Journals Acquisitions Specialist

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 grow a high-impact scholarly publishing portfolio
• Apply your STM publishing and business development expertise
• Join our team driving strategic growth and impact in science communication

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 Publishing is an editorially independent science and technology publisher, operating as a commercial business unit within CSIRO. With a strong emphasis on digital publishing, we produce journals, books, and news content that support the communication of scientific research and innovation.

As the Journals Acquisitions Specialist, you will play a key role in expanding our journals portfolio by identifying, evaluating, and acquiring high-quality scholarly titles. You will be the first point of contact for prospective publishing partners, representing CSIRO Publishing with professionalism and enthusiasm, and ensuring a seamless onboarding experience for new titles.

In this role, you will develop and implement an acquisitions strategy aligned with our broader publishing objectives. You will lead contract negotiations, prepare detailed proposals, and collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to integrate new journals into our suite. You will also work closely with data analysts to identify growth opportunities and support the launch of new open access journals.

To contribute effectively to this role, you will bring your experience in STM publishing (beyond authorship), strong business development skills, and your ability to build trusted relationships. Your proactive approach, strategic mindset, and attention to detail will be key to driving portfolio growth and enhancing our reputation in the scholarly publishing landscape.

If you are passionate about advancing scholarly publishing and keen to contribute to the growth of a highly regarded science publisher, this is a great opportunity to apply your expertise and make a lasting impact – so, we would love to hear from you!

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Collaborating with internal teams to identify priority fields for acquisitions or new launches based on existing business strengths and product clusters, as well as emerging areas for science.
• Working with the Head of Journals Publishing to develop a journals acquisitions strategy.
• Developing a target list of journals and proactively engaging journal owners.
• Responding courteously to ad hoc online requests for publishing partnerships.
• Researching potential new open access journals, presenting proposals for approval, and, if approved, leading their launch.
• Preparing detailed proposals, including cost and pricing models, and leading contract negotiations with journal owners, fostering confidence in CSIRO Publishing as a prospective publishing partner.
• Developing a standardised onboarding and launch process for new journals consistent with best practices, and working with internal teams and stakeholders to tailor the process to journal-specific needs.
• Maintaining a project pipeline to initiate, track, and manage acquisitions projects, ensuring key milestones are met on schedule.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Clayton, VIC (preferred); Other CSIRO sites around Australia and remote work arrangements may be considered

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

Tenure & work schedule: Specified Term of 2 years; Full-time (preferred) – part-time (min. 0.8 FTE) and flexible work arrangements may be considered based on needs of the role and individual circumstances.

Reference: 101172

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• A tertiary degree in a STM field and/or significant demonstrated work experience in STM journals publishing.
• Deep understanding of open access, including business models, sales models, policy initiatives, and the opportunities, sensitivities, and challenges of open access models.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with demonstrated ability to make data-driven decisions, prioritise tasks, and deliver outcomes with attention to detail.
• Exceptional interpersonal, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to influence, persuade, and negotiate both internal and external parties including editorial contacts, society contacts, and colleagues throughout all journals departments.
• Demonstrated business development capabilities, commercial acumen, initiative and flexibility.

For full details about this role and selection 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 or New Zealand Citizens;
• Australian Permanent Residents; or
• Australian Temporary Residents, currently residing in Australia, with an existing valid visa and unrestricted work rights for the full duration of the term (at least until Nov/Dec 2027) 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 

12 October 2025, 11:00pm AEDT