Biocontainment Support Officer

APS 4 - $69,905 - $76,103 per annum plus superannuation
- Biosecurity Plant and Science Services Division
- Mickleham, VIC
- _Work in state-of-the-art facilities used to manage biosecurity risks._
- _Important role that ensures the facilities, particularly the avian facilities, remain secure in containing potential diseases._****:

- _If you are technically minded with good computer skills this may be the job for you._

**Who we are**
The Post-Entry Quarantine Group (PEQ) is responsible for the post arrival quarantine of plants and animals at the Mickleham Post-entry Quarantine Facility located on the outskirts of Melbourne. The Mickleham PEQ Facility is purpose built for accommodating high risk plants, horses, cats, dogs, ruminants, birds and bees while undergoing post-entry quarantine. Working in partnership with plant scientists and veterinarians, we ensure that all plants and animals passing through the facility meet all necessary requirements to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory requirements for their safe import and that the health and welfare of the plants and animals is maintained throughout the period of their stay in PEQ.

The Biocontainment Team are responsible for ensuring the biocontainment requirements of the Avian Unit at PEQ are met. The Avian Unit facilitates the import of high-risk fertile poultry eggs and live pigeons for industry and other stakeholders. These are held in a Biosecurity Containment 3 (BC3) environment with five units in total. This is a seven day a week, 24 hours a day operation.

**The Job**
This position within the Biocontainment Team ensures suitable management of the avian facility to meet its biosecurity requirements. As a Biocontainment Support Officer, you will support the Biocontainment Manager and Biocontainment Officers to ensure effective management, monitoring and reporting of the avian and other high containment units. Although this role will be primarily office-based, it does entail working in an environment which uses intensive agricultural poultry techniques.

The key duties of the role include, but are not limited to:

- supporting the biocontainment team through the provision of administrative support services
- supporting maintenance of containment components by assisting in ensuring all records are received and works are completed as expected and meet regulatory requirements
- assisting with regular autoclave validations
- supporting building maintenance requirements lodged via the departmental property management portal and following up as required
- supporting ongoing audit preparations and assisting in responding to audit outcomes
- data and records management including ensuring records are correct, accurate and filed appropriately
- assisting with the supply and organisation of containment equipment
- support the extraction, validation, evaluation and manipulation of building operation data from the Building Management System (BMS)
- assisting, and gaining knowledge of, other areas of PEQ (where required) including but not limited to other units in the section responsible for plants, cats, dogs and horses
- ensuring compliance with, and adherence to, departmental WHS policies and guidelines as well as the APS Values and Code of Conduct.

**What we are looking for**

**Knowledge and experience**
- Previous experience in a quarantine or biocontainment facility will be highly regarded.
- Experience in facility management and/or maintenance.
- An understanding of the _Biosecurity Act 2015_ and other relevant legislative and policy frameworks.
- Laboratory compliance experience.
- Database/records management experience will be highly regarded.

**Eligibility and other requirements**
The successful applicant must:

- note that a requirement of this position is that you do not own or live with any birds, including poultry, in order to minimise the risk of the transmission of disease
- adhere to stand down requirements for avian consignments which requires the prevention of all contact with birds before and after contact with quarantined consignments
- note the requirement to perform work duties in a BC3 environment under challenging conditions at times, including undertaking personal decontamination measures which includes showering in and out and the removal of jewellery and piercings
- note that the physical requirements of the role(s) involve a combination of outdoor and office-based work
- wear an official uniform supplied by the department, including during field operations (as applicable), in accordance with the department’s uniform policy
- meet physical fitness minimum standards to undertake work within the role
- hold and maintain a valid Australian motor vehicle drivers licence
- note that you may be required to perform occasional out-of-hours and weekend work
- note that the position may require them to participate in an on-call roster (for which an appropriate restriction allowance will be paid) and be available to perform duty outsi