Position Description
Sustainability Coordinator
Position No: NEW
Department: Infrastructure and Operations
Division/School: Master planning, Sustainability and Systems
Campus/Location: Bundoora, some work at our City and regional campuses will be required on occasion.
Classification: Higher Education Officer Level 7
Employment Type: Full Time (part time applicants will be considered)
Position Supervisor: Senior Manager, Sustainability & Campus Planning
Number: 0
Other Benefits: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/jobs/working/benefits
Further information about:
La Trobe University - http://www.latrobe.edu.au/about
Infrastructure & Operations – http://latrobe.edu.au/io
For enquiries only contact:
Jodie Harris, TEL: 03 9479 2635 Email: [email protected]@latrobe.edu.au
Infrastructure and Operations, La Trobe University Sustainability Coordinator PD 16 April 2021
Position Description Sustainability Coordinator
Position Context La Trobe University is a special place to be – you can see it in our unique natural landscapes, built form and green infrastructure, and you can sense it in the fresh, clean air at our urban and regional campuses.
From our vibrant environments, our strong cultural connections and impressive teaching, research and sporting facilities, La Trobe University’s diverse campus environments are home to staff, students, partners, visitors, and communities. We welcome people from all walks of life and our enduring social conscience enables us to identify, engage with and influence the biggest issues of our time.
At La Trobe University, we have a long and proud history of pursuing sustainable practices and are committed to being sustainable for today and tomorrow. Our focus on sustainability stretches back to our inception where social responsibility was embedded in our constitution. Every day we live by our values of: • Pursuing excellence and sustainability in everything we do. • Being willing to innovate and disrupt the traditional way of doing things. • Championing our local communities in Melbourne’s north and regional Victoria; and • Inclusiveness, diversity, equity and social justice.
As a University, we have enormous potential to support change in society by addressing current and future social, environmental and economic sustainability challenges. We are committed to solving real-world global and regional challenges and have chosen to align with the United Nation’s global Sustainable Development Goals.
The Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) Group supports the University by “Transforming Spaces into Places”, and all teams within the Group are expected to work collaboratively and provide cross functional team support to achieve this aim. Within I&O, the Master Planning, Sustainability & Services Division’s sustainability team provide to the La Trobe University community: • Sustainability advice and insights through the development of engaging education programs and materials, consultations, dissemination of legislation, and sharing examples of innovation. • Development, programming and implementation of projects, solutions, action plans, and other initiatives to reduce the University’s environmental impacts. • Formal reporting on our progress against sustainability benchmarks and use of data to inform continual improvement. • Management of the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary, a unique physical space which promotes sustainability and urban biodiversity at our Melbourne Bundoora Campus. • Staging of on-ground activities and events that increase awareness of and volunteerism in sustainability across campuses. • Provision of timely advice on the potential environmental impacts of physical projects and operations, and providing solutions to mitigate these, wherever possible.
Our community includes staff, students and businesses on campus, and other key stakeholders, including contractors, development partners, and surrounding communities, at all our campuses.
Key Accountabilities: The Sustainability Coordinator is primarily responsible for: • Delivery of innovative environment systems and projects that reduce the University’s environmental impacts.
Infrastructure and Operations, La Trobe University Sustainability Coordinator PD 16 April 2021
• Providing strategic and technical expertise, tools and systems support, and management, to progressively improve the University’s environmental performance in line with University environmental sustainability targets. • Development, implementation and assessment of innovative environmental programs and tools to reduce energy and water consumption, carbon emissions, single occupant vehicles, waste to landfill and increase recycling across all campuses. • Delivering up-to-date and timely knowledge of environmental best-practice, new innovations, and environmental tools, and legislative or planning requirements, that can enable the University to achieve its environmental goals more effectively. • Liaising with internal and external stakeholders, both to communicate progress on environmental projects and to develop key design and implementation principles and formats for environmental projects, tools, and systems. • Preparing and managing appropriate grant applications and award submissions. • Collaborating and working closely with colleagues to continuously improve the quality of service of the Unit and Division. • Assisting in mentoring staff to deliver environmental programs. • Other duties as directed by the Senior Manager, Sustainability & Campus Planning.
