• Location & travel: All locations and remote work arrangements considered. Some interstate and rural travel required.
• Position type: Permanent, 1.0 FTE (0.8 FTE considered)
• Reporting to: CEO
• Expected start date: 1 September

Position Purpose

The Senior Manager Policy and Programs is a key functional role in FCA’s small team in the delivery of our top three strategic goals. This role works with our CEO and staff team to drive our farmer-led movement’s impact in shifting the politics and policies of climate change in Australia.

The Senior Manager Policy and Programs is responsible for two key activities:

• Leading, the delivery of Farmers for Climate Action’s policy strategy
• Leading farmer engagement programs including the Climate Smart Farming Program and Member Yarns

FCA operates as a small and agile team within a fast-moving policy arena. The Senior Manager Policy and Programs will also demonstrate a willingness to work across portfolios and manage multiple priorities with high attention to detail.

The Senior Manager Policy and Programs is pivotal to FCA’s team effort to influence government to implement policies that mitigate climate change and benefit rural communities, as well as playing a leadership role to help realise our organisation’s strategic goals in agriculture sector engagement, policy, communication and campaigns, and farmer mobilisation and organising.

Role Accountabilities

• Leading FCA’s policy and farmer engagement strategies, including:
  • Proactively contributing to policy consultations and advocacy opportunities across government, industry and the community sector through external meetings, letters, social media, and other tactics
  • Supporting the CEO, Chair and other spokespeople as appropriate from time to time to represent the organisation effectively through briefs, talking points and other measures.
  • Delivering evidence-led and farmer-informed policy positions and submissions to government on issues and legislation related to agriculture, environmental and energy policy
  • Coordinate high quality FCA policy research and engagement to encourage political and agriculture sector leaders to support climate action
  • Deliver the Climate Smart Farming Program (CSFP) and the farmer engagement (Member Yarns) program
  • Ownership of the reporting and impact metrics for political engagement, agriculture sector engagement, the CSFP and Member Yarns programs

• Collaborating with partners in the agricultural sector and environmental movement on key projects and committees
• Identifying and responding to opportunities for grants and funding with the Impact and Strategic Relationships Advisor
• Contributing to organisational success by delivering cross-functionally as required, including through internal and external communications, team leadership and fundraising

About you

You care about our climate and the future of agriculture. You are keen to make a difference in the most important decade of our lives for action on climate change. You are passionate about achieving strong climate policies in Australia, and you have the skills and drive to put climate change and agriculture at the forefront of government and industry policy.

You have a track record of developing high-impact, cost-effective strategies to influence decision-makers, and working with a range of stakeholders to bring these strategies to life. You enjoy being the point-person for political staffers and engaging professionally and creatively on both the inside as well as outside track of advocacy.

You’re excited about working collaboratively with a small team who supports and mobilises our farmer supporters to ensure their voices are heard on the national stage. You value a supportive organisational culture and flexibility in your work, and thrive in a fast-paced, self-driven environment.

How we work

Farmers for Climate Action has grown rapidly since its inception in 2015, and our farmer-driven movement is supported by an active Board and our small team of dedicated staff.

• We are evidence-based and informed by the best available science.
• We are collaborative, inclusive and respectful.
• We respect and embrace the diversity and wisdom of farming communities.
• We are empowering our farmers to be bold and courageous and widening the space for rural Australia to take action on climate change.
• We are sustainable and are committed to being here for the long haul through being ecologically, financially and socially responsible.
• We are strategic, accountable and work towards delivering tangible, long-term results, while maximising our impact.

Our staff are spread across Australia, and we provide the option for people to work from our co-working space in Melbourne, or to work from their farm or home. We use a range of digital collaboration tools to stay in touch and work effectively together and are committed to making sure staff have everything they need to get the job done.

We offer four weeks’ annual leave as well as personal and carers’ leave provisions. We strive to maintain a culture of wellbeing and are set up to support part-time and flexible working conditions.

Role competencies and attributes

• Relevant knowledge and experience - You bring specific and demonstrable knowledge and experience from a relevant field of work that connects to our vision and purpose. This might be agriculture or agri-politics, environmental movement work, energy, politics, or a combination of these. We are looking for a minimum 5-years industry experience or 3-years working in a similar role.
  • Tertiary qualifications in policy, politics, law, agriculture or environmental science is an advantage
• Strategic and analytical policy development – You rely on precisely organised evidence to inform your policy and programmatic work. You set strategy and identify opportunities using proven tools and theories in advocacy, campaigns, and policymaking
• Leadership, representational and communication skills – You are a polished, effective and experienced organisational representative in senior-level, complex policy conversations. You are a confident communicator with a demonstrated history of leading by warm and professional influence. You write compelling internal and external documents that adapt tone, message and visual appeal across a spectrum of audiences.
• Relationship management skills - You have excellent networks and are adept at establishing and maintaining relationships with people from all walks of life, seeking to find common ground and advance mutual goals. You’re reliable and available to people within and external to the organisation.
• Reflexive project management skills – You seamlessly manage multiple priorities and can adjust your workflow to address new or urgent opportunities. You independently manage deliverables to a high standard while coordinating staff deliverables at the same time.
• Optimism, initiative and agility - You are driven by a genuine interest in contributing to a positive future for farmers. You bring a can-do attitude, see opportunities that others don’t and are always trying to find a better way. You thrive in a small but exciting and imaginative start-up environment without the infrastructure of a traditional office space or large company.

• Connection to the agriculture, environment and/or rural and regional Australia - You have a strong connection to the environment and climate action and/or rural and regional Australia, and you understand the experiences and priorities of farmers.