People & Operations Director

Invasive Species Council; Canberra; Hybrid; AUD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Paid study leave

Field work leave

Extra annual leave

Job summary

The Invasive Species Council is seeking a People and Operations Director to lead the money, people, systems and governance of the organisation. The role reports to the CEO and guides the Senior Leadership Team on financial strategy, HR and operational excellence across Canberra, Wollongong or Brisbane locations.

You will manage a small team, oversee budgets and contractor spend, and support strategic growth with hands‑on delivery and policy‑level decisions.

Qualifications

• Experience running finances and budgeting for a growing organisation.
• Ability to work with boards and governance processes.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual budgeting and multi‑year financial planning with CEO and Board.
• Oversee bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, and annual audit.
• Develop and implement people policies, HR processes and culture initiatives.
• Manage governance, legal and compliance obligations with a risk-aware mindset.
• Drive operational systems including finance, CRM, IT and travel.

Skills

Leadership

Financial management

Governance

People management

Strategic planning

Education

Accounting background

Legal knowledge

HR knowledge

Tools

Xero

CRM systems

Job description

Position: People and Operations Director

Senior Leadership team: Member alongside the Policy, Advocacy, Media & Communications, and Philanthropy & Fundraising directors

Reports to: CEO

Direct reports: 2 x Operations support officers, operational contractors

Basis: Permanent full time

Location: Canberra (ACT), Wollongong (NSW) or Brisbane (QLD). Hybrid office + work from home role

Salary range: $125,000 - $150,000 per annum plus super, depending on skills and experience. Salary packaging, paid study or field work leave, plus extra annual leave are part of the package

About the Invasive Species Council

The Invasive Species Council is Australia’s only national environmental organisation dedicated solely to advocacy on invasive species. In the past 5 years we have grown from 8 to 25 staff, and from $750,000 to more than $3.5 million a year in income.

Our staff work around the country, mainly from home, with an office currently in Wollongong (NSW). Our Board-approved strategy is to be a truly national organisation by 2030, with state-based advocates and strong policy and communications capability, which will mean further growth in staff. Our guiding principle is to ‘make it bigger than us’. Our culture is strong: in our latest staff pulse survey 100% of staff reported they enjoy working at the Invasive Species Council and are proud to work here.

Purpose of the role

This is a new senior role, created to complement the growth of the Invasive Species Council. The People & Operations Director will ensure the Council has the money, the people, the systems and good governance needed to deliver its mission. The Director will own responsibility for the organisation’s finances and budget, people policies and practices, governance, legal and risk, and operational systems. The CEO leads the Council’s overall strategy and culture, and this role is the CEO’s key partner in putting them into practice.

This is both a strategic and a hands‑on role. You will manage a small team of direct reports, plus a budget for contractors, tools and expert advice. The work ranges from setting multi‑year financial strategy with the CEO and the Board to organising a staff event or chasing an overdue invoice, and the successful applicant will need to be comfortable with this range of responsibilities. You’ll do a substantial share of the hands‑on work yourself, not only oversee it.

Some travel is required, including to our twice-yearly all-staff gatherings and occasional events.

How we work

We are committed to building an internal culture that empowers, supports and sets clear expectations for our staff and volunteers. These are the behaviours we expect of each other:

• We are relentless in pursuing outcomes and having impact.
• We are not scared to fail and learn from the experience.
• We are collaborative, resourceful and take initiative.
• We are all responsible for a healthy team culture.
• We are connected to and speak up for nature.
• Integrity is not negotiable.

We also believe in good governance, delivered with the minimum of processes required. The Council deliberately has a small operations footprint so that most of our resources go to the mission. In this role that means we expect you to:

• Protect the organisation’s legal, financial and reputational standing.
• Design systems that are suitable and necessary and remove ones that no longer have value.
• Explore ways to do things better and bring ideas to the table.
• Muck in wherever the organisation needs it.

Why this role is different

• Your work will matter. You’ll build the foundations that help us grow our impact for Australia’s wildlife and wild places.
• You’ll shape the organisation, not just maintain it. Your first big task is to review our finance, legal and HR arrangements and design the structure we need for the next stage of growth.
• You’ll have real influence. You’ll sit on the Senior Leadership Team as an equal partner to our policy, advocacy, communications and fundraising leads, and work closely with the CEO.
• Your ideas will get used. We’re small enough that a good idea can be in place next month, not next year.

You’ll thrive here if you:

• want to make a difference for nature, and are relentless about getting results
• are ready to step up to a director role, or are already there and want work that matters
• believe in good governance with the minimum process needed, and enjoy asking ‘do we still need this?’
• take initiative, aren’t afraid to try new things, and learn from the ones that don’t work
• are just as happy fixing a spreadsheet as presenting to the Board, because everyone here mucks in
• hold yourself to high standards of integrity, because in this role it’s not negotiable

A background in accounting, law or HR or is welcome but isn’t a requirement. You do need to be confident with numbers, have sound judgement, and know when to call in expert help.

