Epidemiologist or Epidemiology Support Officer

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• Grade 1 Epidemiology Support Officer or a Grade 2 Epidemiologist with the North Eastern Public Health Unit
• Fixed term, full time or part time position until 30 June 2026
• Located in Heidelberg, with multiple public transport options

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives. 

About the North Eastern Public Health Unit

The North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) is one of nine public health units in Victoria: three in metropolitan Melbourne and six covering regional Victoria. Together these units form a coordinated network, working in partnership with the Department of Health to deliver a comprehensive public health program for Victoria.  The NEPHU is hosted and supported by Austin Health with responsibility spanning approximately 1.81m people living in the northeast of metropolitan Melbourne. We work collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing of the NEPHU population through health promotion, prevention and protection activity. The NEPHU is proud of its diverse multidisciplinary team who provide a service across extended hours seven days per week. Participation in a 7-day roster during periods of public health emergency may be required of all staff.  

About the role 

Grade 1 – Epidemiology Support Officer

Under supervision of the Senior Epidemiologist and Epidemiologists, the Epidemiology Support Officer will provide support for surveillance, reporting and outbreak investigation activities relating to communicable diseases and notifiable conditions, as well as support for epidemiological analysis of population health data. This role will actively participate in data analysis, data collection, data review, data management and data quality activities. This role will involve the development of routine reports and supporting various projects as required.

At Grade 1, the Epidemiology Support Officer will:

• Assist with data management – maintain, review and clean data to ensure it accurately reflects information known about cases, contacts and outbreaks including case classification and epidemiological links.
• Contribute to the effective collection and management of case-level and aggregate data collections. This includes application of data standards, timely and accurate collection and processing of data, and detailed data quality checks and edits.
• Identify and resolve data inaccuracies or anomalies when identified and/or there has been a deviation from established process
• Provide surveillance support for communicable diseases including provision of routine reports, data entry, triaging and case allocations, and administrative support. Contribute to the development, delivery and evaluation of engagement activities aligned to the strategic plans, ensuring activity is data-led and stakeholder-informed

Grade 2 – Epidemiologist

Working independently, the Epidemiologist plays a vital role in data collation, analysis and presentation to support evidence-based decision making on public health matters in the NEPHU region. The Epidemiologist reports to the Senior Epidemiologist and works in a team responsible for the austin.org.au development, and implementation of the NEPHU epidemiology and intelligence functions, which apply across all aspects of the NEPHU’s functions. 

At Grade 2, the Epidemiologist will be able to undertake the activities above, and in addition:

• Support the NEPHU in evidence-based decision making by producing epidemiological analysis, profiling and modelling of factors that influence public health in the NEPHU region
• Provide epidemiological support and advice to the NEPHU by investigating links between cases, acquisition and transmission dynamics in clusters of communicable disease 
• Support epidemiological analysis of outbreaks including preparing appropriate reports and visualisations 
• Maintain situational awareness of the evolving epidemiological issues. Apply this to investigations and update NEPHU, other Public Health Units and relevant Department of Health teams of issues when appropriate
• Identify, collate, interpret, and prepare population-based and epidemiological data to inform local priority setting, population health planning, service improvement initiatives and program/service evaluation 

About you 

To be successful in this role you’ll bring with you:

Grade 1 – Epidemiology Support Officer

• Tertiary qualification in a public health, environmental health, epidemiology, other health or related field 
• Sound technology literacy, including O365 suite and the ability to quickly learn and master online data reporting and record management tools 
• Experience with data analysis, reporting and statistics software including PowerBI and R 
• Demonstrated experience in collecting and reporting on notifiable communicable disease data 
• Familiarity with Public Health reporting platforms and information systems 

Grade 2 – Epidemiologist

• Relevant tertiary qualification in epidemiology or related field or equivalent applied experience 
• Well-developed oral and written communication skills and proven ability to liaise effectively with users to elicit, document and meet their data requirements 
• Knowledge of public and population health information, analytics, and monitoring systems 
• Experience in using or developing data quality processes 
• Experience synthesising complex data from a variety of different sources, analysing it and presenting the results to stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds 
• Demonstrated high level analytical and evaluation skills including experience using R and PowerBI, to undertake complex statistical analysis using multiple data sources 

Our benefits 

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including: 

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation. 
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program. 
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options. 
• Mentoring and career development opportunities. 

Work with us! 

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures. 

If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. What matters most is your passion, your drive and your willingness to learn and contribute. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date. 

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Alana Little, Senior Epidemiologist at Alana.Little@austin.org.au

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details. 

Application closing date: Thursday 19 March 2026