Job description
About us
Acting to combat climate change is one of the world’s most pressing challenges. Climate Friendly was founded in 2003 as a profit-for-purpose business. Our growing team is passionate about active land management, and we are focused on finding economically viable solutions to maximise our impact on climate change.
We are one of Australia’s largest and most experienced carbon farming project developers. This includes more than 160 projects with farmers, plantation managers, agribusiness, and Indigenous groups on carbon farming projects.
Climate Friendly has delivered over 20Mt in carbon abatement as at the end of 2020. Our immediate mission is to establish partnerships, by 2025, that will store or reduce 150Mt of CO2-e, while repairing nature and supporting reconciliation. Join our team and you will be helping to build A productive, sustainable land sector that contributes to a zero net emissions & nature positive Australia by 2050
We have a genuinely friendly and supportive culture where everyone has a voice and opportunity to help shape our future and to fulfil our purpose
The role
As Head of Assurance, you will provide strategic oversight of Climate Friendly’s reporting, assurance and technical products teams. You will lead a team of 4 Section Heads / Department Heads, and 15 indirect reports across our Assurance business, who are responsible for assessing and reporting internally and externally on the integrity, eligibility and carbon potential of Climate Friendly’s prospective and existing projects against the carbon farming framework, including: the Carbon Farming Initiative Act and associated legislation; the recommendations of the Government review into ACCU integrity (Chubb Review); various carbon farming methodologies, and Climate Friendly’s internal standard operating procedures.
You will also support the Executive Manager of Assurance and Integrated Farm Development and the Head of Integrated Farm Development, in the reform of Climate Friendly’s due diligence, auditing, reporting and mapping processes to comply with, and unlock opportunities under, the forthcoming Integrated Land and Farm Management Method.
Key responsibilities include:
- Recruitment, training, and day to day management of Section / Department Heads within Due Diligence, Technical Products, Reporting and Auditing business areas
- Providing senior oversight of the quality and timely delivery of carbon farming project outputs through the assurance and technical products teams
- Working with team Section / Department Heads to track outputs from the assurance and technical products teams, and proactively report progress, barriers and issues to the Executive Manager of Assurance and Integrated Farm Development
- Understanding, foreshadowing and communicating big-picture industry trends that may affect the nature or timing of outputs from the assurance and technical products teams, and working with team Section / Department Heads to pre-empt and implement required reforms to SOPs and Technical Guidelines
- Supporting the Section / Department Heads to implement project management tools such as Asana, to help manage workloads, prioritisation and ensure smooth handover of projects as they move between teams
- Assisting the team Section / Department Heads to prepare budgets and team workplans as required
- Representing Climate Friendly at external meetings including with the Clean Energy Regulator, to communicate key issues, request clarifications, and propose solutions
- Providing high level QC on technically complex issues, including Requests for Information from the Clean Energy Regulator, complex report submission and working with team Section / Department Heads to trouble-shoot bottlenecks in their workflow
- Working with the Section / Department Heads to periodically review the implementation and continuous improvement of internal processes
- Periodically reviewing the status of training, templates and tools of the assurance and technical products teams, to ensure they are fit for purpose, and that outputs are produced in an efficient and standardised manner
- Working with the team Section / Department Heads to review and revise Climate Friendly’s due diligence, auditing, reporting and mapping processes to comply with, and unlock opportunities under the forthcoming Integrated Land and Farm Management Method
- Providing training, guidance, mentoring and professional development to build capacity and diversity within the team
- Developing and fostering an inclusive, diverse & engaged workforce that lives our values
About you
- Formal qualifications and 10+ years of experience in the Natural Resources, Environmental Science, Forestry or Agriculture sectors
- Experience working in senior positions related to carbon farming or other related sectors, and motivating cross functional teams to deliver successful outcomes on complex projects which balance competing business priorities
- Experience reporting to Executive levels on outcomes and continual improvement strategies
- Deep knowledge of the ACCU Scheme and/or carbon farming across a wide range of land-based methods
- Experience working in a cross functional role, often as a central point for operational prioritisation and decision making
- Demonstrated management experience in a time critical environment, coordinating project delivery against timelines whilst developing and fostering an inclusive, diverse & engaged workforce that lives our values
- Excellent communicator, and experience in delivering change management projects would be beneficial.
- Comfort with Microsoft suite, CRM systems, and project management systems (Asana a bonus). Sound skills in mapping systems like QGIS and/or willingness and capacity to quickly upskill in this space is desirable
- An understanding of sustainable land management strategies and the Agricultural sector, with the ability to communicate key principles with a wide variety of stakeholders
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven ability to build effective relationships across business units.
Climate Friendly encourages people from different backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from different cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities.
Why join our team?
Our goal is to be seen as an organisation that supports wholeness, lifestyle and wellbeing whilst rewarding individual and collective performance. In addition to competitive salary and transparent career progression opportunities, our benefits include:
- Work with purpose, contributing to a productive, sustainable land sector that contributes to a zero net emissions and nature positive Australia by 2050
- A fully hybrid workplace – work to your own rhythm and balance connection and productivity
- A supportive and inclusive environment that promotes diversity
- 2 all staff events a year to connect with your friends and colleagues
- Christmas holiday – 3 days of additional leave each year
- Floating public holidays
- Gender neutral paid parental leave
- 2 days each year for training / development / study leave
- Home office setup and refresh allowance
- Company performance bonus and shared equity