Executive Assistant

Join a vibrant team in a new, Traditional Owner-led initiative!

This is a newly created, full-time role for a talented Aboriginal &/or Torres Strait Islander person (strong preference for a Reef Traditional Owner) with a passion for strong governance, attention to detail and executive support. You’ll be part of a fast-paced, core team working to elevate the aspirations and amplify the voice of Reef Traditional Owners. The role is based in Queensland (remote; location flexible) but may require occasional travel.   

Fixed-term appointment until 31 March 2028.

+ The Scoop:

The Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Taskforce (ReefTO) is a Traditional Owner-led, grassroots initiative that honours the decades of work by Elders to assert their cultural authority and rights to sea country and to drive genuine partnerships across the Reef. In doing so, ReefTO aims to achieve Traditional Owners’ aspirations for the health, management and protection of the Reef and interconnecting Country.

ReefTO has three key objectives over the next 2-3 years:

1. Engage with Traditional Owners to establish a Sea Country Alliance. 
2. Oversee strategic policy and capacity building actions in the TO Implementation Plan. 
3. Monitor and report on the delivery of actions in the TO Implementation Plan. 

ReefTO is hosted by Pollination Foundation until a Sea Country Alliance is set up.

+ The Opportunity:

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, highly organised, efficient, multi-tasking Executive Assistant to support ReefTO in delivering its objectives!

Over the next couple of years, ReefTO will lead a dynamic program of work, including activities such as: planning and delivering large events; engaging deeply with Traditional Owners throughout the Reef Catchment; working on policy and systems change; delivering priority actions in the TO Implementation Plan; and shaping genuine partnerships where Traditional Owners have at least an equal say in how things are done.

We have multiple funding partners who we report to and many other agencies and organisations that we work with in different ways. We also actively participate in several Reef-related forums that are relevant to our objectives. In addition, the ReefTO Taskforce conducts its own meetings and strategic planning workshops on a regular basis.

Working at ReefTO is like being in a start-up environment – we're not asking for a seat at the table; we’re building our own. This dynamic, fast-paced program of work requires the executive support of someone special. We’re looking for a talented and passionate individual who can support the General Manager and Director Corporate Services & Strategic Projects with executive administration and governance support. Together, we have a diverse set of tasks to tackle, so ReefTO needs someone who is keen to jump in and get involved, and who does not shy away from a challenge.

Your job will include ensuring we are working in alignment with our Terms of Reference and Governance Charter, planning and preparing for ReefTO Taskforce meetings and workshops, coordinating logistics, supporting invoicing, and providing executive assistance to the General Manager.

If you're ready to dive into a role where organisation meets inspiration, and where your ideas can truly make waves, then we want to hear from you!

+ Who We’re Looking For:

We're looking for an enthusiastic, super-organised, administrative extraordinaire to keep us on track, help drive our work and support the ReefTO Taskforce, comprised of Reef Traditional Owners. This role is diverse – you’ll need 3-5 years experience providing rockstar-level support to senior executives and know your way around the MS Office Suite with your eyes closed. You should be a whizz at learning systems and have a knack for identifying how things can be done more efficiently. With our team based all along the Great Barrier Reef coast, communication and a can-do attitude is key.

We’ll provide on-the-job training and any upskilling you might need, but this is a job for an experienced executive assistant who knows the ropes.

At ReefTO, we all work closely together, simply because we’re a small team and we’re all working on the same objectives. You won’t be alone!

+ What You’ll Be Doing (A.K.A. Your Superpowers): 

 Executive Assistance

• Providing high-level executive assistance to the General Manager and Leadership Team, including calendar and meeting management, managing correspondence.
• Book and coordinate travel on behalf of ReefTO staff and Taskforce members.

Secretariat and Governance Support

• Drive the preparation, planning and coordination of ReefTO Taskforce meetings, workshops and governance procedures, in line with the Terms of Reference.
• Maintain registers, such as the Interests Declaration register, Correspondence Register, and Actions Arising.
  
• Be responsible for drafting agendas, taking minutes, recording actions and preparing correspondence on behalf of the Leadership Team and Taskforce.
• Provide secretariat support of Taskforce ensuring alignment with the Terms of Reference and Governance Charter.

Administration

• Preparing draft documents, maintaining electronic files and CRM.
• Support General Manager and Taskforce to prepare for speaking engagements and meetings, including assisting with the creation of presentation materials including coordinating resources, summarising and reviewing content.
  
• Support the team with managing invoicing, tracking budgets, following up on contracts with service providers and vendors, and liaising with Accounts Payable and other internal teams.
• Help organise meetings, events and functions, as required.

+ Why You?

You’ll love this role if you thrive in a fast-moving, dynamic team environment and have exceptional attention to detail. You are resourceful, adaptable and proactive, calm under pressure and a great communicator – able to prioritise and effectively manage the needs of diverse stakeholders.  

You have a ferocious curiosity, an appetite for solving complex problems but are also comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. You are excited to work in a purpose-driven organisation and share our ambition and commitment to honouring and amplifying the voices of Reef Traditional Owners.

You will have worked in an Aboriginal organisation or corporation before, and perhaps also a government agency or not-for-profit organisation, so you are familiar with different systems and ways of doing things.

Most importantly, you have a positive, can-do attitude, and a sense of humour, making you a good fit in our high-performing team!

Due to the volume of hiring the ReefTO is currently doing, we don’t have the capacity to handle individual enquiries about positions.

To perform this role, it is essential that the person is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. It is therefore a genuine occupational requirement under section 25 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. Applications will only be considered from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with a strong preference for suitably qualified and experience Reef Traditional Owners.