Senior Research Officer

Guiding the future of NSW education

Position details

• Clerk Grade 9/10

• Full-time, 3-month contract (possibility of conversion to ongoing)
• Close to Wynyard station & hybrid work arrangements available

About us

At the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), we're dedicated to carrying out meaningful work that drives improvements and elevates student achievement across NSW, now and into the future.

We accomplish this by supporting all school sectors with high-quality syllabuses, assessment (including managing the HSC and NAPLAN), teaching standards (e.g., accrediting teachers) and school environments (including setting and monitoring school standards).

NESA is a unique organisation in NSW (of around 740FTE staff) with significant state-wide impact, visit our website to learn more about the important work we do.

About the role

NESA's Assessment Services directorate involves setting and maintaining standards for student assessment, including moderating school-based assessments to ensure consistency and fairness across different schools. Their key functions include moderation of School Assessments, developing formal assessment programs and ensuring comparability and consistency.

The Senior Research Officer proposes, creates and advises on, research datasets requested internally by NESA and by external parties. The role provides advice and guidance to NESA and its committees on assessment data held by the organisation, including what is not held, what limitations exist for research and what legal issues may exist concerning the supply of data. Documenting data-related processes is also a requirement.

On a day-to-day basis you will be responsible for:

• Providing and/or overseeing technical advice, information and support to NESA officers and its committees on complex and diverse issues in data and research with NESA data.
• Writing programs in R or Python to perform Extraction, Transformation and Loading (ETL) with NESA's data assets to curate research datasets.
• Working on multiple and complex data requests within tight time frames.

To be successful, you will need:

• High level experience in quality assurance.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven experience reviewing and evaluating data systems.
• Working with children check clearance for paid employment (prior to commencement, not required at the application stage).
• Completed (or currently completing a) postgraduate or honours-level undergraduate degree in data science, quantitative social science or other related field in which data is of central importance.
• Experience with the scripting languages of R or Python. Sound knowledge of SQL.
• Excellent formal written and verbal communication skills.

We invite you to download the role description for additional information in the position.

Note:

A current NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance for paid employment is required before commencing in this role. It is not required at the application stage. The cost of the WWCC clearance is the responsibility of the successful applicant.

At NESA you'll benefit from:

• An organisation where your contribution has a big impact
• An enviable CBD location (all modes of transport nearby, and excellent coffee and eateries) with refurbished offices.
• Flexible working arrangements and generous leave entitlements
• Access to discounted health and fitness memberships via Fitness Passport, an employee assistance program and annual flu vaccinations
• Salary packaging options
• Working in a purpose driven and ethical organisation with committed colleagues

Ready to join us?

Select "Apply" and attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages). Also address the 2 targeted questions below in your online application (maximum of 500 words per response):

Targeted Question 1: Describe a significant accomplishment where you successfully delivered a complex and sensitive research dataset or report output to tight deadlines. What were the key challenges associated with its scale, complexity, timeframe and/or sensitivity? How did you address those challenges?

Targeted Question 2: Summarise in 3-5 points, what are the current and emerging educational research trends/issues that may be relevant to this role? What professional or other experience has been central to your development of this understanding?

Advice on applying for NSW Public Sector roles

If you need reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process and workplace, please reach out to  

Close date: Sunday 5th October 2025 at 11.59pm AEST

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to receiving your application.

Important information

We particularly welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability, people of all ages, genders, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans and refugees.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. For ongoing roles, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. Australian Temporary Residents may be considered for a fixed term contract for the length of their visa, depending on the requirements of the hiring area and the position.

A Talent Pool (valid for 18 months) may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles.