Administration Officer

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

• Support and coordinate events, including logistics and on-site delivery
• Provide administrative support, exercise judgement, and maintain strong client communication
• Collaborate with teams and support senior staff in Ag & Food

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 

The role of administrative staff in CSIRO is to provide administrative and management services to support the effective provision of research and development activities. This involves the development and implementation and/or administration of policies, systems and procedures that assist the Organisation and the Research Unit to achieve their objectives and meet government and regulatory responsibilities.

The Administration Officer will be part of and work with the Agriculture and Food Research Unit’s Administration Officer (AO) team supporting programs and operations to ensure the smooth and effective running of the Research Unit (RU).

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of external and internal events in collaboration with Deputy Directors and relevant teams.
• Assist with logistics including venues, travel, communications, materials, and stakeholder engagement.
• Assist in greeting visitors and organising and coordinating events on site at Black Mountain.
• Under limited supervision, undertake a range of administrative tasks in accordance with established procedures.
• Apply discretion as required in selecting the most appropriate method and sequence of completing tasks.
• Recommend improvements to systems and procedures and implement any approved changes.
• Provide support to more senior staff, and provide precedent-based policy and procedure interpretation and advice.
• Maintain clear communication with clients regarding mutual expectations and monitor their satisfaction.
• May provide instruction to staff on administrative process and may be required to oversee activities of less experienced administrative staff including scheduling, monitoring and checking of work.
• May train other staff in the performance of routine activities.
• Communicate openly, effectively and respectfully with all staff, clients and suppliers in the interests of good business practice, collaboration and enhancement of CSIRO’s reputation.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed team to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO’s scientific objectives.
• Adhere to the spirit and practice of CSIRO’s Values, Code of Conduct, Health, Safety and Environment procedures and policy and diversity initiatives.
• Other duties as directed.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: On Site at Black Mountain, ACT

Salary: AU$76k - AU$96k per annum per annum plus 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite; Full-time                             

Reference: 103396

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential

1. Demonstrated experience in providing secretarial or administrative support to a line manager and/or team in a fast paced and complex environment.
2. Demonstrated ability to clearly convey information, ideas and establish effective interpersonal relationships with a wide variety of people.
3. Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise demands and escalate issues when required.
4. Ability to work with minimal direction, show initiative and adaptability and the ability to professionally handle sensitive and confidential information, using appropriate judgment and discretion.
5. Ability to quickly adapt to technological, structural and procedural changes and maintain professionalism and flexibility.
6. Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and accurate correspondence, reports, and administrative documentation, with accuracy and attention to detail.
7. Demonstrated experience supporting senior leaders, including management of complex calendars, briefings, travel, correspondence, and meeting logistics.
8. Ability to maintain confidentiality and stakeholder management skills, including liaising with senior and executive leaders as required.

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

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 Laura Mason at Careers.Online@csiro.au and let us know how we can support you.  

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 

To be eligible to apply for this position, you must be either an Australian Citizen, a New Zealand Citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. 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 

7 July 2026, 11:00pm AEDT