Engagement Officer

• Full time
• Fixed Term  - 3 years
• Bundoora Campus
• Salary range $88,485 - $95,469 plus 17% superannuation

About the position

The position of Engagement officer will contribute to education and outreach programs within the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF) and ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S). 

The mission of LISAF is to use and translate innovative research to maintain and increase food production and quality in a sustainable manner.  LISAF encompasses a “paddock to gut” program across five Domain areas of 1. Farming Systems – Soils and Agronomy, 2. Protected Cropping – Medicinal Agriculture & Horticulture, 3. Fit for Purpose Seeds, 4. Food and Nutrition, and 5. Food Business, Food Security and Technology.  The appointee will also be a member of P4S that sits within Domains 2 & 3 and is a national program involving 5 Australian Universities (University of Adelaide, Flinders University, University of Western Australia, La Trobe University, University of Melbourne) and more than 35 partners across the world including academic institutions, Space agencies and enablers, closed environment agriculture companies, education providers, and government and technology partners. P4S aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to address grand challenges in sustainability for Space and on Earth.

The Engagement officer will co-design and run education activities and public events within Victoria to communicate research programs and inspire students to engage with multidisciplinary STEM approaches to solve real-world challenges in agriculture/ food/ nutrition.  

Occasional travel to regional locations to present is a requirement of this role.

They will work with the Director of LISAF and Domain leads to develop effective education and community engagement activities to promote LISAF and to support the “paddock to gut” vision of the Institute. In the P4S role, the appointee will be one of 4 engagement officers (VIC, SA, WA) and work with the P4S education manager and partner organisations. The P4S ‘People’ program has the ambitious education and outreach agenda to train >400 researchers and higher degree research students; outreach to 200,000 primary/secondary students and the public across Australia; and research and leadership training for P4S researchers to develop job-ready entrepreneurship skills for Space and Earth industries. 

Skills and Experience

To be considered for this position, you will have

• Completion of a teaching qualification or relevant teaching experience.
• Demonstrated experience communicating curriculum-aligned science, technology, engineering or maths related topics and evidence of presentation skills (in-person/digital) in education settings.
• Demonstrated capacity to organise and manage events for broad public audiences, including STEM outreach. 
• Demonstrated ability to use a range of media (i.e. social media, publications, video/radio, podcasts, explainers, illustrations) to communicate clearly to a broad range of audiences, including students, teachers, public and industry.
• High level proficiency in time and workload management, with demonstrated ability to prioritise effectively, manage competing demands, meet deadlines and achieve results.

Please refer to the Position Description for other duties, skills and experience required for this position.

Welcome to Bundoora campus – Please click on the video link below: 

https://f.io/KDo0ceng

Benefits:

• 17% employer contributed superannuation
• On site child care facilities
• Flexible work arrangements
• Discounts for staff and their family members to study a range of La Trobe courses

How to apply

Closing date:  By 11:55pm, Thursday 11th April 2024

Position Enquiries: Kim Johnson, Associate Professor Animal Plant and Soil Sciences,

via email [email protected]       

Recruitment Enquiries:  Lisa White, Talent Acquisition Consultant,

via email [email protected]

 Position Description below:

 PD - Engagement Officer.pdf

Only candidates with Full Working Rights in Australia may apply for this position.

Please submit an online application ONLY and include the following documents:

• Cover letter;
• An up to date resume
• A separate document addressing each bullet point under the Essential Criteria ‘Skills and knowledge required for the position’, which is located in the position description.

Please scroll down to apply.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants
We welcome and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

La Trobe University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. We take an intersectional approach by actively supporting and encouraging people of all backgrounds and abilities to submit an application and aim to ensure that the recruitment and employee experience is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Flexibility in interview format will be offered to shortlisted candidates.

All La Trobe University employees are bound by the Working with Children Act 2005.  If you are successful, you will be required to hold a valid Victorian Employee Working with Children Check prior to commencement.