Biosecurity Officer

As a Biosecurity Officer you will support the Victorian community with preparing for and managing the impacts of biosecurity threats. You will be energetic, thoughtful and have enthusiasm for working within a diverse regional team to deliver high quality services to the Victorian community. 
Biosecurity Officers support community and industry with invasive plant and animal management, plant biosecurity, pest and disease surveillance to enable market access, monitoring of chemical use in the agriculture sector, and preparing for and responding to biosecurity and agricultural relief emergencies. 
In addition, the Biosecurity Officer has a key role in working with local and regional community groups to provide technical advice in the development of invasive pest management projects, and attending community meetings, field days and workshops. 
The position will have key responsibilities under State legislation relating to biosecurity practice and agricultural chemical use in Victoria to support priority operational delivery. As this is a regulatory position, you will be provided with training to obtain a Certificate IV in Government Investigations and will be required to conduct investigations and may be requested to appear in court. 
You will work effectively as a member of a team, enjoy flexible working arrangements and establishing strong working relationships with internal staff and external stakeholders including private landowners, community and industry groups and local government agencies.

Specialist/Technical Expertise/Qualifications

1. Technical knowledge of the Victorian horticultural industries, issues affecting these industries, production, management practices and pests and disease that may threaten or impact these industries.
2. Self-Management: experience in planning and prioritising work to ensure outcomes are achieved; resists the temptation to react immediately without taking time to think things through; uses strengths to contribute constructively and consciously manages the impact of own weaknesses.
3. Stakeholder management: is able to keep interested parties informed about, and engaged with, a particular endeavour, while managing their expectations about outcomes.
4. Written and verbal communication: Ability to prepare briefs, letters, emails and reports using clear, concise and grammatically correct language; ensures written communications contain necessary information to achieve their purpose, uses appropriate styles and formats 
5. Regulator: An understanding of legislation relating to plant biosecurity regulation in Victoria and the ability to interpret and apply legislation. Please provide your understanding of legislation relating to invasive plant and animal regulation in Victoria and what is required when working in a regulatory role.
   Mandatory qualification  

• Tertiary degree in Agricultural Science, Science or an equivalent science qualification. Candidates must have these qualifications to be considered eligible and verification is required prior to appointment. 

This is an ongoing position. The work location for this position is Ellinbank with hybrid work arrangements available.

To be considered for this position, applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) summarising their skills and relevant experience.

Please refer to the Key Selection Criteria provided in the Position Description, including the mandatory requirements.

How to Apply:

If you are a current DEECA employee, please apply via DEECA Careers. 

Click the ‘Apply’ button and you'll be redirected to a new platform and create an account.

Applications close 11.59pm on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.

All applications must be submitted through the online portal. We are unable to consider email or manual applications at this time.

Other relevant information:

Preferred candidates will be required to undertake pre-employment screening, including a Declaration and Consent form and a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

An inclusive, culturally safe and flexible workplace

DEECA fosters an inclusive workplace culture and is committed to a fair, accessible, and equitable recruitment process.

We strongly encourage Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people to apply.  We recognise the strengths, knowledge and perspectives First Nations people bring and DEECA is committed to a culturally safe and respectful workplace.  If you need support to participate, please contact aboriginal.employment@deeca.vic.gov.au.

We support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work, varied hours, part-time work and job sharing.  For more information about our recruitment processes, visit applying for a role with us.