- Location: Australia wide remotely, but Sydney or Newcastle preferred
- Term: Permanent
- Full Time (37.5 hours) – 0.8 considered
- Remuneration: SCHADS 5 -7: $88,400 – $105,650 + 10.5% super + 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are particularly encouraged to apply
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is the leading environmental law practice in the Australia Pacific Region delivering legal solutions for people, nature, and our climate. We have a big vision which is a world where nature thrives. We’ve got big ambition about the role we can play in delivering that vision and we’ve got an incredible team across the country working to achieve it.
We are dedicated to protecting our climate, communities, and shared environment by providing access to justice, running ground-breaking litigation and leading law reform advocacy. Over our 30-year combined history we’ve developed a formidable track record of empowering communities and delivering effective protection of the environment through legal services.
As the region’s legal experts in our field, we aim to be a brave, unified, and focused team, committed to inclusion and excellence in all that we do. We strive to be a diverse and inclusive workplace supporting a highly skilled, engaged, and effective team, where everyone can feel that they belong.
The opportunity
The Executive Assistant (EA) & Board Secretary provides a high level of professional administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to ensure excellence in service delivery across the Organisation and to members of the EDO Board.
The position will liaise with internal and external stakeholders including Senior Management, Board Members, and members of the public.
The Executive Assistant (EA) & Board Secretary ensures the CEO is prepared and informed on relevant matters in a timely manner. This includes researching, preparing, and ensuring responses to telephone calls and correspondence are responded to within specified timeframes and proactively managing the CEO’s diary.
In providing this support the position exercises a high degree of communication competence in an online working environment, initiative, discretion, and confidentiality.
As the Board Secretariat you will assist the CEO and Chair in respect of all interactions between the Executive and the Board, including the preparation of Board agendas, taking of minutes, preparation of materials for Board meetings, and similar functions for the Board sub-committees as desired.
This includes responsibility for the administrative functions of the AGM maintaining register of members and working to support board sub-committees. You will be building and maintaining strong relationships with the Board chair and Chair of First Nations Advisory Committee.
The Executive Assistant (EA) & Board Secretary collaborates with all administrative officers and staff to provide high-level support to the CEO.
You will be working with our amazing, visionary, bold and compassionate CEO – Our People – Environmental Defenders Office (edo.org.au)
Candidate Profile:
We are looking for someone who is great at reading the room, and can anticipate issues before they arise, and because they’re a natural problem solver, they always bring a solution to any concern they raise.
You’ve managed the office for CEO-level leaders and know how to work flexibly under pressure, overseeing the dynamic workflow for your manager’s and your own work. You use your initiative to commence or progress work on your own, with minimal supervision, ensuring the right people are informed of your progress along the way.
You’re effective in your role, because you build collaborative relationships with people at all levels of the organisation, you have a reputation for handling information with discretion, for getting things done, and you live the EDO values.
You want to work at the intersect of climate justice, human rights, the rights of First Nations and the environment and want an opportunity to make an impact for peoples and nature.
Key selection criteria:
This role, in addition to providing proactive and efficient EA support to the CEO, will provide administrative support to the Chairperson and Board of Directors.
As appropriate and as determined by the CEO, the Executive Assistant (EA) and Board Secretariat will provide support to members of the Executive Team and to the General Counsel.
Core skills
- Experience as an Executive Assistant at Director or CEO level for a minimum of 5 years in a geographical disbursed team environment, who can build rapport quickly with remote teams.
- Prior experience in a similar Board Secretariat, administration or corporate governance position.
- Demonstrated high integrity, discretion and ability to maintain strict confidentiality, particularly in relation to dealing with sensitive information.
- Outstanding administration skills, with experience using Microsoft Products and Diligent, the ability to schedule events in busy diaries across international time zones.
- Strong ability to research, synthesise information, and prepare letters, reports, or draft recommendations.
- Demonstrated ability to influence, engage, and manage multiple stakeholders working in different locations, with competing priorities through highly effective communication skills.
- Experience in effective meeting coordination, from scheduling, agenda, minutes, and presentation preparation.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make sound judgements and decisions based on consideration of different views.
- Demonstrated ability to work productively and to deadlines through collaboration and developing effective systems.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills suited to a range of audiences including preparation of reports and applications.
Substantive experience
- Demonstrated experience working with First Nations people or diverse communities and individuals highly desirable
Personal qualities and cultural competency
- A champion of the EDO values
- Strong initiative and self-motivation
- Commitment to the protection of human rights and the environment
- A strong sense of ethics and understanding of professional obligations
- Demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of First Nations and peoples from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations in both the delivery of our work and our internal culture
- Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative and team-based environment
Our Culture and Benefits:
- We care deeply about creating a workplace where our team members feel valued, respected, and empowered. We are committed to providing equal opportunity regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or life stage.
- The chance to be part of the largest environmental legal practice in the Australia-Pacific
- A very flexible and family-friendly workplace
- Option to work from home and the office
- 8 weeks paid parental leave, regardless of gender or carer status
- 15 days personal/carers leave
- 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave
- 3 days paid cultural leave
- Extra leave over the Christmas period
- Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Ongoing professional development opportunities
- EDO proudly has a JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee and a Mental Health Ambassador Committee, and has developed a First Nations Program with the aid of indigenous-led consultancies.
Our Values
Commitment – We are committed to: a united organisation, to each other, to collaboration, to justice, to our communities, and to creating a world where nature thrives.
Diversity – We are respectful of and welcome diversity of staff, volunteers, offices, environmental regions, communities, and stakeholders.
Integrity – We work effectively, efficiently, strategically, professionally, and ethically; “justice is in our nature”.
Vision – We lead change and environmental empowerment using innovation, creativity, and courage.
How to Apply
All offers of employment may be subject to satisfactory background checks including a National Police Check, disclosure of previous or current disciplinary action, referee checks, proof of eligibility to work in Australia, and qualification checks.
EDO particularly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Pacific Island peoples, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, workers of all ages, people with disability, and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Applications must include a CV and a letter that clearly addresses each of the selection criteria. Applications which do not address the selection criteria will not be considered.
Applications close on 8 January 2023. Applications should be emailed to [email protected] with ‘Application for position of Executive Assistant (EA) and Board Secretariat in the subject line.
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