Appointments - just in

Casino takes no chances

Crown Ltd, which owns Crown Casino, has appointed Jonathan Wood as sustainability and environment manager. Mr. Wood, a mechanical engineer, previously worked for building services consultancy Umow Lai for five years before a stint in the UK with Fulcrum Consulting. Recruiter was Jonathan Hill of Hays Engineering.

On the way up

The Reed Group has appointed its first head of environment and sustainability  in a signal that it intends stepping up from a second tier building contractor to first. Vince Chaplin, Reed’s new appointment, comes with all the right credentials. He was the former president of the Australian Council of Recylers, he worked for the Olympic Co-ordination Authority, introduced Qantas to the sustainable side of development and at Onesteel, worked with the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating system on the treatment of Onesteel products to be eligible for credit points.

According to Mr Chaplin Reed has grown from about 60 staff to about 400 today and is still hiring and being able to offer clients a sustainability strategy  is part of stepping up to a Tier I company, he said.  In the past two weeks Mr Reed has appointed two environmental co-ordinator site reps and will be hiring more if the company wins the number of contracts that it anticipates. Current work includes for Defence, in mining, hospitality and the Building Education Revolution where the company is a lead contractor in NSW and South-East Queensland.

Hassell

Alan Chapman has moved to the HASSELL Adelaide studio to join the Architecture team as Principal Urban Designer. Mr. Chapman, who has been with HASSELL for over 20 years and has worked on major projects in the UK, Hong Kong, Sydney, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne and Adelaide, most recently led the Bowden Village master plan project, a major component in the future growth strategy for Adelaide.

Arup

Eric Serret has joined Arup to head up its Existing Building Survival Strategies aimed at re-energising older buildings. He was previously a senior manager at E P & T where he implemented portfolio-wide energy and water management programs for property companies, including Investa, GPT Stockland and Colonial.

Contaminated land engineers hard to find

In Melbourne, Jonathan Hill at Hays Engineering jonathan.hill@hays.com.au, says he is struggling to fill a position for a senior contaminated land practitioner for Sinclair Knight Mertz. But that’s not unusual, says Jonathon. There is “…a huge shortage of people in this field after laws toughened up requiring more intensive scrutiny of suspect land,” he says.

Senior engineers in the field can expect salaries of $170,000. But auditors can expect $320,000 a year or more.

“Auditors are very hard to find. There are probably only 25 auditors in Victoria and senior contaminated land engineers and project managers are very rare commodities. You don’t get a very good response. As soon as I get people like that I can place them very quickly.”

No consistency

Judd Farris’ Mike Skelding couldn’t see a pattern in the current sustainable jobs market in the past two months, reporting “no consistency in what clients require.” He is still searching for a smart contender to head up an Asia Pacific business, based in Sydney. The client is confidential however the fees are swirling around the $220,000 mark plus bonuses.

Penrith City Council

Bernadette Riad has stepped into the temporary position as sustainability co-coordinator at Penrith City Council in an internal appointment while Carmel Hamilton is on maternity leave.

Penrith’s sustainability chief Paul Grimson says there are; four people in the team, and “probably a fifth if you include the trainees.” The way sustainability is approached, he says, is that it “runs across everything. Most people have a core focus and a large part of what we do is training and education.”

ACT job still open

Tony Mahar at the Australian Food and Grocery Council said he is still on the search for an experienced policy developer with tertiary qualifications in environmental science, resource management, economics or a related field to assist with development of policy and programs related to the environmental and social aspects of food and beverages sector with an emphasis on waste, water and sustainability. Contact Mr Mahar at tony.mahar@afgc.org.au

Blue goes green

21 February 2010 - While architects, engineers and developers are learning the “green” game, so too are Australia’s blue collar construction workers. And at the forefront of change will be plumbers who deliver the majority of energy consumed in buildings.

According to the Green Building Council of Australia major re-training is under way in a variety of trades delivering buildings in the commercial and residential sphere.

“Plumbers are considering ways to save water, bricklayers are recycling whatever they can and electricians are laying cables in buildings without ceilings in a revolution which is changing building sites right across Australia,” the GBCA’s executive director of education and marketing, Tania Crosbie said.

Blue collar building jobs, estimated to be around 1 million Australia-wide, now feature a wide range of jobs considered “green” Ms Crosbie said.

