Geoscience Australia values the lands, water and sky as we work to deepen a shared understanding of Country and Earth. We respect First Nations peoples and their enduring connection, contribution and obligations to Country. Reflecting on our shared history, we are committed to listen and learn.

About us

Geoscience Australia is Australia's pre-eminent public sector geoscience organisation. We are the nation's trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia. We apply science and technology to describe and understand the Earth for the benefit of Australia. We apply our diverse professional expertise, our deep and trusted knowledge, our national-scale Earth observation infrastructure and our strong partnerships, to the opportunities and challenges that face our nation.

Our team

The Customer Digital Services team, better known as the Flying Hellfish sits at the forefront of digital innovation at Geoscience Australia, delivering cutting-edge, cloud-first web applications and advanced 3D visualisation capabilities that support critical national capabilities.

We design, build, and operate a diverse portfolio of digital products end-to-end, including mission critical platforms such as Earthquakes@GA and Digital Earth Australia Hotspots, as well as rich, interactive visual experiences that enable users to explore complex geospatial and subsurface data in the Geoscience Australia Portal. Our services are relied upon by government, industry, and the broader community.

Our team doesn’t just deliver applications; we help shape the future of engineering within the agency. We lead the evolution of DevOps practices, driving automation, scalability, and security across the entire application lifecycle. Working in a highly collaborative, product focused environment, we bring together modern technologies, cloud platforms, and best practice engineering to deliver resilient, high-impact digital services.

Our culture

Our strength lies in our people, including our diversity in backgrounds, skills and experiences, and the way we work together to respond to the emerging needs of our work. We value diversity in gender, backgrounds, culture, and experiences of our employees and are committed to providing an inclusive workplace culture that ensures everyone has equal opportunity to contribute, participate and progress. Applications from people who reflect this diversity are encouraged.

Our workplace is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and offers a variety of flexible working arrangements to enhance flexibility, including remote working arrangements.

What we can offer you

When you work at Geoscience Australia you will have access to a range of benefits and the opportunity to experience a workplace culture that truly values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. To learn more about our competitive salary, free onsite parking, generous flexible working arrangements and the role you can play in growing our culture click here.

The role

The Software Engineering role contributes to the design, development and implementation of robust, efficient and scalable digital platforms used by Australian Government and industry partners. The role supports the delivery of secure and high‑performing systems by applying established software engineering practices and working within agreed architectural, security and technical standards. The position works collaboratively with team members and stakeholders to ensure solutions meet organisational requirements and user needs.

What you will do

In this role you will:

• Contribute to the design, development and maintenance of modern, secure web and spatial applications using Angular and backend technologies such as Node.js, Java and Python, including participation in unit testing and code quality activities.
• Assist with solution design and implementation tasks for Angular applications and AWS‑based cloud solutions, working under guidance from senior technical staff and established architectural standards.
• Apply established software engineering practices including CI/CD pipelines, version control, refactoring, testing and automation, and participate in peer code reviews as part of a collaborative development team.
• Support the delivery of new services and systems by working closely with team members and stakeholders, contributing to problem resolution and the achievement of agreed outcomes.

To be successful in the role you will:

• Identify and analyse technical issues of moderate complexity, contributing to practical solutions and applying sound judgement to support effective outcomes, while responding positively to changing priorities.
• Demonstrate attention to quality, usability, and performance by following established standards and best practices, managing allocated tasks effectively, and delivering work to agreed timeframes.
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, work collaboratively within a team environment, and build productive working relationships to support shared delivery outcomes.

Required skills, knowledge, experience and/or qualifications

To be successful in this role (essential), you will have demonstrated ability to:

• Demonstrated experience applying modern software engineering and DevOps practices in an enterprise environment, supported by a degree in Software Engineering (or a related field) or equivalent industry experience, including exposure to Agile delivery and CI/CD pipelines.
• Hands-on development experience in one or more of the following technologies: Angular, Java, Python, or Linux scripting, with familiarity with modern engineering practices such as Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery.
• Well‑developed communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with a range of technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

As well as (desirable) ideally have:

• Experience designing and implementing cloud and infrastructure solutions, including AWS.

Are you unsure about applying?

Did you know that a Hewlett Packard internal report found that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60 per cent of the job requirements? Women and other people from diverse backgrounds tend to only apply when they check every box. If you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on what we are looking for, please still apply or get in touch with the contact officer to learn more about the role.

Please visit the careers page of our website to submit your application via our e-Recruit system. Your application should include:

• Your resume (no more than 3 pages)
• A brief statement (no more than 700 words) outlining your transferable skills, experience and capabilities related to the role and the value you would bring to Geoscience Australia.

If you have any questions regarding the role, please contact Bill Farmakis on (02) 6249 9*** or email *************@ga.gov.au.

To learn more about applying for roles within the Australian Public Services please review, ‘Applying for an APS job: cracking the code’.

To be eligible to apply for this position you must meet the below eligibility criteria.

• Be an Australian Citizen at the closing date of application.
• The successful applicant must be able to obtain, hold and maintain a security clearance of an appropriate level relevant to this role.
• Commencement of employment is subject to the successful applicant undergoing and satisfying pre- employment screening, which includes a police history check.

Recruitability

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the position. For more information please visit the Australian Public Service Commission website.

Hearing or speech impaired applicants are invited to use the National Relay Service by contacting 133 677, and requesting to be connected with our Recruitment team on 02 6249 9*** in order to obtain selection documentation.

Technical Assistance

If you require technical assistance, call our Recruitment team on (02) 6249 9*** or email ***********@ga.gov.au.

A merit list/pool may be created from this process. If you are successful for the merit pool, your details may be shared with other Australian Public Service agencies unless you choose not to have your details disclosed.