Description:
The Jobs
As an On-Plant Veterinary Officer (OPV) you will:
- Provide Expert Advice: You will offer veterinary and technical advice on public health, food safety and the quality of meat products. Your expertise will support establishment management and other stakeholders, ensuring all processes align with regulatory standards.
- Ensure Compliance: You’ll ensure the establishment meets its legal obligations under the Export Control Act 2020 and related legislation. You’ll monitor compliance through the Meat Establishment Verification System (MEVS), ensuring products meet importing country requirements.
- Maintain Veterinary Standards: You’ll stay informed on the latest developments in veterinary science and legislative changes, sharing this knowledge with the team and the establishment. You’ll apply best practices in quality assurance and Australian/international standards.
- Animal Welfare: You will oversee animal welfare, ensuring compliance with state, national and international standards. You will monitor and report outcomes to maintain high animal welfare standards.
- Inspection and Examinations: You will conduct or supervise ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections, ensuring compliance with the Australian Standard for production of meat and meat products (AS 4696:2023) and relevant overseas requirements.
- Emergency Preparedness: You’ll contribute to the veterinary emergency management plan and onsite emergency animal disease preparedness plan, ensuring the establishment is prepared for any potential outbreaks.
- Training and Leadership: You’ll lead, mentor and develop a team of veterinary and non-veterinary staff, fostering a high-performance environment. You’ll also chair weekly meetings with management, providing feedback on key performance indicators (KPIs) and processes.
- Sampling and Testing: You’ll collect samples to test for diseases and verify compliance with substance regulations, ensuring the safety and integrity of meat products.
Applicants should note that as a Veterinary Officer in VEMB you may be required to undertake activities across export meat and live animal veterinary officer roles.
As a Live Animal Veterinarian you will:
- perform quarantine and export duties across Australia, in strict compliance with export and biosecurity legislation, national standard operating procedures and work instructions
- review export and import documentation, issue export permits and health certificates, undertake veterinary inspections and approve facilities for the export and import of live animals and animal reproductive material
- provide technical advice and training to departmental staff, third-party accredited veterinarians, clients & stakeholders
- maintain accurate computer based and manual records and prepare reports as required
- contribute to the efficient operation of the Live Animal Section in VEMB.
What we are looking for
Knowledge and experience
An understanding of public health veterinary science and biosecurity requirements.
Mandatory qualifications
To be considered for these positions you must have a veterinary degree from an Australian university or equivalent veterinary qualification recognised in Australia. You must be registered, or eligible for registration, with the relevant Australian state/territory veterinary board and you must maintain this registration whilst employed by the department.
Work locations
Currently, ongoing OPV positions are available at the following locations:
NSW - Dubbo, Bourke*, OPV Pool – NSW
VIC - Ararat
WA – Katanning, Beaufort River, Bunbury
SA – OPV Pool – SA
TAS – OPV Pool - TAS
QLD - Moranbah, OPV Pool – South East QLD
NT – Batchelor*
Remote Localities
* These localities have been graded as remote localities. Employees working in these locations are paid an annual district allowance in accordance with the relevant provision (Clause 631) of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Enterprise Agreement 2024-2027. The successful applicant will also be entitled to additional annual leave as well as leave fares assistance.
Please note that future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies (both regional and metropolitan) may become available throughout Australia and the merit pool established from this process may be used to fill these vacancies where the duties are of a similar nature. Non‑ongoing (specified term) contracts may be offered to new employees for an initial period of up to twelve months with the possibility of extension up to a maximum period of two years in total. Non-ongoing (casual) contracts will be offered for periods of up to two years. Some of these non‑ongoing positions may become ongoing in the next eighteen months. Should a position become ongoing then the merit pool, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill the vacancy on an ongoing basis.
Relocation assistance
The department is open to negotiating a package of assistance to assist successful applicants with the costs associated with relocating to a new work location.
Information session
We will be holding an online information session (timing will be confirmed upon registration) where there will be a presentation on the role and an opportunity to ask questions. Staff with the relevant experience will be online to answer questions about the role. Please register by emailing Craig Burleigh at **************@aff.gov.au.
Eligibility and other requirements
The successful applicants must:
- hold and maintain a valid motor vehicle licence and be capable of driving in accordance with Australian road laws
- note that you may be required to perform occasional out-of-hours and weekend work
- wear an official uniform supplied by the department, including during field operations (as applicable), in accordance with the department’s uniform policy
- wear appropriate protective personal equipment and clothing to comply with departmental Work Health & Safety policies and procedures
- note that they will be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination which will include Q-Fever tests and that Q-Fever immunisation will be required where immunity cannot be established.
Flexible employment arrangements are available with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE APPLY BUTTON LISTED IN THIS ADVERTISEMENT AS IT WILL REQUIRE YOU TO LOG IN TO SEEK . Please use https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/jobs/apply instead and select Job Reference 2025/2105 from the list of vacancies.