About the National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is Australia’s audiovisual archive, telling the national story by collecting, preserving and sharing audiovisual media, the cultural experience platforms of our time. The collection itself dates back to 1935, making it one of the world’s oldest audiovisual collections. It is also one of the country’s most used cultural collections, with around 125 million views of collection content each year. The NFSA is in a period of significant change. Following increased Government investment, the institution is in a process of digital transformation, establishing the NFSA as Australia’s most dynamic and valued cultural organisation. We are rebuilding our curatorial workforce and developing the NFSA’s capacity to digitise our collection at scale – to preserve it for the future, to make sure it can be discovered, and to share it with all Australians.
We continue to work on developing a stable, secure and future-proof workforce across our four physical sites based in Canberra and Mitchell in the ACT as well as in Sydney and Melbourne.
We are an ambitious organisation, and we aim to be an employer of choice within the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector, providing exciting and challenging work, as well as favourable employment conditions and unique development opportunities for our staff.
Cultural Values
We are an equal opportunity employer, embracing a diverse range of applicants such as veterans, and people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA community members, individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions, as well as those from varied faith and cultural backgrounds. At the NFSA we prioritise the development of a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture through shared actions and behaviours that align with our strategy and direction. This empowers our employees to effectively contribute to our goals.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is committed to ensuring a child-safe and child-friendly environment. All employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and support for these principles in theory and practice.
About the Team
The Software Engineering Team is part of the Digital Platforms section in the Digital Branch.
The Digital Platforms section manages the NFSA’s digital platforms, providing innovative ways to manage, maintain, analyse, discover and engage with the Collection. This includes the delivery of digital experiences for a wide range of audiences in experiencing Australia’s national audio-visual collection.
The Software Engineering Team plays an integral role in the delivery of public and internally facing applications by developing solutions and providing technical guidance on interfaces, systems integration, automation and data exchange.
The Opportunity
We have two opportunities available for experienced software engineers interested in joining a creative, innovative and energetic group of digital professionals. We need people ready to hit the ground running as we work towards the delivery of several key projects, including a new web-CMS and supporting data APIs.
We’re looking for software engineers skilled in full stack development (Next.js/React, Python, PostgreSQL, MongoDB). We’re interested in hearing from people that have skills in one or more of these areas. Let us know what your strengths are and what you enjoying doing most. You might be the one for us.
Under the guidance of the Software Engineering Manager, the role involves designing, implementing and maintaining both front-end and full stack solutions while adhering to government security and development guidelines. You’ll contribute to the organisation’s digital strategy and technology adoption, ensuring innovative and user-friendly digital experiences for a diverse audience.
The role will work with teams across the organisation to deliver on digital projects and be required to guide and communicate engineering decision making and solutions that will achieve the best result for the NFSA. As a senior member of the Software Engineering Team, the role will provide guidance and mentoring to more junior developers.
Please note: This recruitment process is intended to fill both current and future vacancies. While the positions on offer are both non-ongoing (18 months) and ongoing, a merit pool of suitable applicants may be established to fill similar ongoing and non-ongoing positions within the next 18 months.
Mandatory:
- Relevant tertiary qualifications in computer science, software engineering or a related field (preferred) or equivalent industry experience.
- Experience in JavaScript frameworks, ideally Next.js or React.
- Experience in web application and API development using Python, ideally FastAPI.
- Proficiency with Git, GitHub Actions, Docker, and other CI/CD tools.
Desirable:
- Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL or MongoDB.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Vercel.
- Experience with Apache Airflow and building ETL pipelines.
- Experience with Linux systems administration and automation (Ansible, Terraform, etc.).
- Familiarity with machine learning, particularly in image summarisation, facial recognition, audio transcription and text classification.
- Experience with graph databases (Neo4j).
Work Environment Description
The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the National Film and Sound Archive is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.
How to Apply
When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please address the details in the ‘Key Responsibilities’ and ‘Selection Criteria’ by outlining in 1,000 words or less, how your skills and relevant experience demonstrate that you would be our ideal candidate. Your current resume is also to be included in your application.
In addition to an application and your resume, the assessment process for this position may also include a challenge question, interview and referee reports.
We welcome and encourage applications from people with disability, the LGBTIQ+ communities, from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this position you must:
- Be an Australian Citizen.
- Satisfactorily complete an Australian Federal Police National Police Check.
- Obtain and maintain an Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance.
RecuitAbility
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 job. For more information see: RecruitAbility | Australian Public Service Commission (https://apsc.gov.au)
What we offer you
We provide a diverse, inclusive, and supportive work environment with access to:
- Great training and development opportunities.
- Generous leave and flexible working arrangements.
- Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP – a free counselling service for you and your family).
- A competitive salary, plus 15.4% superannuation.
- Rewards and recognition initiatives.
Contact Officer
Cassandra Hawkins | Head of Digital Platforms
E: cassandra.hawkins@nfsa.gov.au
Ph: 02 6248 2147
