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.

The Opportunity

• Manage and lead the computing capability of a unique scientific facility
• Work with scientists and engineers from Australia, the UK and South Africa
• Join the SKA team and be part of one of the largest scientific endeavours in history 

The SKA Observatory (SKAO) is a next-generation global radio-astronomy facility that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. It is one observatory with two telescopes – SKA-Low in Western Australia and SKA-Mid in South Africa. Under the collaboration agreement with SKAO, CSIRO is offering an outstanding opportunity for an experienced computing & software leader to join the SKA-Low management team as a core member.

CSIRO and the SKAO are looking for an experienced leader to manage the SKA-Low Computing and Software group. This role will be responsible for the general IT needs of SKAO in Australia, as well as the operational support and local development of the computing and software aspects of the telescope. The appointee will work closely with their counterpart Heads of Computing and Software at the SKA Headquarters in the UK and at SKA-Mid in South Africa. This role provides an excellent opportunity for someone wanting to build a computing and software group from the ground up to support one of the world's premier science facilities.

Both CSIRO and SKAO value and respect difference and are committed to building an inclusive culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will do your best at work if you have a work / life balance. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so if this is important to you, please raise this during your interview, as we are open to discussing flexible working opportunities during the hiring process.

In this role you will:

• Work as one of the senior staff of the SKAO in Australia, as a core part of the SKA-Low Management Team.
• Work with CSIRO and SKAO to hire a diverse and talented team of staff to support the computing, software, network and data management needs of the SKAO in Australia.
• Provide the vision and leadership for a group of 30-40 staff who will be responsible for the computing needs of SKAO in Australia as well as the operational support and local development of the SKA-Low telescope, building an inclusive and high performing culture.
• Contribute as a major stakeholder in the development and definition of relevant features and objectives in the SKA’s Lean/Agile/Scaled Agile processes.  

Location:   Perth, Western Australia
Salary:       AU$141k - AU$157k pa (pro-rata for part-time) + up to 15.4% superannuation; negotiable to meet market rates for the successful candidate
Tenure:      Indefinite (full-time or part-time)
Reference: 80615

To be considered you will need:

• Qualified to degree level in a relevant subject or with equivalent level of experience and expertise.
•  A record of successful leadership and management of teams, promoting diversity and developing an inclusive, high-performing culture, including recruitment, capability development and performance management.
• Significant experience (>5 years) leading IT operational support teams with an excellent understanding of operational support best practice.
• Significant experience (>5 years) leading software and computing development teams with an excellent understanding of system architecture concepts and the relationship between architecture and system quality.
• An understanding of Lean/Agile/Scaled Agile and DevOps processes, including the importance of customer focus and the minimisation of waste in business processes.
• The ability to communicate effectively to a wide audience and a wide range of stakeholders, gathering and distilling information and tailoring it appropriately for the target audience.
• Experience and ability to reliably estimate and plan large IT developments with long (multi-year) time horizons.

To see all the requirements for success in this role, please view the Position Details

Eligibility

This position is open to all candidates.  Visa sponsorship will be provided if required.

The successful applicant will be required to obtain and provide a National Police Check or equivalent. Additional integrity checks may be required for specific roles which require security clearance for working with children, Australian Government cybersecurity requirements or other identified security roles.

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. 

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

About SKAO

SKAO is coordinating a global effort to deliver the largest science facility on the planet. The SKA Observatory will build next-generation radio telescopes that will help to answer key questions in astrophysics, drive technological innovation and support human capital development.

How to Apply

Please apply online and provide a CV and cover letter which includes both your motivations for applying and a statement (of no more than 2-3 pages) addressing each essential criterion as outlined in the Position Details.   Note that your covering letter and your statement addressing the criteria, should be within the one document.

Applications Close

Sunday 30 January, 2022 (11:00pm Australian Eastern Daylight-savings Time, AEDT)