• High profile not for profit
• $60,000 + Super

The organisation

The Climate Council is a non-profit, independent organisation that aims to provide clear, independent advice to the Australian community about climate change.

The Climate Council was launched as a non-profit organisation after the Climate Commission was dissolved in September 2013. The launch was associated with an outpouring of support from the community which resulted in an unprecedented crowd-funding campaign that generated more than a million dollars from tens of thousands of supporters in just over a week. Twitter calls it: people powered science.

The Climate Council aims to become a world leader in effective climate change communication. This exciting organisation will continue to be in the public eye as it grows, giving those involved an unrivalled opportunity to contribute to the public discourse on climate change.

The role

The role of the Research Officer will require research, organisational and communications skills. The Research Officer will report directly to the Research Manager.

The Research Officer will:

• Be passionate about conveying authoritative climate information and also understands the importance of communicating in a manner suitable for diverse groups of non-experts
• Contribute to the Climate Council’s research projects – which involves synthesising existing research to create accessible information for the Australian public
• Support the community and communications staff in providing engaging content to the Australian public on climate change
• Provide admin support for research related tasks

Specific tasks will involve the following:

Research Support

• Working across a diverse range of research projects as our work includes reporting on climate science and impacts, solutions like renewable energy and international action
• Working with the Councillors, Research Manager and other researchers, interns and external experts to produce reputable, reliable, high quality science-for-the-public resources
• Cultivating effective working relationships with researchers in Australia
• Dealing with designers on the artwork of reports
• Locating appropriate supporting materials (e.g. references, photos and images) for reports
• Creating presentation content
• Research for social media issues and opportunities for communicating relevant facts and figures

Communications Support

• Liaise with the Head of Comms and the Research Manager on delivery dates, final report and deadlines for project outputs
• Review media releases for accuracy of data
• Opinion pieces – support Comms team to write, review and research opinion pieces

Admin Support

Handling correspondence and queries relating to:

• Science questions
• Report questions
• Requested facts and data

About you

You will be passionate about research, show a very high degree of initiative and have a “can do” attitude. You have the ability to communicate with all levels of staff and a nation-wide network of researchers. Given these multi-faceted responsibilities, we are seeking a dedicated, collaborative, and highly motivated research officer.

Additionally you will have:

• Tertiary qualified
• Research assistant experience
• Excellent inter-personal skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines
• Excellent computer skills
• Excellent attention to detail

The rewards

The Climate Council is an organisation that has the potential to have a very significant effect on how the public understand climate-related issues. The Climate Council is in an unprecedented position to increase the scale of its activities rapidly, and to have a positive impact on the public discourse around climate change. The Climate Council is highly cognisant of the tremendous trust and responsibility the public has placed into its hands. With exposure to some of the leading minds tackling climate science, this role is a unique opportunity.