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

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.

The Opportunity

• ​​​​​​Work with Australia's most exciting start-ups and SMEs
• Sink your teeth into a diverse role characterized by true innovation 
• Join CSIRO's SME Connect team and make a difference in Australia's SME and start-up sector

The background and the program

CSIRO’s SME Connect connects Australian small to medium sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs) with Australia's research sector, facilitating and enabling innovation-driven partnerships through funding, support and resources. The team run a number of programs including CSIRO Kick-Start, the RISE Accelerator and Innovate to Grow.

CSIRO Kick-Start is an initiative for innovative Australian SME and start-up sector, providing facilitated access to CSIRO’s research expertise and capabilities to help grow their business. Through Kick-Start, businesses are connected to CSIRO researchers, helped through the collaboration process and can access matched funding of up to $50K to complete a research and development (R&D) project with CSIRO researchers. 

The role
As the CSIRO Kick-Start Program Facilitator, your role will require an understanding of the Australian SME and start-up sector with experience at the interface between industry and the research sector.

You will assist in managing external Kick-Start leads, discuss potential projects with customers and researchers, review applications and manage after-project feedback.

The key aspect of the role will be working with start-ups and SMEs to help understand and articulate their research/development idea and connecting them up with researchers at CSIRO.

Other activities include building internal and external awareness for the program, integrating with the innovation ecosystem in your region and partaking in key program planning and strategy. 
You will operate with a high level of independence and network effectively with dynamic small Australian companies and across all CSIRO business units. The Program Facilitator will work closely with colleagues across all SME Connect programs and wider CSIRO offerings.

Your duties will include:

• Facilitating projects between SMEs and CSIRO researchers, including triaging leads, connecting capabilities, managing project commencements, applications, project check-ins and post-completion feedback.
• Developing relationships with industry groups, venture capital firms, accelerators, SMEs and CSIRO business units to build awareness of the program.
• Managing project set-ups and applications.
• Assisting with maintaining project databases and program tracking.
• Checking-in with on-going projects and gaining customer and researcher feedback.
• Working with CSIRO’s communications team on promotional materials such as case studies, website improvements and presentation materials.
• Leading and implementing program improvements through Monitoring and Evaluation where appropriate.
• Providing operational support in business development activities for other SME Connect programs.
• Supporting the development of a pipeline of opportunities, through promotion of SME Connect programs, active industry networking, and collaboration with research organisations.

Location: any Australian capital city, Sydney or Brisbane preferred

Salary: AU$105,806 to AU$114,500 pa + up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term until 30 June 2025

Reference: 95637

To be considered you will need:

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications, preferably in science/engineering, and/or business development experience in a research organisation, or equivalent skills, knowledge and experience.
• Strong business development acumen with ability to build networks across stakeholders.
• Experience and/or interest in industry sectors of national priority (Agrifood, Manufacturing, Health and Medtech, Energy, Mining and METS, and digital technologies).
• Independence and an ability to problem solve.
• High level of organisational and coordination skills, and ability to prioritise work activities to meet business expectations and deadlines. 
• High level written and oral communication skills with the ability to represent the team effectively internally and externally.

Desirable

• Experience in industry-led research and development projects, gained from working in a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) or working in businesses that have successfully engaged with PFROs. 
• Networks in the Australian start-up / innovation ecosystem 
• Knowledge and experience with business development processes including report preparation, due diligence, intellectual property and contract facilitation. 
   

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

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

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

11th February 2024, 11:00pm AEST/AEDT