatives.

We value and respect difference, and we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive workplace culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work.
We believe that you will do your best at work if you maintain a healthy work/life balance.
We are open to discussing flexible working opportunities with this role being offered on a full‐time, part‐time or job share basis. Please indicate your preference in your application.

Your duties will include:

• Incorporating novel approaches to scientific investigations by adapting and/or developing original concepts and ideas for new, existing and further research. 
• Contributing to the smooth operation of the observing systems and services needed to carry out world class radio astronomy observations, including reconfigurations and calibration.
• Overseeing training of ATCA users, including training of Observing Experts and observers, as well as the development of training resources.
• Working with ATNF software and engineering groups, developing and improving techniques such as autonomous observing and RFI mitigation.
• Providing documentation and reports as required.
• Maintaining a scientific involvement with the ATNF telescopes.
• Helping support setup and operations of ATNF telescopes for the Long Baseline Array, a network of CSIRO and external radio telescopes across Australia and internationally.
• Other duties as required.

Location: Narrabri, New South Wales

Salary: AU$105k - AU$114k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Indefinite, Full-time, part-time or job-share

Reference: 95692

To be considered you will need:

Essential

• A Doctorate or equivalent research experience in a relevant discipline area, such as Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, or Engineering.
• The ability and willingness to undertake scientific facility operation, provide user support, and to travel and spend periods at ATNF sites and other astronomy institutions, including support outside core business hours.
• Demonstrated ability to devise and execute observations or measurements to test radio astronomy instrumentation, and to identify and solve complex instrumental problems.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• The ability to work effectively as a member and leader of a multi-disciplinary, regionally-dispersed research team, and carry out independent individual research, to achieve organisational goals.
• A driver’s license.

Desirable

• Proficiency with Unix-based operating systems, and familiarity with computer programming and scripting languages such as C, C++, Perl or Python.
• Experience with a broad range of engineering principles, especially as it pertains to radiofrequencies and/or instrumentation.
• Demonstrated experience with interferometry, including calibration and imaging.
   

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian residents and international candidates open to relocation to Narrabri, New South Wales. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship will be considered for the right eligible applicant.
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 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

20th March 2024, 11:00pm AEST/AEDT