Agricultural Research Technician

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

• Support end-to-end cotton trials, including planting, maintenance, sampling and harvest across multiple sites.


• Process cotton samples, including ginning, fibre testing and preparing seed for future plantings.


• Assist broader breeding operations by operating machinery and supporting activities like crossing and tissue sampling within a team.

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 

The Cotton Breeding Group develops new cotton varieties for the Australian cotton industry. In this hands-on role, you will support field and greenhouse operations, trial maintenance, sample processing, and the sowing and harvest of cotton experiments at Myall Vale and other regional sites across NSW and QLD.

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Assist with planting, weeding and maintenance of field experiments. Please note this position requires willingness and ability to travel to these sites at short notice during cotton planting and harvest.


• Assist with hand and machine harvest of experiments at the Australian Cotton Research Institute and other district sites.


• Gin and process machine and hand harvested cotton samples, undertake cotton fibre quality testing.


• Prepare seed for planting, including delinting, packaging and arranging according to plans.


• Assist with other operations within the CSIRO cotton breeding program, such as crossing, leaf tissue sampling.


• Be an active member of a large team, contributing to an extensive cotton breeding program aimed at developing improved cultivars.


• Operate machinery such as tractors to assist with trial planting and harvesting.

Role particulars

Location: Myall Vale, Narrabri, NSW

Salary: AU$61k - AU$73k per annum (pro-rata for part-time) + 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Indefinite, Full-time 

Reference: 103054

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential

• The desire and enthusiasm to work in agricultural research that helps maintain the vibrant Australian cotton industry 


• The ability and willingness to work in harsh and adverse conditions whilst maintaining health and safety requirements.


• Capable of working effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed research team, and carry out tasks under the direction of Scientific Researchers.


• Competence in computer operation and an understanding of data collection.


• A current driver’s licence


• The ability to lift, bend, walk and undertake repetitive motions and the ability to undertake manual handling and operate equipment safely in accordance with Health and Safety Procedures.


• The ability to encourage safe work practices within a team environment.

Desirable

• Experience operating a tractor and other relevant agricultural machinery, particularly within the cotton industry.


• A current forklift licence.


• Current chemical application accreditation.

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

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

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. Please contact Laura Mason via [email protected] and let us know how we can support you.

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

CSIRO 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 teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Eligibility 

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, and Australian Permanent Residents. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Child safety 

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy. 

How to apply 

Please apply online and submit a CV and cover letter (maximum 2 pages) that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the selection criteria of this role.

Applications close 

9 June 2026, 11:00pm AEDT