Herbarium Identifications and Living Collections

APS 6 - $88,408 - $100,378 per annum plus superannuation
- Parks Australia Division
- Canberra, ACT
- Undertake identification of plant specimens, provide curatorial expertise and liaise with stakeholders, including supporting the Australian National Botanic Gardens in maintaining authoritative vouchering of their living collections._

**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, 60 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.

Australia’s National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is the nation’s largest living collection of Australian native plants. It’s a tranquil setting for walking and spending time with family and friends, and a living classroom for visitors of all ages. The Gardens play a significant role in the conservation and propagation of rare and threatened plants. Our biodiversity science programs-the Australian Biological Resources Study, the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, the National Seed Bank - and Biodiversity Informatics-are partnerships for research, for management of physical and digital biological collections, and for management of fundamental national biodiversity data and information and are accessed nationally and internationally.

The Biodiversity Conservation and Knowledge section is responsible for the Biodiversity Informatics program, providing botanical information through integrated databases, as well as the Australian Biological Resources Study and the Bush Blitz species discovery program. The section also co-manages the botanical collections and associated data of the Australian National Herbarium (ANH), as part of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), in partnership with CSIRO.

**The Job**
- Undertake identification of plant specimens submitted to the Australian National Herbarium (ANH) and manage associated specimen workflow.
- Liaise with stakeholders who require identification services and associated information.
- Undertake curation of herbarium specimens and ancillary material within the ANH.
- Enter and edit data in specimen databases relating to herbarium collections and living plants.
- Work with staff at the Australian National Botanic Gardens to ensure a high curatorial standard is maintained, by collecting, identifying, and updating living collections specimens lodged as vouchers in the ANH.
- Provide logístical and botanical support to the ANH Volunteer Botanical Training Program. Participate in collections-related fieldwork as required.

**What we are looking for**

**Knowledge and experience**
- Knowledge of and experience in vascular plant identification, botanical specimen management, documentation and the curation of herbarium and ancillary collections.
- Understanding of systematics, taxonomy, nomenclature, and the principles of biological classification.
- Competence with biological databases and the entry, storage, retrieval and management of diverse biological information.
- Familiarity with and understanding of the relationships between living plant collections, preferably in botanic gardens, and associated herbarium vouchers.

**Skills and capabilities**
- Skills and experience in vascular plant identification, and familiarity with available resources and techniques for plant identification, including on-line and printed works.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a small team and to establish collaborative work arrangements with colleagues and other teams.
- Ability to use initiative and work under limited supervision and ability to adopt flexible working arrangements and to plan and implement changes to work procedures.

**Mandatory Qualifications**
Current Australian drivers' licence.

**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.

**Security Clearance** - This position does not require a security clearance.

**For additional information, please read the Job Description below.