Who we are

Australia's natural and cultural heritage is unique. Our land and seascapes are distinctive, home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, and to some of the oldest living cultures on earth. These environments and cultures are an essential part of our national identity, and visitors travel from across the country and the world to experience them. The Director of National Parks (the Director) is responsible for six national parks, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, 58 Australian Marine Parks and the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Parks Australia is the federal park agency that supports the Director, and they are a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department). We work to showcase these natural and cultural wonders to the world, demonstrating to all why these places are so special, and inspiring communities to become more invested in their care and future.

The Science and Australian National Botanic Gardens Branch leads science and conservation planning and policy for Parks Australia, and conducts research in conservation and biodiversity management through a range of programs. We engage in and coordinate diverse research partnerships and ensure First Nations knowledge and innovative solutions are core to our work, enabling us to enhance engagement and embed science into decision-making at all levels.

Our work includes:

• Strategic science planning and prioritisation and shaping research partnerships for Parks Australia.
• Leading cross-cutting research to support Parks Australia - in areas such as climate change adaptation, nature positive and knowledge weaving.
• Providing scientific support for Protected Areas policy and Park Management Plans.
• Managing the Australian National Botanic Gardens, home to our Branch and the nation's largest living collection of native plants.
• Innovation in the cross-cutting application of new technologies and data analytics to meet science and application outcomes.
• Facilitating research and science capacity building and education.
• Curating national collections of biological data and conserving and protecting plants through systematics research, seed banking and ex situ conservation.
• Regulatory compliance, operational frameworks and capability support for the use of drones across the Department.

The image collections at the Australian National Botanic Gardens site and the available role are managed within the Biodiversity Informatics team, forming one part of the Biodiversity Science and Knowledge section. The BSK section provides botanical information through integrated databases, as well as the Australian Biological Resources Study and the Bush Blitz species discovery program. The section also manages the collections and associated data of the Australian National Herbarium (ANH) in partnership with CSIRO.

The Job:

• Contribute to strategic planning for the management of physical and digital image assets held within the Biodiversity Science and Knowledge (BSK) Section and through partnerships in other areas, specifically images relating to biological collection items and to related activities and projects.
• Participate in the scoping, implementation, and ongoing management of a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system for the storage, editing and presentation of images and associated metadata for a range of users.
• Curate the botanical image collections housed at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG), including the acquisition and addition of images from a range of sources (both physical and digital). Record metadata and licensing information relating to these images and maintain quality control and taxonomic currency.
• Manage the scientific and commercial use of images from across multiple collections in response to requests from users and ensure compliance with copyright and intellectual property requirements.

What we are looking for

Knowledge and experience:

• Demonstrated ability to manage and curate an image collection to a high standard, including skills in data-entry, and the use of digitisation equipment and image manipulation software.
• Experience in working with metadata management within a Digital Asset Management system to perform back-of-house curation (e.g. bulk changes, embedded image metadata, file system support etc.).
• Understanding of the linkages between scientific collections, particularly in botanic gardens and herbaria, and their role as authoritative information resources.

Skills and capabilities:

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to liaise effectively with colleagues and clients in both the government and non-government sectors, supervise support staff and volunteers, and work individually or as part of a team.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage a workplan to achieve quality outcomes using initiative and independent judgement.
• Ability to implement technological and structural change in the workplace and to design and manage projects to completion.

Desirable qualifications

Experience with management of biological data and images and an interest in the Australian flora would be an advantage.

Eligibility and other requirements

Citizenship - To be eligible for employment with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water you must be an Australian citizen.

Pre-employment Check - Your suitability for employment will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This process includes a requirement to undergo and satisfy a National Police Check, referee checks, character clearance and where required a pre-employment medical assessment, specified mandatory qualification(s) validation and a probation period of 6 months.