[2] Probine joined the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) as a draughtsman in 1942.

[2] In 1967, he was appointed director of the Physics and Engineering Laboratory (PEL), and then ten years later, was promoted to assistant director-general of the DSIR.

[2] Probine joined the State Services Commission in 1979,[4] and was appointed chair of that body in 1981.

[2] During his tenure, the Official Information Act 1982 was passed and the Equal Employment Opportunities Unit (EEOU) was established.

[2] The EEOU was charged with promoting and monitoring access to employment opportunities in the New Zealand public service for ethnic minorities, women, and the disabled.