National Border Surveillance (Nbs) - Regional Coordinator

Description:

Who we are
The Biosecurity Plant and Science Services Division (BPSSD) safeguards Australia's plant health status to achieve, maintain and expand overseas markets, while protecting the economy and environment. The division includes four branches, which together focus on providing scientific analysis and technical advice, facilitating the safe importation of plants and plant products, improving systems, market access, capacity building and stakeholder engagement. The division provides diagnostics, with advice on biosecurity risk and measures, and biosecurity training. The division conducts surveillance and response at first points of entry and approved arrangements sites nationally, and delivers plant, animal and aquatic health surveillance in northern Australia. The division works closely with communities and Indigenous rangers and regulates biosecurity risk in the Torres Strait.
Science and Surveillance Group (SSG) is comprised of scientists, operations and support staff responsible for regulatory advice and training, technical input to biosecurity policy, regulation activity in the Torres Strait and diverse surveillance and diagnostic services around Australia, including animal and plant health surveillance measures under the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy.
The Surveillance Section is one of the four national Sections delivering diagnostic or surveillance activities within the Operational Science & Surveillance (OSS) component of the Science & Surveillance Group (SSG). The Section is comprised of the National Border Surveillance (NBS), Vector and Hitchhiker surveillance teams, and is led by a management team consisting of a Director, Assistant Directors and APS 6 Senior Surveillance Officers.
The key duties of the position include
The Job
This position will undertake and support surveillance activity, with key duties including but not limited to:

• Working as part of the national NBS team to ensure effective, consistent, accurate and timely implementation of surveillance methods and recording and reporting of NBS activities.
• Coordinating and participating in biosecurity surveillance activities, noting that this will involve - working outside, conducting field surveillance and monitoring activities throughout the year.
• Procurement, maintenance and management of surveillance devices and consumables.
• Ensuring effective scheduling and planning surveillance in line with the department's annual surveillance priorities and during pest response situations.
• Client and stakeholder public relations and feedback or reporting.
• Assessing high priority plant pest targets in your area and their associated risk pathways.
• Prioritising on ground surveillance based on resources and risk analysis.
• Ensuring accurate collection and reporting of data in line with the surveillance outcome.
• Undertaking targeted priority pest surveillance research or trials.
• Operate as part of the national NBS team, to ensure diagnostic tasks are performed in a timely and accurate manner including triage of specimens in the field or laboratory.
• Preparation of surveillance specimens for laboratory diagnosis and their long-term preservation for storage in the department's reference collections.
• Sourcing appropriate literature and diagnostic tools.
• Liaising with diagnosticians for more complex identification purposes.
• Ensuring accurate, consistent and timely (up to date) data entry and reporting.
• Liaising with clients, stakeholders and government agencies to manage surveillance operations and mitigation of biosecurity risk, as necessary.
• Promoting and ensuring compliance with departmental WH&S policies and guidelines and being alert for and reporting risks regarding WH&S issues.