ABOUT FARMERS FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) is an inclusive movement of farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians leading the way on climate solutions. We support farmers to build climate and energy literacy and advocate for climate solutions both on and off farm. We are independent, non-profit and non-partisan. We represent more than 5,000 farmers across Australia. Our supporter base includes over 30,000 Australians committed to climate action for agriculture. We are an associate member of the National Farmers’ Federation and a member of the Climate Action Network Australia.

• We engage through a community organising approach, working directly with farmers to recruit other farmers.
• We inform through our capacity building work, upskilling our farmers in climate science and policy. We are a trusted, non-partisan voice for stakeholders across government and the broader community. We link the best experts in the lab with the best experts in the field.
• We mobilise by inspiring famers to achieve and advocate for climate action behind and beyond the farm gate.

For more information about Farmers for Climate Action, we invite you to read our strategic plan, available here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to a skilled, well-networked and committed Board, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will strategically lead FCA's team of 11 talented staff to deliver its vision and strategic plan. The CEO will be the public face of the organisation: a highly effective communicator able to speak with integrity and credibility on climate change to the farming community. The CEO will bring an understanding of the complexity, dynamics and networks of influence in the Australian agriculture sector.

This is an opportunity for an experienced, strategic leader, who has strong people and advocacy skills, to lead an organisation at the forefront of tackling one of the greatest threats to Australian agriculture.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategically leading and managing a non-profit. The CEO is responsible for the operation of FCA: running the organisation, managing risk and our legal, financial and audit responsibilities, ensuring ACNC compliance, recruiting and managing staff and volunteers.
2. Fundraising. The CEO will be responsible for fundraising and create new funding avenues to ensure the ongoing financial security of the organisation.
3. Media. The CEO will regularly represent FCA in the media, and work with our farmers to ensure their voices are heard in the media.
4. Managing staff and volunteers. FCA has eleven staff members (a mix of full-time and part-time) and a large network of volunteers who are integral to the success of the organisation. The CEO must demonstrate management and team building skills and have the necessary leadership experience to maximise the contribution of staff and volunteers to the mission of FCA and manage a diverse group of people working remotely across Australia.
5. Strategic planning. In consultation with the board, the CEO will be responsible for strategic planning, designing strategies that create change and balance short-term opportunities with the long-term objectives of the organisation.
6. Execution of projects and campaigns. The CEO will lead staff and volunteers to execute projects and campaigns. This will involve amplifying the voices of the farming community and supporting them to work with their spheres of influence to build climate awareness and inspire climate action.
7. Building membership. The CEO will be responsible for growing FCA’s base of members and supporters across the agricultural community: developing and implementing strategies for engaging, recruiting and retaining new members both online and offline.
8. Relationships and influence. The CEO will build relationships within the farming community and will ideally bring an existing network of strong relationships within the farming community and agriculture sector in Australia.

CORE COMPETENCIES

1. Written and verbal communications. The CEO must be able to confidently and articulately represent FCA’s position in the media and with various stakeholders. The CEO will need to be confident inspiring audiences of all sizes through public speaking, and excel at other public-facing communication such as media interviews.
2. Leadership. The successful candidate will have demonstrated strategic leadership capability, able to inspire confidence and draw the best out of staff, volunteers and relevant stakeholder groups, including members and donors.
3. Strategic thinking and initiative. FCA is a fast paced and dynamic organisation. The CEO must make strategic judgement calls about week-to-week priorities independently; calls that balance short-term opportunities with ensuring delivery on the long-term strategic objectives of the organisation.
4. Relationship building. For FCA to succeed we must maintain and strengthen existing relationships, while building strong relationships with new stakeholders across the farming community and across the political spectrum. The CEO must be a ‘people person’, showing a track record of being able to effectively build relationships and strong networks across a diverse range of stakeholders.
5. Political savvy. FCA aims to engage constructively with all sides of politics to drive climate action outcomes. The CEO must have the capacity to proactively manage relationships across the political spectrum and have a strong understanding of Australian state and federal politics and the policy development processes.
6. Persuasiveness. The CEO must be confident in making requests of donors and other stakeholders. The CEO must have high emotional intelligence and empathy and be a skilled influencer.
7. Planning and organising. The successful candidate will be a skilled strategic project manager, able to deliver various and sometimes complex works on time and within budget. They must have proven experience in planning and executing projects.
8. Management. FCA has eleven staff members working across Australia, and a large network of volunteers, so the CEO must have strong people management experience.
9. Passion for action to address the climate crisis. The CEO must be genuinely passionate about the urgent need to address climate change and the role agriculture can play in addressing it.

Note: If you don’t meet all of the skills and experiences listed above, we do encourage you to apply anyway. We value talent, passion and informal experience, and can provide training to up-skill you in areas where you may need more support.

HOURS, LOCATION AND SALARY

This position is full-time and involves a significant degree of travel to Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and rural areas (depending on COVID situations). We would consider 4 days/ week for an exceptional candidate. The candidate must be located reasonably close to a major airport. We have a preference for this role to be based on the East Coast of Australia, but will consider any location in Australia for an exceptional candidate. The salary range is between $130,000 - $155,000 plus superannuation, negotiable commensurate with skills and experience.

Please contact Charlie Prell, Chair of Farmers for Climate Action, with any questions or to organise a confidential discussion about the role via [email protected] using the subject line: Chief Executive Officer - Flexible Location enquiry via EthicalJobs.