Project Manager - Freshwater Science

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

• Apply your science communication and project management expertise
• Act as a knowledge broker across science, policy, and stakeholder networks
• Exciting opportunity to lead national-scale environmental projects!

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

Join CSIRO’s Integrated Freshwater Landscapes Team, part of the Managing Water Ecosystems Research Group, in a pivotal role supporting two high-impact initiatives – the newly proposed National Ramsar Hub and the Flow-MER reporting project. These projects sit within CSIRO’s Water Security Program, which delivers innovative science to support climate adaptation, environmental water management, and biodiversity protection across the Murray-Darling Basin.

As the Project Manager, you will act as a science communications leader and knowledge broker, and you will coordinate across CSIRO, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), and jurisdictional partners to deliver strategic work packages focused on Ramsar wetlands and environmental water outcomes. You will oversee the integration of project phases, facilitate stakeholder collaboration, translate complex scientific findings into accessible insights, and ensure alignment with national priorities. In the Flow-MER project, you’ll lead the production of high-quality, visually engaging reports that translate complex scientific evaluations into accessible insights for diverse audiences.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to CSIRO’s mission in Future Water, Biodiversity, and Climate Monitoring – making a real impact in Australia’s most iconic freshwater landscapes. If you have a background in natural sciences, experience in science communication, and a real passion for connecting science with policy and practice, we would love to hear from you! 

Your high-level duties will include:

• Providing high level project management, including planning, monitoring, and reporting and engaging with stakeholders across all levels, including senior leadership.
• Managing large multi-stakeholder programs and communicating across wide programs.
• Applying specialist expertise to solve complex problems within a discipline or across a diverse range of projects.
• Being responsible for activities such as developing and delivering novel technologies, developing and implementing project plans, analysing, validating and reporting results within the constraints of various project plans.
• Independently managing complex workflows/timelines to meet deadlines.
• Leading or coordinating CSIRO’s contribution to collaborative projects involving other organisations.
• Ensuring that client or end-user needs are met, and typically having a lead role in the effective transfer of new technology to industry/community.
• Being accountable for the quality of the results delivered, the alignment of the project activities with the business, research and/or technology directions.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Negotiable – Any CSIRO Site with Environment RU presence would be considered (Darwin NT; Brisbane QLD; Canberra ACT; Adelaide SA; Perth WA; Hobart TAS; Aspendale VIC)

Salary: AU$131K – AU$153K per annum (pro-rata for part-time) plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified Term of 18 months; Part-time 0.6 FTE

Reference: 100498

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Minimum qualification of a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as ecological sciences or science communication.
• Significant demonstrated experience in high level communication of ecological knowledge.
• Proven experience in managing complex, multi-million-dollar environmental science programs and projects.
• Demonstrated excellence in knowledge brokering and translating complex scientific research into accessible, impactful communication products for diverse audiences.
• Exceptional oral and written communication, interpersonal, negotiation and representational skills, including experience working across diverse teams and large organisations.
• Expertise in project and program reporting, milestone tracking, and delivering high-quality outputs aligned with branding and accessibility standards.
• Demonstrated ability to build & maintain strong professional and collaborative working relationships across a wide range of disciplines at all levels of the organisation and externally, as well as ability to proactively seek and influence multiple key stakeholders, within a complex and ambiguous environment, to achieve successful outcomes.

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 the Talent Acquisition Partner via email (see details in the Position Description) and let us know how we can support you. 

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must be either an:

• Australian or New Zealand Citizen;
• Australian Permanent Resident; or
• Australian Temporary Resident, currently residing in Australia, with an existing valid visa and unrestricted work rights for the full duration of the term and no requirement for visa sponsorship.

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

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.

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 provide a CV and a detailed cover letter, responding to each of the selection criteria in detail, that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please attach your selection criteria responses to your cover letter as one document.

Applications close

20 July 2025, 11:00pm AEST