Oceanography Lab Research Assistant

**Job no**: 529689
**Work type**: Full Time
**Location**: Sydney, NSW
**Categories**: Research Administration support
- **One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities**
- **Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion**
- **Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best**

**At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.**

**THIS ROLE IS LOCATED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.**

The Research Assistant is responsible for providing proactive, practical, and efficient administrative and technical support to the Coastal and Regional Oceanography Laboratory at UNSW, Sydney. The Coastal and Regional Oceanography group is a dynamic team of researchers, including academics, postdoctorals, technical staff, and PhD students conducting research focussed on the dynamics of the East Australian Current System and the continental shelf circulation along the coast of SE Australia. The team are based in the School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences with close collaborations with the School of Maths and Statistics.

The role of the Research Assistant is to support a variety of projects, including 1) the operational maintenance of moored and vessel-based instrumentation for the Integrated Marine Observing System (NSW-IMOS) and 2) various research projects requiring the ongoing collection and processing of oceanographic data in NSW coastal waters. Work will be focussed on small boats along the coast of NSW including Yamba, Coffs Harbour to Sydney and Narooma. In addition, the work will include shore-based testing, packing and shipping of instruments, updating inventory databases, processing of the oceanographic data collected as well as back processing of historical data.

**About the role**
- **Level 4 - $78k - $82k - plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading**
- **Fixed Term - 2.5 years**
- **Full-time (35 hours per week)**

The role reports jointly to Zac Anderson and Dr. Véronique Lago, supporting Prof. Moninya Roughan, Oceanography Lab Group Leader and has no direct reports.

**Specific responsibilities for this role include**:

- Assist in the ongoing operation of the NSW-IMOS oceanography program including participation in field activities (both IMOS and other).
- Setup, testing, and download of data from oceanographic instruments (including ADCPs, thermistors, CTDs, acoustic releases, GPS units, Moana TDs etc.).
- Travel safely to and from mooring deployment locations; loading and unloading of gear from vehicles.
- Assist in the deployment and recovery of oceanographic instruments at sea, including coastal moorings and CTDs from small boats under the supervision of senior staff
- Assist with sensor installations on Fishing vessels and liaise with fishing sector stake holders.
- Perform routine cleaning and maintenance, following established procedures and guidance from senior staff on more complex fault resolution (e.g. fault-finding, replacing batteries and O-rings etc) and testing of all instrumentation types.
- Maintaining up-to-date calibration and servicing registries.
- Cleaning and maintenance of mooring lines and floats (e.g. replacing shackles, splicing new sections of line).
- Preparing and shipping instruments for calibration or for deployment on fishing vessels.
- Keeping an up-to-date inventory of instruments.
- Liaise with manufacturers and suppliers regarding purchasing, maintenance, and calibration of instrumentation.
- Contribute to technical reports, presentations, research proposals and research publications where required.
- Align with and actively demonstrate the Code of Conduct and Values - Cooperate with all health and safety policy and procedures of the University and take all reasonable care to ensure your actions or omissions do not impact on the health and safety of yourself and others.

**About the successful applicant**:
**(Selection Criteria)**
- A university degree in Oceanography or related discipline (including environmental science, coastal or ocean engineering, fisheries science), or an equivalent level of knowledge gained through a combination of education, training or experience.
- Physically fit with the ability to undertake manual handling of heavy equipment.
- Ability to work at sea under a wide range of conditions, including manual handling of equipment on board vessel at sea, safety under standard operation procedures
- Willingness to travel occasionally and work flexible hours needed to support operational requirements.
- Demonstrated offshore experience in assisting with the deployment of oceanographic instrumentation or similar boat-based field work.
- Confident using a range of basic workshop tools for servicing and maintaining oceanographic gear.
- Sound organisational skills including ability to prioritise tasks and duties under established priorities
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to provide effective service and support to l