The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity is available for a Research Assistant / Research Officer to join the Infectious Disease Implementation Science team at Burnet!

In this role you will contribute to the delivery of high-quality, Aboriginal-led research within the Public Health Discipline at Burnet Institute. You will support the development, implementation, and dissemination of community-based research grounded in Aboriginal knowledges, methodologies, and priorities. You will also be part of a multidisciplinary team undertaking work where Aboriginal people are the primary participants or stakeholders or constitute a significant proportion of those the research team would engage with.

You will also:

• Contribute to the design and implementation of research projects with Aboriginal communities.
• Undertake data collection using qualitative and quantitative methods (interviews, yarns, yarning circles, focus groups, surveys).
• Support Burnet's internal Indigenisation process through project coordination, documentation and governance.
• Provide cultural guidance to ensure projects align with Aboriginal community values and priorities.
• Analyse research data using both western and Aboriginal methods.
• Prepare research findings in plain language reports, technical reports, peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
• Develop and maintain respectful relationships with Aboriginal communities, Elders and stakeholders.
• Participate in meetings, workshops and forums with researchers, institutions and community members.

This is a 2-year fixed term position. We are open to candidates seeking part-time and full-time option (0.6 -1.0 FTE). You will have flexible working hours. Further, if full-time, you will have the option of working from home for 2 days. Please refer to the position description here:

https://www.burnet.edu.au/Research Assistant / Research Officer_PD_August 2025

Let's talk about you

The following criteria are essential requirements:

• Bachelor Degree, Honours, or post-grad qualification or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Experience working with Aboriginal people in health service, community or research settings with strong community connections.
• Experience supporting community-based, action-based and/or co-designed research, with knowledge of ethical research with Aboriginal communities.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, collaboration and facilitation skills.
• Strong organisational and time management skills with ability to manage multiple tasks independently.
• Proficiency in Office 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel) and interest in learning research/design software (Stata, NVivo, Miro).

The following are desirable but not essential:

• Knowledge of Aboriginal research methodologies, ways of Knowing, Being and Doing, and SEWB concepts.
• Experience working with key populations including people who use drugs, people who have been incarcerated, and/or people with viral hepatitis.
• Experience working with key populations including people who use drugs, people who have been incarcerated, people with viral hepatitis and / or understanding of public health principles and frameworks.
• Knowledge of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and their role in delivering culturally appropriate health care.

The Burnet experience?

We want you to have a successful and meaningful career at Burnet and are committed to providing a supportive workplace environment for all our people. You will be part of a collaborative culture where progressive leadership, innovation, respect, and excellence are valued. Join a team of talented individuals who are passionate about what they do - achieving a more equitable world through better health.

We offer:

• A monthly accrued day off for full-time staff
• 14 weeks paid parental leave - no qualifying period
• Additional long service leave - 17.3 weeks (minimum is 8.67) at 10 years of service
• Study leave
• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous salary packaging
• Opportunities for career and professional development

Who are we?

Burnet Institute is a leading Australian, unaligned, not-for-profit, organisation passionate about social justice, equality and evidence-based research.

Burnet Institute brings together a highly diverse skill base, with more than 400 staff and students working across cutting-edge research and projects to address some of the most relevant global health issues. Institute-wide interdisciplinary health programs Disease Elimination, Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness, and Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health are at the heart of our daily decision making. Harnessing our international and local field presence, our laboratories, and our mixed development and research cultures drives a greater focus on the most relevant health issues and achieves a greater impact as a result.

Whilst our headquarters is in Melbourne, Australia, we also have offices in Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, and are actively involved in research and public health programs throughout Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. Burnet is the only unaligned organisation in Australia that has dual accreditation with both the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Bring your whole self to work

At Burnet, we foster a diverse and inclusive culture. We want our people to feel like they belong and are free to be themselves at work. We have an active Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Council that works to promote and improve gender equity, diversity and inclusion across the Institute, by developing and implementing strategies informed by both national and international best practice and staff input. Burnet holds an Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award from Science in Gender Equity (SAGE). If you have a reasonable adjustment, support, or access requirement at any stage of the recruitment process, we encourage you to let us know by emailing [email protected].

Sounds great! How do I apply?

Apply below and attach the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Applications close at 11:59pm AEST on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.

As part of our commitment to gender equity, we have included a question in the application process on gender. This will allow us to monitor and report on gender in relation to our recruitment process.

Burnet is a child safe organisation. The successful applicant will be required to apply for a National Police Check and/or Working with Children. Current Australian working rights are required for all applicants.