“The green economy in Australia is believed to be worth about $17 billion and forecasts indicate that another 850,000 green collar jobs will be created over the next 20 years,” she said.

“In the past five years, the GBCA has trained over 14,500 people working in property and construction in the use of the green building environmental rating system, Green Star.”

Plumbers could well be leading the way.

Vin Ebejer, general manager of the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre, which opened in Melbourne’s inner suburb of Brunswick last year, more than 70 per cent of the energy consumed in a house was delivered by the plumbing system. See the whole story http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/9583

Jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs

25 February 2010
Sydney
$110k - $125k Package. Reporting to the AsiaPac Head of Sustainability, and to the Regional Director, you will be responsible for developing and driving sustainability programs across numerous corporate accounts. Submit your application to mike.skelding@juddfarris.com.au

Sydney
As the head of sustainability and strategic development involved in this global program, you will be integral in delivering hands-on consulting to a portfolio of client and properties across Australasia. email marc@charterhouse.jobs

Sydney
Principal environmental planner, $170,000 - $150,000. Your signature will sign-off on impressive road, rail, and water infrastructure EIA/EIS reports. A very strong team of scientists, ecologists, planners, and engineers are coordinating both niche and mainstream projects at the envy of major competitors. Contact  Brett@EnvironmentJobs.com.au

Western Australia
Environmental sustainability consultant, $155K - $134K
With the level of expertise and knowledge in sustainability fields you have developed, you will recognise the difference between simple carbon counting, and large scale sustainable design systems. Make sure you sink your teeth into something significant. Contact Amyj@Environmentjobs.com.au

Melbourne
Assistant Policy Adviser
Resources and Infrastructure Branch. Assist, analyse and contribute to complex policy issues for key stakeholder, $51,818 - $62,917 a year plus 9 per cent employer superannuation contribution CBD Location. Apply
www.careers.vic.gov.au

The jobs market in sustainability is hot.

12 February 2010 - Jones Lang LaSalle’s Anita Mitchell is interviewing for seven new positoins, partly to deal with a new facilities mangement contract for Telstra just won from United, but also for the number of projects clients are suddenly saying “Go” to. See News from the Front Desk for more.

Rosemary Kirkby at GPT

28 January 2010 -GPT has appointed Rosemary Kirkby to a new role as head of communities with a brief to “cultivate the conditions for the development of strong communities by engaging people in the co-creation of those environments,” a media statement from GPT said.
Kirkby was the woman who put MLC on the workspace map with her leading influence on its ground-breaking headquarters at North Sydney. Later she blended her human resources background with work in project management, cultural change, leadership development and organisational behaviour with design.
Over the past few years Kirkby has been running her own consultancy, Rosemary Kirkby & Associates, with clients such as the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Pfizer, Challenger Financial Services, Stockland and the University of Adelaide.
Gongs have included the CBRE-Corenet Global Aust/NZ Real Estate Executive of the Year in 2008 and she is a Senior Fellow in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne.

JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS

February 2010

Melbourne
Engineering facilities manager.
Circa $90-$95,000.
Experienced Engineering Facilities Manager to run a 20,000 sq metres commercial property in Melbourne
Please forward your resume to Louise Rowe on
louise@juddfarris.com.au
or telephone 03 9620 2717.

Melbourne
National Sustainability Manager
Responsible for driving Sustainability and Energy Management as a service line delivering to a significant blue chip client
submit your application to mike.skelding@juddfarris.com.au

Sydney
National Sustainability Manager
responsible for driving Sustainability and Energy Management as a service line delivering to a significant Blue Chip client
submit your application to mike.skelding@juddfarris.com.au

Melbourne
Senior Facilities Manager
Six Figure Package
you will be responsible for the delivery of the day to day management of services including contracted and in-house aspects.
To apply, please forward your resume complete with covering letter to Louise Rowe at louise@juddfarris.com.au;  Tel: 03 9620 2717

Perth
Urban Design Coordinator
circa $70,000 - $80,000 pa
The primary focus of the role is to assess home building plans for all LWP managed projects.
Email your application which must include a covering letter of introduction to Justine Mountford Senior Project Manager LWP Property Group Pty Ltd jmountford@lwpproperty.com.au

Sydney
Climate Change Adaptation Leader
A Senior Specialist Consultant is needed to provide leadership to the climate change business, to represent the business at CEO level in client organisations, and to grow a credible sustainability business team.
Contact Aurecon

Perth
Coordinator Planning and sustainability
The RIA is seeking a person with urban or regional planning experience to provide planning and development control services for the Authority
Salary: $66,752 - $73,775
contact John Tedesco, Manager Planning and Governance on (08) 9432 9363 (not to be contacted for job application packages). For general HR enquiries or job application packages, please call 9432 9305.

