A rare opportunity to join a small, high-impact organisation at the forefront of sustainable forest management certification in Australia and New Zealand — and to play a central role in shaping its future.
About Responsible Wood
Responsible Wood is Australia's leading forest and forest products certification scheme, operating under the internationally recognised PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) framework. With a certification footprint covering 17.5 million hectares and over 250 Chain of Custody certificate holders. Responsible Wood is an outstanding successful national member scheme within the global PEFC network.
We are a small, passionate not-for-profit team of five, deeply committed to promoting sustainable forest management and ensuring Australian and New Zealand timber and forest products are among the most sustainably sourced in the world. Our work is important, our impact is real and our team is exceptional.
About the Role
This is a newly created senior position, established to build Responsible Wood's operational and strategic capability as the organisation enters its next phase of growth. The Business Operations Manager will work in close partnership with the CEO, freeing him to focus on his core technical, advocacy and PEFC leadership work, while taking ownership of the organisation's financial management, business development, governance support and operational systems.
You will be a peer to the Sustainability Manager within the leadership team, both reporting directly to the CEO. You will also directly manage the Administration Officer and Bookkeeper, providing day-to-day direction and support to those roles.
This is a role for someone who thrives in a small organisation environment, is comfortable operating with autonomy and initiative and brings both strategic thinking and the willingness to roll up their sleeves and get things done.
What you will be working on
* Strategic financial management: leading proactive financial planning, budget modelling, fee structure review and board-quality financial reporting.
* Business development: executing the organisation's Strategic Relationships Plan, engaging prospective certificate holders and growing the scheme's reach into new industry sectors including packaging and building.
* Board and subcommittee support: owning the preparation of board papers, minutes, action tracking and governance compliance, allowing the CEO to fully engage in strategic discussion.
* Debt recovery: managing aged receivables and maintaining a professional, effective debt recovery process.
* Strategic reporting: preparing high-quality, concise business plan updates and dashboard reporting for the Board.
* Operational improvement: leading the adoption of modern productivity tools, CRM systems, AI-assisted workflows and improved processes across the team.
* Team culture: fostering a connected, collaborative team culture across a geographically dispersed group of highly capable people.
About You
You are an experienced, capable operator who knows how to make things happen in a small organisation. You are equally comfortable preparing a board paper, having a business development conversation with a prospective member or working through a financial scenario model. You build trust quickly, communicate clearly and bring calm, considered judgment to complex situations.
You will bring
* Tertiary qualifications in Business, Commerce, Management or a related field
* Demonstrated management or operations experience
* Strong financial literacy including budgeting and scenario analysis
* Experience supporting board-level governance
* Experience in business development or stakeholder engagement
* Proficiency in Microsoft Office, CRM tools and digital productivity platforms
Highly regarded
* Postgraduate qualifications in business, finance or governance
* Experience in or knowledge of sustainability, forestry, natural resource management or certification sectors
* Experience working in a small not-for-profit organisation
* Familiarity with AI-assisted workflows and modern digital tools
Why Join Responsible Wood?
Meaningful work. Responsible Wood's mission sits at the intersection of environmental sustainability, industry credibility and global supply chain integrity. The work you do will have tangible, lasting impact.
A great team. You will be joining a small, talented and deeply committed group of people who genuinely care about what they do and who they do it with.
Genuine influence. As a newly created senior role, you will have the opportunity to shape how the organisation operates and grows. Your ideas will be heard and your contribution will be visible.
Flexibility. We are open to a 0.8 FTE arrangement for the right candidate and we understand that great people have lives outside of work.
Professional development. Responsible Wood is committed to the ongoing development of its people and to building a workplace where everyone can do their best work.
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