Duties at this level may include: • Applies theoretical knowledge or management or policy expertise to bring together diverse and sometimes conflicting information to solve new or one off problems, to develop innovative methodologies, to analyse a situation and propose new responses or solutions or to take a leading role in the application of proven techniques involving considerable theoretical and technical sophistication. • Performs tasks requiring the application of substantial theoretical and/or professional knowledge and experience to a range of issues and circumstances requiring considerable interpretation. • Responsible for independently monitoring, reviewing and developing procedures in own functional area. • Exercises a detailed knowledge of the interrelationships between a range of diverse policies and activities. • Anticipates customer needs and requests, identifying opportunities and facilitating change management. • Manages other administrative, technical and professional staff on an as required basis. • Develops and improves the capability of staff within work area, motivating and mentoring them to better meet the current and future requirements of the work unit. • Contributes to planning and budgetary statements and delivery of service resources within budgetary constraints. • Exercises a detailed knowledge of the interrelationships between a range of diverse policies and activities. • Negotiates solutions where a range of interests have to be accommodated, often requiring working with contributors with different areas of expertise. • Develops proposals or recommendations which coordinate the interests of separate work units or contributors around a particular program, function or objective and shares some accountability for the decisions taken, without normally being responsible for final authorisation.
Key Selection Criteria • Appropriate tertiary qualification in environmental science, environmental management, or related discipline and / or relevant training and relevant and extensive experience. • A passion for sustainability.
Infrastructure and Operations, La Trobe University Sustainability Coordinator PD 16 April 2021
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to develop excellent working relationships, with colleagues, contractors, students, and other stakeholders. • Demonstrated experience in the design, development and implementation of programs for delivery of sustainable commercial, institutional and residential design and construction, the development of green infrastructure such as solar farms, and improving the environmental performance of operations covering water, waste and energy use. • Demonstrated capacity to lead, organise work effectively and efficiently, and deliver outputs in a timely manner. • High level project management skills essential with experience in the delivery and/or design of environment systems and programs preferred. • High-level conceptual, analytical and problem-solving abilities. • Good understanding and some capacity in sustainability behaviour change formats and techniques. • Ability to work with diverse stakeholders, multidisciplinary teams and groups, and individuals to facilitate and foster a climate of innovative and collaboration. • Excellent organisational and time management skills to ensure facilitation of the operational requirements of the University community. • Experience managing staff and budgets.
Desirable Attributes • Demonstrable experience in NGERS, TEFMA, and NPI reporting. • Demonstrable experience in using SAP software and solutions. • Demonstrable experience in producing high quality written materials in a range of formats and for different audiences. • A good understanding of key environmental issues that are relevant and specific to La Trobe University. • Extensive insight into and understanding of NABERS, Green Star (Communities and Buildings), WELS, and NatHERS.
Essential Compliance Requirements To hold this La Trobe University position the occupant must: • hold, or be willing to undertake and pass, a Victorian Working With Children Check; AND • take personal accountability to comply with all University policies, procedures and legislative or regulatory obligations; including but not limited to TEQSA and the Higher Education Threshold Standards.
Hours and Position Flexibility • This is a permanent full time (35 hours per week) position based at Bundoora; some weekend and out of hours work may be required as well as travel to our city and regional campuses. • We will consider applications that propose reduced hours, and La Trobe University is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive, and respectful working environment for all staff. • We offer flexible work arrangements that can assist you in balancing your work and other responsibilities.
La Trobe Cultural Qualities Our cultural qualities underpin everything we do. As we work towards realising the strategic goals of the University we strive to work in a way which is aligned to our four cultural qualities:
Infrastructure and Operations, La Trobe University Sustainability Coordinator PD 16 April 2021
• We are Connected: We connect to the world outside — the students and communities we serve, both locally and globally. • We are Innovative: We tackle the big issues of our time to transform the lives of our students and society. • We are Accountable: We strive for excellence in everything we do. We hold each other and ourselves to account, and work to the highest standard. • We Care: We care about what we do and why we do it. We believe in the power of education and research to transform lives and global society. We care about being the difference in the lives of our students and communities.
For Human Resource Use Only Initials: Date:
Infrastructure and Operations, La Trobe University Sustainability Coordinator PD 16 April 2021