Australian Public Service Commission | Infrastructure Platform Manager

Learn how a merit list or pool may be used Applicants suitable for the role but not offered the position for the current vacancy may be placed in a merit list or pool. If the applicant agrees, the results may be shared with other Australian Public Service (APS) agencies for filling similar roles. Applicants may be offered a future role, without the need to reapply. A merit list or pool may be used for up to 18 months.
This merit list or pool may be used to fill other vacancies anywhere in Australia.
Geoscience Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Cultures and to elders past and present.
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 culture Our strength lies in our people, including our diversity in backgrounds, skills and experiences, and the way we work together to respond to the emerging needs of our work. We value diversity in gender, backgrounds, culture, and experiences of our employees and are committed to providing an inclusive workplace culture that ensures everyone has equal opportunity to contribute, participate and progress. Applications from people who reflect this diversity are encouraged.
Our workplace is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and offers a variety of flexible working arrangements to enhance flexibility, including remote working arrangements.
What we can offer you When you work at Geoscience Australia you will have access to a range of benefits and the opportunity to experience a workplace culture that truly values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. To learn more about our competitive salary, free onsite parking, generous flexible working arrangements and the role you can play in growing our culture, click here.
Our team Digital Earth Australia is a program that creates free and open satellite data products for the benefit of Australia. It's our mission to embed satellite imagery and data into decisions that support a sustainable Australian environment, a resilient society and a strong economy.
The Digital Earth Australia team is fuelled by diversity and deep expertise. We are a team of Earth observation and data scientists, system engineers, developers, and geospatial analysts.
We share our work through open access code repositories and scientific journals and have a strong track record of well-cited publications in the Earth observation domain. We embrace a culture of exploration, of continual learning and development, and of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The Services and Support Section within DEA manages the ongoing operations and maintenance of all production products and services for the Branch. We are additionally accountable for the Data and Digital services and strategy of the Branch, in alignment with corporate ICT practices.
The key duties of the position include: Digital Earth Australia (DEA) leverages Earth observation data to provide critical insights for sustainable land and water management, agriculture, urban planning, and environmental monitoring. As our new Infrastructure Platforms Manager, you will provide strategic technical leadership and champion the continued development of modern platform engineering practices across our Section. The role provides strategic direction, guidance, and leadership to a small but specialized engineering team. You will lead and oversee the team to deliver high-quality solutions that meet business objectives and customer needs by architecting and maintaining cloud infrastructure that supports the large-scale storage, processing, and analysis of Earth observation data.
We are seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer with management skills to oversee and enhance the cloud infrastructure supporting DEA's Earth observation platforms and services. This role will work alongside technical SMEs to provide more people-focused leadership, collaborating and advocating both within and beyond the organisation. With a keen focus on resourcing effectively and nurturing the right skills and capabilities for current and future needs, you will drive continuous improvement while uplifting capabilities to adopt iterative ways of working that focus on delivering value.
In this role you will: Oversee the operational support of DEA's digital platforms, with a strong presence in Amazon Web Services (AWS). Provide strategic direction, guidance, and leadership to a multi-disciplinary engineering team. Architect and deploy cloud solutions for large-scale geospatial data storage and processing, ensuring infrastructure supports DEA's high performance and availability requirements. Develop and maintain data pipelines for ingesting, processing, and archiving large Earth observation datasets, including those from satellite sources such as Landsat and Sentinel. Implement best practices in security and compliance, ensuring that DEA's cloud infrastructure meets regulatory and operational standards for data protection and privacy. Monitor cloud resource usage, optimize configurations, and implement cost-saving strategies to maximize DEA's cloud budget without compromising performance. Work closely with data scientists, software engineers, and Earth observation experts to support DEA's data and analytics goals, providing infrastructure solutions that align with their technical needs. Consult with internal and external stakeholders to ensure positive customer-focused outcomes. Drive adoption of modern platform engineering practices, methodologies, and tools. Mentor team members, manage resources, and champion a positive, high-performance culture. Implement work plans for the work area including setting tasks and priorities, managing workflow and allocating resources. Contribute to the identification and implementation of systems improvement initiatives. Champion best practices and foster a culture of collaboration and excellence and ensure governance standards are maintained. To be successful in the role you will: Minimum of 5+ years in cloud engineering or infrastructure roles, with experience overseeing cloud environments at scale; strong understanding of Cloud computing concepts. Deep understanding of cloud platforms, especially AWS, with experience in designing and optimizing large-scale infrastructure for data-heavy applications. Experience providing technical leadership and managing staff. Understanding of Cyber Security best practices, in a Federal Government context. Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles, preferably within Terraform. Strong knowledge of containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and orchestration for scalable, distributed computing. Experience with Kubernetes and knowledge of Kubernetes cluster administration are highly desirable. Proficiency with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices. 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 percent 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.
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 Arek Drozda on 02 6249 9739 or email
To learn more about applying for roles within the Australian Public Services please review, 'Applying for an APS job: cracking the code'.
Eligibility Criteria 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 Human Resources on (02) 6249 9777 or email
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.
Getting to know Geoscience Australia Geoscience Australia is an Australian Government listed entity within the Industry, Innovation and Science portfolio. 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. We value diversity in gender, backgrounds, culture, and experiences of our employees and are committed to providing an inclusive workplace culture that ensures everyone has equal opportunity to contribute, participate and progress. Applications from people who reflect this diversity are encouraged. We are committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and offer a flexible and diverse workplace.
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