Live, Work & Thrive in the Tropics – Simulator Controller Wanted!

Location: Cairns, Far North Queensland

Work for: TAFE Queensland – Great Barrier Reef International Marine College

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

About TAFE Queensland

TAFE Queensland is proud to be the largest and most experienced Vocational Education and Training provider in the State. For more than 140 years, TAFE Queensland has delivered practical and industry-relevant training to provide students with the skills and experience they need to build lifelong careers. We have recently been named State Winner of the 2023 Large Training Provider of the Year at the prestigious Queensland Training Awards and the Australian Training Awards. Our training is delivered to students and apprentices on-site, online, in the workplace, or on-campus to give people the skills they need to enrich their communities, support their industries, and strengthen their local economies.

By working at TAFE Queensland, you can be a part of a highly experienced workforce closely connected with their industries and dedicated to delivering best practices and innovative training.

In TAFE Queensland, North region, we have a strong focus on workplace culture and we value employee collaboration, strong leadership and high performing teams. We believe that every employee has a role to play in “making great happen” through the embodiment of the following core values and behaviours in all that we do:

• Safety First
• Focusing on our customer
• Taking responsibility
• Showing initiative
• Working together

Looking for a sea change, or a change from the sea?

Here’s your chance to combine a meaningful, future-focused career with the lifestyle most people only dream of. TAFE Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef International Marine College (GBRIMC) is seeking a motivated and technically skilled Simulator Controller to join our expert maritime training team in Cairns — the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Whether you’re already in the Maritime sector ashore or transitioning from a current seagoing role, this is a rare opportunity to anchor your career in a supportive, family-friendly environment while still staying connected to advanced Maritime operations.

Ideally, you are a technically competent Mariner with an understanding of Maritime concepts such as surface navigation, the operation of bridge equipment, common shipboard processes and the Collision Regulations alongside technical concepts such as basic computer networking, operating and troubleshooting Windows-based computers and interpreting technical instructions. Most importantly, you are someone who can find joy in the learning outcomes of others and are someone who can focus their efforts on creating a realistic digital learning environment for others to succeed within.

Why You'll Love This Role:

• Operate World-Class Equipment: Work with a modern Kongsberg Maritime AS simulation suite comprising of a Full Mission Bridge, a Tug-optimised Bridge and part-task Desktop Bridges, while contributing directly to the quality service delivery of international-standard maritime training.
• Expansion and Improvement: With an upcoming major expansion to The College’s simulation facility, there is a unique opportunity to participate and meaningfully contribute to the commissioning of new simulation equipment and the creation of working procedures for the suite.
• Lifestyle-First Career: Ditch the long journeys at sea, commuting and high-pressure cities. In Cairns, you're just minutes from home, the beach, the rainforest — and world-class diving.
• Ideal for Families: Excellent schools, outdoor adventures, family-friendly community, and the kind of work-life balance that allows you be home for dinner every night.
• Work with Purpose: Help shape the next generation of seafarers while enjoying job stability and professional respect in Queensland’s largest public training provider.
• Tropical Living: Warm winters, laid-back living, affordable housing, and access to some of the most beautiful natural environments in the world.
• Generous Benefits:
• 5 weeks annual leave
• Access to paid professional development
• Salary packaging options
• Supportive and inclusive team culture
• Secure, permanent government employment

How you will be assessed

The ideal applicant will be someone who has the following key capabilities:

1. Works both autonomously and collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary, project driven team.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of maritime principles and electronic navigation.
3. Commits to achieving quality outcomes, keeps up to date with emerging technologies and implements relevant applications in appropriate settings, with the ability to network in appropriate forums.
4. High level written and verbal communication skills and ability to liaise, consult and negotiate with a broad range of internal and external clients, with the added ability to relate technical issues.
5. Displays flexibility and responsiveness and has the initiative, attitude and ability to thrive within a dynamic, challenging and changing environment.
6. Demonstrated high level ICT problem-solving skills.

Highly Desirable Requirements

• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or equivalent.
• Possession of maritime qualifications, preferably Deck or Watch keeping.
• Evidence of experience and/ or training in a simulator or virtual environment.

How to apply

If you’re interested in this role, click the ‘Apply’ button to submit your application via the TAFE Queensland Recruitment Portal. When submitting your application, please ensure you provide the following:

• A detailed resume;
• A cover letter that outlines your known skills, abilities, knowledge and experience in response to the “How you will be assessed” criteria above (maximum of 2 pages in total); and
• The contact details for two referees (one of whom is your current supervisor)

Closing date: 28 August 2025

Job Reference Number: TQ2025-729

For further information, please contact:

Mick McDonald - Simulator Operations Controller

[email protected]