Software Engineer

Geoscience Australia values the lands, water and sky as we work to deepen a shared understanding of Country and Earth. We respect First Nations peoples and their enduring connection, contribution and obligations to Country. Reflecting on our shared history, we are committed to listen and learn.

About us

Geoscience Australia is Australia's pre-eminent public sector geoscience organisation. We are the nation's trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia. We apply science and technology to describe and understand the Earth for the benefit of Australia. We apply our diverse professional expertise, our deep and trusted knowledge, our national-scale Earth observation infrastructure and our strong partnerships, to the opportunities and challenges that face our nation.

Our team

The Customer Digital Services team, better known as the Flying Hellfish sits at the forefront of digital innovation at Geoscience Australia, delivering cutting-edge, cloud-first web applications and advanced 3D visualisation capabilities that support critical national capabilities.

We design, build, and operate a diverse portfolio of digital products end-to-end, including mission critical platforms such as Earthquakes@GA and Digital Earth Australia Hotspots, as well as rich, interactive visual experiences that enable users to explore complex geospatial and subsurface data in the Geoscience Australia Portal. Our services are relied upon by government, industry, and the broader community.

Our team doesn’t just deliver applications; we help shape the future of engineering within the agency. We lead the evolution of DevOps practices, driving automation, scalability, and security across the entire application lifecycle. Working in a highly collaborative, product focused environment, we bring together modern technologies, cloud platforms, and best practice engineering to deliver resilient, high-impact digital services.

The role

The Software Engineering role contributes to the design, development and implementation of robust, efficient and scalable digital platforms used by Australian Government and industry partners. The role supports the delivery of secure and high‑performing systems by applying established software engineering practices and working within agreed architectural, security and technical standards. The position works collaboratively with team members and stakeholders to ensure solutions meet organisational requirements and user needs.

What you will do

In this role you will:

• Design, develop and maintain modern, secure web applications with a strong focus on interactive 3D visualisation and spatial data, using contemporary front-end frameworks (Angular) and 3D technologies (ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, WebGL, Three.js or similar), supported by backend services (Node.js, Java, Python).
• Lead the technical design and integrate high-performance 3D visualisation capabilities within the Geoscience Australia Portal, supporting the rendering and interaction of large scale subsurface geospatial datasets through optimised pipelines, efficient data handling, and intuitive web based user experience.
• Provide technical leadership for solution architecture, including front end design for rich visualisation experiences, and contribute to cloud based delivery through Amazon Web Services (AWS), with a willingness to build capability in this area. Ensure solutions are scalable, high performing, and aligned with modern DevOps practices.
• Contribute to the delivery of new and enhanced digital products, working collaboratively with scientists, engineers and stakeholders to translate complex data into meaningful visual insights through intuitive and engaging user experiences.

To be successful in the role you will:

Possess strong problem-solving and analytical skills, applying innovative and creative approaches to address complex visualisation and data challenges, and translating large or complex datasets into clear, accessible, and meaningful outputs.

Demonstrate a strong focus on quality, usability, and performance, ensuring solutions are robust, scalable, and user-centred, while effectively communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to build shared understanding and strong working relationships.

Required skills, knowledge, experience and/or qualifications

To be successful in this role (essential), you will have demonstrated ability to:

• Develop modern web-based 3D visualisation solutions, ideally using technologies such as ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, WebGL, Three.js, Cesium, Deck.gl or similar frameworks, within an enterprise or large-scale environment.
• Deliver high-quality front-end engineering outcomes, particularly using Angular or similar modern frameworks, with a focus on building high-performance, interactive and maintainable user interfaces.
• Work collaboratively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including developers, scientists and business stakeholders, to understand requirements, communicate effectively and contribute to shared delivery outcomes.

As well as (desirable) ideally have:

• Apply a strong understanding of dynamic, data-driven 3D visualisation, including the use of real-time colour ramps, filters and styling techniques, with the ability to work confidently with complex 3D subsurface data.
• Familiarity with industry-standard geospatial and geoscience data formats, including GOCAD TSurf (mesh), SGrid/Voxet (volumetric data), and GOCAD Well (borehole) formats, as well as point cloud technologies such as Potree.
• Experience designing and implementing support for custom data formats where required.
• Understanding of techniques for managing large-scale datasets, including out-of-core rendering and level-of-detail (LOD) optimisation approaches.

Are you unsure about applying?

Did you know that a Hewlett Packard internal report found that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60 per cent of the job requirements? Women and other people from diverse backgrounds tend to only apply when they check every box. If you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on what we are looking for, please still apply or get in touch with the contact officer to learn more about the role.

Salary

We encourage candidates with the right technical skills to apply, even if their salary expectations fall outside the typical bracket. The delegate is open to considering expertise and experience for salary negotiations with the successful applicant.

To Apply

Please visit the careers page of our website to submit your application via our e-Recruit system. Your application should include:

• Your resume (no more than 3 pages)
• A brief statement (no more than 700 words) outlining your transferable skills, experience and capabilities related to the role and the value you would bring to Geoscience Australia.
• If you have any questions regarding the role, please contact Bill Farmakis on (02) 6249 9363 or email [email protected].

Use of AI in Recruitment

Geoscience Australia may use Microsoft Copilot to support limited administrative and preparatory aspects of the recruitment process. Artificial Intelligence is not used to assess or select candidates, and all decisions are human-led and based on merit.

Candidates must ensure their application reflects their own skills, experience and capabilities. Any use of AI must be responsible, transparent where required, and must not misrepresent their suitability for the role.

Candidates will be asked to disclose their use of AI when submitting an application and may also be asked to do so at various stages throughout the recruitment process.

Applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Principles for candidate use of AI in recruitment, as well as the Principles for agency use of AI in recruitment which outline expectations for the responsible, ethical and transparent use of AI when applying for APS roles.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this position you must meet the below eligibility criteria.

• To learn more about applying for roles within the Australian Public Services please review, ‘Applying for an APS job: cracking the code’.
• Be an Australian Citizen at the closing date of application.
• The successful applicant must be able to obtain, hold and maintain a security clearance of an appropriate level relevant to this role.
• Commencement of employment is subject to the successful applicant undergoing and satisfying pre- employment screening, which includes a police history check.

Recruitability

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the position. For more information please visit the Australian Public Service Commission website.

Hearing or speech impaired applicants are invited to use the National Relay Service by contacting 133 677, and requesting to be connected with our Recruitment team on 02 6249 9777 in order to obtain selection documentation.

Technical Assistance

If you require technical assistance, call our Recruitment team on (02) 6249 9777 or email [email protected].

A merit list/pool may be created from this process. If you are successful for the merit pool, your details may be shared with other Australian Public Service agencies unless you choose not to have your details disclosed.