Edna Data Specialist (Hobart)

**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**

- **Transform eDNA into powerful biodiversity insights**
- **Build the data highways connecting Australia’s marine life to the world**
- **Team up with innovators driving the future of FAIR and open ocean science**

**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**

** Your high-level duties will include**:

- Transform eDNA derived data (e.g., sequence read counts, taxonomic assignments) into Darwin Core-compliant datasets.
- Implement and maintain data publication pipelines for eDNA-derived biodiversity data.
- Develop and optimise ETL (extract-transform-load) workflows to ensure data quality, version control, and reproducibility.
- Contribute to the development of software tools or scripts (Python, R, or similar) to automate data validation, transformation, and publication.
- Implement emerging standards and tools for eDNA data integration with the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).
- Collaborate with research teams to interpret eDNA results and define metadata, ensuring alignment with FAIR data principles.
- Coordinate with biodiversity informatics platforms (e.g., GBIF IPT, OBIS) for dataset registration, publishing, and updates.
- Provide guidance and training to team members and stakeholders on best practices in eDNA data standards and publication workflows.
- Communicate openly, effectively, and respectfully with all staff, clients, and suppliers in the interests of valuable business practice, collaboration, and enhancement of CSIRO’s reputation.
- Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed research team, and business unit to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO scientific objectives.
- Adhere to the spirit and practice of CSIRO’s Code of Conduct, Health, Safety and Environment procedures and policy, Diversity initiatives and Making Safety Personal goals.

**Role particulars**

**Location**:Hobart, TAS (other locations may be considered)

**Salary**: AU$118,102k
- AU$127,807 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) + 15.4% superannuation

**Tenure & work schedule**:Specified term of 1 year, Full-time

** Reference**:101625

** Essential criteria**

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in bioinformatics, marine ecology, data engineering or a related field.
- Familiarity with eDNA research workflows, from sample collection through to data publishing (e.g. bioinformatic pipelines including DADA2, QIIME2).
- Some experience building or maintaining data pipelines (e.g., using Python, R, or workflow managers like Snakemake, Dagster, Airflow, Prefect).
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
- Excellent communication skills, particularly in explaining technical concepts to non‑technical collaborators. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and harmoniously with team and project members to achieve joint goals.

**Desirable criteria**

- Practical experience with Darwin Core terms, data schemas, and publishing tools (e.g., GBIF IPT).
- Familiarity with software development practices (e.g., version control with Git, testing, documentation, docker containerisation).
- Experience with relational databases and data validation.
- Experience with biodiversity data networks (GBIF, OBIS, Atlas of Living Australia, etc.).
- Prior work on open‑source biodiversity informatics tools.
- Understanding of taxonomic data management and biodiversity metadata standards (EML, Audubon Core, etc.).

For full details about this role, and other criteria, please review the Position Description.

** Not sure if you meet all the criteria?**

**Setting you up for success**

** 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 team Apply on Kit Job: kitjobau.com/job/3pu0il