Head of Projects

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 30Mt in carbon abatement as at the end of 2023. 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 Projects, you will focus on growth and consolidation of Climate Friendly’s carbon project portfolio, managing multiple carbon project teams across varied regions of Australia. The focus of each team is to grow Climate Friendly’s portfolio of carbon projects, provide customer-centric services for a current portfolio of clients and projects and support customers to transition registered projects to the planned Integrated Farm and Land Management Method where appropriate. The role also supports the carbon project teams to; deliver other value-added client services based on client preferences, such as nature services, undertake field work and support high quality customer engagement and growth.

This role will provide high-level strategic support, mentoring and professional development for the Section Heads of each team to ensure operational plans are enacted to meet company KPIs.

Key responsibilities include:

• Recruitment, training, and day to day management of Section / Department Heads within Rangelands, Productive Agriculture, High Biodiversity Environmental Planting and Plantations & Large-Scale Environmental Plantings Teams
• Provide high level input on strategic issues and working with team Section / Department Heads to trouble-shoot bottlenecks in their workflow.
• Understanding, foreshadowing and communicating big-picture industry trends that may affect the nature of business operations.
• Creating and implementing both strategic and operational plans to meet portfolio growth and operational targets
• Closing commercial negotiations with new and existing clients for long terms carbon service provision
• Management of overarching programmatic relationship with key partners, including WWF-Australia on our Koala Friendly Carbon program
• Providing training, guidance, mentoring and professional development to build capacity within the team for high quality customer engagement and growth.
• Ensure carbon project teams are equipped with the knowledge and skills to assess and quantify current and future Carbon Project opportunities
• Developing and fostering an inclusive, diverse & engaged team that lives our values
• Supporting the Section / Department Heads to implement project management tools such as Asana and a CRM to help manage workloads, task prioritisation, and ensure smooth delivery of support services
• Owning all team budgets within the business function and coaching the team Section / Department Heads to ensure teams are tracking against agreed goals.
• Monitor the periodic review of training, templates and tools of Projects teams to ensure they are fit for purpose, and that outputs are produced in an efficient and standardised manner.
• Work with team Section / Department Heads to pre-empt and implement required reforms to SOPs and Technical Guidelines to ensure best practise project implementation.
• Gaining and maintaining Authorised Representative status under our AFSL, including meeting all ongoing requirements this involves

About you

• Formal qualifications and 10+ years of lived experience in fields related to Natural Resources, Environmental Science or Agriculture
• Experience working in senior positions related to carbon farming or other related sectors, and motivating cross functional teams to deliver successful customer engagement and acquisition 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 complex project management, 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 company values
• 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
• Ability to work on multiple priorities and tasks is essential
• A strong interest in environmental and public good outcomes
• Demonstrated experience managing corporate partnership programs in commercial environments
• Outcome focussed, highly professional and articulate
• Experienced in working environments that require high levels of proactive, responsive, and strategic thinking

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