Animal Welfare 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

• Bring your passion for animal welfare and care within a research environment to support improvements in animal facilities
• Support the development, design, implementation and refinement of research across animal care settings
• Work within a supportive, rewarding, and collaborative team environment

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 

CSIRO is Australia’s National Science Agency and one of the world’s largest and most successful research and development (R&D) organisations. We have improved the lives of many around the world through our R&D, including WiFi, the Hendra Virus Vaccine, Aerogard and the Total Wellbeing Diet. With over 50 locations across Australia and internationally, CSIRO solves the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia in a global context. 

The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), formerly the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), our national biocontainment research facility, is a vital part of Australia’s biosecurity infrastructure. Our team works closely with researchers and animal and human health agencies to protect Australia’s multi-billion-dollar livestock and aquaculture industries and the general public from emerging infectious disease threats. We seek to appoint an experienced animal welfare officer responsible for the provision of dedicated support and monitoring of the well-being, care and use of animals at ACDP to promote delivery of compliant and best practice animal welfare outcomes.

You will work within the Animal Welfare Team as part of the ACDP Operations Group to provide animal welfare support and promote best practice and high-quality outcomes associated with scientific activities across a range of species, housed in highly unique animal care settings.  You will support the facility’s compliance with relevant animal welfare legislation and pursuit of continuous improvement principles to drive best practice animal welfare outcomes. In close networking with the Animal Ethics Committee and enterprise Animal Ethics teams, as the Animal Welfare officer, you will provide leadership in maintaining high standards of animal welfare across ACDP and contribute directly to the implementation and management of site-based animal welfare compliance frameworks.

The appointee must be able to meet ACDP microbiological security and security assessment requirements as detailed in the position description.

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Provide advice and support in the development, design and implementation of research projects to ensure alignment with the Code, Victorian legislation, CSIRO and ACDP animal welfare policies, and Animal Ethics Committee project-specific requirements.
• Promote best practice in the care and use of animals in research and provide animal welfare guidance on experimental proposals and animal care.
• Contribute to the identification and resolution of animal welfare issues, including the collaborative resolution of issues to drive continuous improvement practices.
• Contribute to the review of research applications, policies, procedures, reports and technical documents to align with relevant animal welfare legislation, CSIRO and ACDP policies.
• Coordinate and conduct regular compliance monitoring, including internal audits and support of external audits.
• Promote the implementation of the 3Rs to drive continuous welfare improvements and support robust and ethical scientific outcomes.
• Build and develop strong, positive relationships with stakeholders, including ACDP staff, enterprise CSIRO animal ethics teams and the Animal Ethics Committee.

Role particulars

Location:  Geelong, Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), VIC

Salary: AU$114K – AU$123K per annum (pro-rata for part-time) plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite/Full-time 

Reference: 100313

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential

• Relevant tertiary qualifications, such as a veterinary or biological sciences degree, or substantial relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated experience working within a scientific, academic, or research environment.
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of contemporary animal welfare, including the 3Rs principles, state and national requirements.
• Proven ability to effectively interpret and develop policies, procedures and guidelines to provide advice and support on animal welfare issues.
• Demonstrated ability to professionally handle sensitive and confidential information and use appropriate judgment and discretion.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment, collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders, and establish effective interpersonal relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to apply critical thinking to resolve novel challenges and manage conflicting priorities. 

Desirable

• A veterinary degree registrable with the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria and/or post-graduate qualifications in animal welfare or behaviour, laboratory animal medicine or avian medicine
• Clinical experience working with aquatics, laboratory animal species, livestock, poultry or wildlife is highly regarded.
• Experience in the delivery of projects and project management.
• Demonstrated experience working with Animal Ethics Committees and/or experience implementing and managing compliance frameworks.

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 Talent Partner and let us know how we can support you.

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 that 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 

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents only. Appointment to this role is subject to the 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 demonstrates your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.  

Applications close 

10 July 2025, 11:00 pm AEST

We strongly encourage you to apply early, as we will review applications as they come in. CSIRO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date if necessary.