Indigenous Education Engagement Officer (Identified Role - Indigenous)

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

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.

The opportunity

• Embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Science and Knowledges into the classroom
• Support local schools to implement student-centric projects that encourage STEM inquiry
• Join CSIRO – Australia’s leading scientific research organisation

The CSIRO Education and Outreach team aims to inspire the pursuit of STEM education among students and the community to develop the best STEM talent for Australia. As part of this work, the team is delivering a STEM engagement program focused on teacher engagement in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The program is designed to show teachers and students how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples created, developed, and used high-level science inquiry skills for over 65,000 years.

As the Indigenous Education Engagement Officer, you will work with teachers to implement student-centred inquiry-based STEM projects in schools that nurture student’s interest in STEM. You will facilitate the delivery of workshops focused on local traditional knowledges and practices and deliver face-to-face and online training including modelling the delivery of inquiry units in the classroom. The workshops will require building relationships and working closely with existing and new stakeholders (Traditional knowledge holders) in our cluster locations.

Your role will also involve answering teacher questions, facilitating the sourcing of materials, and supporting teachers to feel confident to deliver an inquiry-based learning approach and embed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Knowledges.

Your duties will include:

• Understanding how to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges into the classroom and transferring this understanding to teachers. 
• Establishing, maintaining, and fostering ongoing and culturally respectful relationships with diverse cohorts of students, schools, teachers, families, and the local community to support the engagement, uptake and delivery of the program.
• Communicating and building relationships with schools in the Pilbara region of WA. 
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with sponsors and other key stakeholders. 
• Contributing to the development of teacher professional development resources on student-centred, inquiry-based STEM projects in an Indigenous context in schools.
• Delivering the program face-to-face to teachers in schools and supporting implementation of the program.
• Managing and promoting participant enrolment in the digital learning experience, while providing support to facilitate the program’s implementation in schools.
• Managing workload and competing priorities to ensure program outputs are delivered on time. 
• Assisting with the monitoring and evaluation activities for the programs and preparing timely written reports for program partners.  
• Generating improved solutions in work situations, trying creative ways to deal with problems and opportunities.
• Other duties as directed. 

Location: Perth or Pilbara regions, WA

Salary: AU$96k – AU$109k per annum plus 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified Term until 30 Jan 2026, Full-time

Reference: 97285

To be considered you will need:

• An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline such as STEM Education or STEM Communication, and/or extensive relevant professional experience with a focus on Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander people, knowledges and perspectives.
• A strong demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies, cultures, and the issues affecting these cultures in Australian society and a demonstrated ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Experience working with or developing education programs or resources in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context, preferably utilising inquiry based learning methodology, including experience delivering teacher professional learning face-to-face. 
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and proven ability to establish and maintain strong and productive working relationships and networks with teachers, stakeholders, and other external and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated project coordination skills and experience in managing multiple priorities with competing deadlines, as well as the ability to demonstrate initiative, self-motivation, and flexibility. 
• Demonstrated ability to deal with ambiguity, successfully adapting to changing circumstances as well as the ability and willingness to find workable solutions to complex problems and resolve complaints using creativity, reasoning, past experience and sound judgement. 
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to the Perth and Pilbara region and travel interstate occasionally.
• Ability to obtain and provide evidence of having been granted a valid paid/employee (not volunteer) Working with Children/ Vulnerable People Check. 
   

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

CSIRO considers the filling of this position is intended to constitute a special/equal opportunity/affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). 

The position is therefore only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with Australian Citizenship. The successful applicant will be required to provide evidence to confirm that they are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. 

Applicants will be required to provide contact details of at least one Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Referee to confirm their ability to work and communication respectfully with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

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

This role has child safety obligations. Accordingly, the successful candidate will be required to obtain and provide evidence that they hold a valid paid/employee (not volunteer) Working with Children/ Vulnerable People Check prior to confirmation of appointment.

Flexible working arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications close

29th January 2025, 11:00pm AEDT

Shortlisting and interviews for this role may take place as applications are received prior to the closing date. Please consider applying as soon as possible.