Key Responsibilities

Finance & Budget

• Lead the annual budget process across all cost centres and tied‑funding projects, and prepare multi‑year scenarios that support the 2030 strategy
• Own monthly management reporting, cash flow forecasting, and reporting to the Treasurer and Board
• Manage the bookkeeping and accounting relationships, payroll, accounts payable and the annual audit
• Work with the Philanthropy & Fundraising Director to ensure that revenue forecasts, donor receipting and grant and donor funds are tracked, acquitted and reported correctly
• Help budget holders understand and manage their own budgets

People & HR

• Own the Council’s people policies, employment conditions and award compliance
• Run recruitment, onboarding, performance and development processes
• Support the CEO’s leadership of organisational culture, including the People & Culture Committee’s work on staff wellbeing and engagement
• Advise Directors and Managers on complex people matters and ensure all sensitive matters are handled with care and discretion
• Co‑coordinate the Council’s twice‑yearly all‑staff gatherings, staff training program and staff pulse surveys

Governance, Legal and Compliance

• Manage the Board processes including the Board and committee papers, the AGM and tracking Board decisions. The CEO’s Executive Assistant provides secretariat support including minutes, scheduling and action lists
• Ensure the Council complies with its constitution and meets its ACNC, tax, privacy, DGR and workplace obligations
• Manage contracts and legal processes
• Maintain a lean, relevant and current set of organisational policies and delegations

Risk, Safety and Insurance

• Keep the risk register current and review it quarterly with the Senior Leadership Team and Board
• Lead work health and safety for the organisation, including field and remote work safety for a dispersed team working in a variety of settings
• Manage insurance, business continuity and cyber security obligations and requirements

Systems and Operations

• Lead the Council’s operational systems including finance, CRM, IT, travel, records and collaboration tools, and drive improvements
• Manage the operations team and contractors
• Use automation and new tools including AI where they improve operations without adding risk

Leadership

• As a member of the senior leadership team, help set organisational priorities and make decisions in the interest of the whole organisation
• Contribute to the CEO‑led strategic planning process, and lead annual operational planning and impact reporting in people and operations
• Lead, coach and develop the people and operations team

Partnership with Philanthropy and Fundraising

• Work closely with the Philanthropy and Fundraising Director to connect revenue targets, budgets and cash flow forecasts
• Make sure finance, CRM and receipting systems support donor stewardship, grant reporting and supporter growth
• Oversee supporter care, including supporter inbox, phone enquiries, address and payment updates, regular giving updates, complaints and unsubscribes

Other

• Celebrate the Council’s contribution to the environment and all Australians.
• Adhere to ISC policies and procedures and ensure adherence by staff, contractors and volunteers.
• Attend staff meetings and training as required
• Proactively contribute to a positive, collaborative and values driven culture with the team and organisation.
• Practice and promote appropriate self‑care and collaboration at an individual, team and organisation‑wide level.
• Other duties as determined by the CEO from time to time.

Priorities for the first 6 months

• Review the organisation’s finance, legal and HR arrangements and recommend a long‑term structure to the CEO, covering:
  • the bookkeeping and finance model as the Council is on a short term contract with a new provider pending review,
  • access to legal advice,
  • the scope and value of outsourced HR support.
• Take over management of the Board process, working with the Executive Assistant
• Review the organisation’s policies, risk framework and governance arrangements, and recommend changes so they are right‑sized for the organisation’s size, needs and mission
• Working with the Philanthropy and Fundraising Director, clarify responsibilities, requirements and capacity across the fundraising and operations teams for supporter care, donation and grant processing, and database management.

What success looks like after 12 months

• The Board and Treasurer receive clear, timely financial reports, and the FY27 mid‑year review and FY28 budget were delivered on time with little drama
• Managers say the operations team makes their job easier
• A long‑term model for finance, legal and HR support has been agreed and put in place, and policies, delegations and the risk register are current, short and used.
• At least 2 operational processes have been simplified, automated, or removed
• Responsibilities between the fundraising and operations teams are clear and working well

Selection Criteria

We care most about how you think and work. Please address these criteria briefly in your cover letter. If you don’t meet every criterion we would still like to hear from you.

Essential

• A track record of running things well in a small and growing or fast‑moving organisation, including personally doing hands‑on operational and administrative work alongside strategic responsibilities
• Strong financial literacy: you can build and manage a budget, read financial statements and explain the numbers to non‑finance colleagues
• Sound judgement on people, risk and compliance matters, and the ability to know when to seek expert advice
• A pragmatic, low‑process mindset, with examples of improving or simplifying systems
• Excellent relationship skills and emotional intelligence, and a collaborative leadership style
• Commitment to the Invasive Species Council’s mission and values (the behaviours set out in ‘How we work’)

Desirable

• Experience in a not-for‑profit or advocacy organisation
• Experience working with a Board
• Qualifications in finance, HR, law or governance
• Experience with XERO and a CRM

Applicants must possess full working rights in Australia to be eligible for appointment. A current National Police Check (NPC) will be required and a Working With Vulnerable Persons Check (WWVP) may be required.

Invasive Species Council is an equal opportunity employer. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Applications close: 11:59 pm Sunday 15 November 2026.

Applications will be reviewed continuously and interviews will be arranged as shortlisted applications are received. We strongly encourage you to apply early.

More info: To organise a confidential chat about the role please contact Steph (CEO’s EA) on *******@invasives.org.au