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

CSIRO’s National Research Collections Australia (NRCA) discovers and characterises Australia’s unique biodiversity so that it can be conserved, managed, and used for the benefit of our people, industry, and environment in a changing world. NRCA provides biological research infrastructure and capability to the Australian and international community, delivering specimens, data, science, training, and advice to end-users across government, industry and the STEM sector.

The role of the National Research Collections Relocation Conservator in CSIRO is to provide expert advice for the preventive conservation of the Collections through preparation activities, packing, Integrated Pest Management treatments and decant into the new facility.  The scope of the relocation includes 12+ million specimens spanning the Australian National Insect Collection, Australian National Wildlife Collection and the Australian National Herbarium.  The relocation is inclusive of people, equipment, and the Collections.  The Collections Relocation Conservator works as part of a Relocation team and works closely with the Collections Managers and other Collections staff. 

Your duties will include:

• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in completing a variety of preventive conservation tasks across the Australian National Insect Collection, Australian National Herbarium and Australian National Wildlife Collection, across both the Black Mountain and Crace sites.
• Provide advice regarding specimen packing strategies for collection relocation.
• Provide critical oversight of the integrated pest management (IPM) program for all collection specimens as part of the relocation project.
• Work with Relocation Managers to develop collection checks during and post relocation to ensure the integrity of specimens throughout the relocation project.
• Provide advice on preventive conservation practices and IPM programs for the new collection halls.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external contractors undertaking the physical relocation to ensure the integrity of specimens.

Location: Black Mountain and Crace, ACT

Tenure: Specified Term ending December 2024 (full-time or part-time)

Salaries: AU$68k - AU$86k pa (pro-rata for part-time), plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Reference: 95467

To be considered you will need:

Essential:
Under CSIRO policy only those who meet all essential criteria can be appointed.

• Relevant qualifications in cultural materials conservation.
• Sound knowledge and ability to work with, and handle, natural history or cultural collection items.
• Demonstrated experience with collection management strategies, including packing, transport and decant.
• Sound knowledge and experience with integrated pest management programs.
• Understanding of disaster management practices for cultural collections.
• Strong organisational skills, ability to prioritise demands, and escalate issues when required.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team, positively contributing to the team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, contribute to improved solutions in work situations, and try creative ways to deal with routine problems and opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly adapt to technological, structural, and procedural changes and maintain professionalism and flexibility.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or understanding of vertebrate, invertebrate and/or plant taxonomy.
• Experience with handling temperature sensitive samples in a careful yet efficient way.

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents or you must either hold, or be able to obtain, a valid working visa for the duration of the specified term. 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

5th February 2024, 11:00pm AEST