Senior Advisor, Indigenous Research Governance in Darwin

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.

Role highlights:

• Help shape respectful, ethical and culturally informed Indigenous research across CSIRO.
• Provide specialist advice and build capability in Indigenous research governance, methodologies, data and ICIP.

The opportunity:

CSIRO’s Indigenous Research Governance team is seeking a Senior Advisor – Indigenous Research Governance to help strengthen the organisation’s capability to conduct Indigenous science respectfully, ethically and with integrity. In this role, you will provide specialist advice and practical support to Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers. You will contribute to culturally appropriate policies, processes and practices; support research ethics and governance; build capability through internal forums, guidance and initiatives; and help monitor emerging developments in Indigenous science, research, data governance, data sovereignty and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Provide research methodological knowledge, Indigenous knowledge, expertise and perspective to support research that respects Indigenous rights, sovereignty and self-determination.
• Lead and maintain forums, tools and initiatives that strengthen respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations.
• Support the Indigenous Research Governance team with the Indigenous determination mechanism for Indigenous science projects across Research Units.
• Provide culturally appropriate guidance and research advice to CSIRO research ethics committees and Research Units.
• Develop and implement culturally appropriate strategies and mechanisms that build the capability of non-Indigenous researchers and Indigenous early career researchers.
• Contribute specialist advice to the development, review and implementation of policies, procedures and systems supporting Indigenous science.
• Monitor emerging trends and developments in Indigenous science and research and contribute to appropriate organisational responses.
• Develop and implement a monitoring and reporting framework for the performance of Indigenous science at CSIRO.
• Represent CSIRO on relevant internal and external committees and forums.

Role particulars:

• Location: Open to all Australian capital cities. Other locations may be considered.
• Salary: AU$118,102 – AU$127,808 per annum (pro rata for part-time), plus 15.4% superannuation.
• Tenure: Indefinite; Full-time. Part-time, job-share and flexible work arrangements may be considered based on the needs of the role and individual circumstances.

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• A high level of cultural capability grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, developed through lived experience as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
• Strong Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community connection and credibility along with demonstrated cultural authority appropriate to the communities, contexts and responsibilities relevant to the role.
• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or Higher Degree by Research, or equivalent relevant work experience in a STEM related field with experience and understanding of Indigenous Science from research or Industry background.
• Demonstrated experience in and understanding of research with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and Indigenous research methodologies.
• Experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from remote, regional and urban communities to deliver outcomes defined by community.
• Experience in, or knowledge of, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, Governance of Indigenous Data Governance, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty, with the ability to apply these principles in research or organisational contexts.
• Demonstrated experience representing an organisation respectfully in Indigenous-led forums and using sound judgement, initiative and influence to engage internal and external audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to provide specialist advice and contribute to the development, implementation and review of policy and strategy.
• Strong relationship-building, collaboration, written communication, presentation, negotiation, judgement and problem-solving capabilities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Applications close 15 November 2026, 11:00pm AEDT.