Lipids Analysis Technician

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

• Great opportunity to work at the forefront of marine biochemical research
• An exciting, ongoing role applying lipid analysis to real-world environmental challenges
• Join our dynamic team at CSIRO driving scientific innovation & creating real impact!

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

Are you looking to dive into cutting-edge marine science? The CSIRO Bioanalytical Facility in Hobart is a national leader in delivering high-quality biogeochemical data to government, industry, and scientific institutions. Our specialised laboratories span a wide range of capabilities – from stable isotopes and genomics to marine lipids and bio-optics – powering research that informs sustainable development and innovation in marine ecosystems.

In this exciting role as a Lipids Analysis Technician, you’ll play a key part in supporting and leading projects focused on lipid and fatty acid profiling of marine microalgae, microbes, and other marine organisms. Your work will directly support the development of marine resources and the growth of Australia’s blue economy. You’ll be hands-on in the lab, delivering advanced biochemical analyses and also contributing your skills across a broad range of environmental and ecological applications. With the opportunity to work on strategic projects and engage with internal and external collaborators, this is a role where your technical expertise will truly make an impact.

If you’re someone with a keen eye for detail, a passion for laboratory science, and a desire to contribute to innovative marine research projects, we’d love to hear from you. This could be the perfect next step in your scientific career!

Applications would be assessed across two capability levels, and the successful candidate will be considered/appointed at the level commensurate with their skills and experience, as assessed by the Selection Panel. More details around the differences between the two levels are outlined in the Position Description.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Performing lipid and fatty acid extractions from diverse biological and environmental samples.
• Supporting method development and process improvements, and independently designing and conducting experiments with minimal supervision.
• Conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis of fatty acids, sterols, hydrocarbons, and other lipid classes and secondary metabolites.
• Operating and maintaining analytical instruments, including GC, GC-MS, TLC-FID, and spectrophotometers.
• Preparing samples using techniques such as freeze-drying and homogenisation.
• Using analytical and statistical software for data analysis.
• Contributing to multiple parallel projects and supporting internal and collaborative research requiring lipid analysis.
• If appointed at the higher CSOF4 classification level, additional duties would also include: supervising & training other staff in technical skills as required, showing initiative to seek new approaches to meet experimental needs, liaising with clients, and may at times lead projects.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Hobart, TAS

Salary: AU$73K – AU$109K per annum (pro-rata for part-time) plus up to 15.4% superannuation (across two capability levels)

Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite; Full-time (preferred) – flexible work arrangements may be considered, if required, based on needs of the role and individual circumstances.

Reference: 100102

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Relevant trade certificate/diploma/bachelor’s degree, and/or equivalent relevant work experience, in a related field such as Biological Science, Environmental Science, or Chemistry.
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently design and conduct routine and complex laboratory experiments, support method development, and contribute to innovative research through creative problem-solving.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to represent the research team to diverse audiences, communicate clearly with team members and clients, and professionally monitor and respond to client needs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with laboratory analyses in lipids, fatty acids and other components.
• Knowledge of analytical and statistical software for data analysis, including biological and ecological data types.
• Familiarity with concepts of lipids and fatty acids and their application.
• In addition to the above criteria, to be considered at the higher CSOF4 classification, you will also bring:
  • Demonstrated experience and ability to independently design and conduct laboratory experiments, and efficiently liaise with a range of stakeholders.
  • Higher level of familiarity with concepts of lipids and fatty acids, and experience in their application in research projects.
  • Ability to contribute to research outcomes resulting in acknowledgment or authorship of presentations or publications.

For full details about this role and desirable criteria, 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

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens, New Zealand Citizens, and Australian Permanent Residents.

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 that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role (responding to each of the selection criteria in detail, if possible). Please attach your selection criteria responses to your cover letter as one document.

Should you have any questions regarding this requirement, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition Partner (see details in Position Description).  

Applications close

22 June 2025, 11:00pm AEST

We encourage early applications as we will be reviewing applications as they come through. CSIRO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date, if required.