ACT
Sustainability Analyst
Salary: $80,000 - $100,000
The Australian Food and Grocery Council is seeking to employ an appropriately skilled person to work on the development and implementation of policy and programs related to environmental, economic and social issues impacting on the food, beverage and grocery sector
Inquires and applications should be directed to
Tony Mahar (tony.mahar@afgc.org.au) Director, Sustainable Development

Archive

Perth

Sustainability educator - HotRock, a sustainability-oriented charity seeks tertiary qualified educator to design online curriculum for secondary schools. Send CV and inquiries to  Lucy Legget at resources@thehotrock.org.au

Melbourne
Sustainability Analyst - Jones Lang LaSalle seek applicant with tertiary qualifications in energy or utilities background, sustainability credentials to prepare assestments for national sustainability management team and a major corporate client.
Online application form available.

Sydney - Inner
Sustainability leader - Lend Lease require experienced manager to drive sustainability initiatives and provide strategic and technical advice to Project Managers, stakeholders and external clients. Successful applicant will have tertiary qualifications in engineering, construction, architecture or related field along with Green Star sustainability training and a minimum of five years experience in property project management.
Apply online or contact Adrian Donohue at 1800 732 972

Sydney - Penrith
Sustainability Co-ordinator, $82,900 - Penrith City Council are looking for a” passionate and experienced” sustainability specialist to coordinate the development and delivery of innovative and effective sustainability programs.Visit website for more details or contact Paul Grimson on (02) 4732 7701

Canberra
Sustainability Analyst, $80,000-$100,000. The Australian Food and Grocery Council seek experienced policy developer with tertiary qualifications in environmental science, resource management, economics or related field to assist with development of policy and programs related to the environmental and social aspects of food and beverages sector with an emphasis on waste, water and sustainability.
Contact Tony Mahar at tony.mahar@afgc.org.au

Melbourne stars with some choice offerings:

20 January 2010

Melbourne
Senior contaminated land practioner for Sinclair Knight Mertz, to help grow the contaminated land business in a company with 6500 employees in 17 countries. Contact Jonathan Hill at Hays Engineering jonathan.hill@hays.com.au  or 03 9642 4066

Melbourne
Development Director, Events, BicycleVictoria. The mission statement is: “More people cycling more often.” The position: to develop events asnd the teams of people who plan organise and developer the, in order to generate income, momentum and income.”  Contact cv@dakinmayers.com.au Phone03 9629 6999.

Melbourne
Three roles with the Victorian Government:

• Manager, brown coal technologies $89,666-$119,995 plus super, to lead the development and implementation” of projects geared to the “sustainable utilisastion” of Victorian coal, Ref, DPI 700952
• Manager, community development strategy, $89,666-$119,995 plus super for the Department of Planning and Community Develpment, to lead and support the development of liveable communities,” for someone with “extensive knowledge and experience of the public policy process and familiary with comunity development, local economic development or strategic planning.” Ref: DCPD/CD/500831
• Communications roles with $4.3 billion regional rail link project from West Werribee to Sunshine and to Southern Cross Station. A “high calibre” communicaitons team is being assembled a number of roles are available. See www.transport.vic.gov.au/careers or  www.career.vic.gov.au

Melbourne
Development manager, Trust for Nature, which has been established innovative conservation and biodiversity programs, with more than 800,000 hectares now protected. Responsible for delivering policy, strategy and projects to encourage investment in nature conservation. Call (03) 9631 5200 or careers@reisandcompany.com.au

December 2009

Sydney CBD - Sustainability Project Coordinator. Leader Property group. $80-$100,000 for a leading property group with office, industrial and retail properties, in the Australian, New Zealand’s, North American and European markets. Contact Emilie Huckel  (Reference Number EHCCCS002) http://mycareer.com.au/consumer/find/job/view.aspx?jobid=7284082

Melbourne Inner - Grants/Program Management, Sustainability Sector.
Manager with high level stakeholder management skills and experience, particularly in the community sector required to oversee investment program designed to harness opportunities presented by Victoria’s sustainability agenda.
Apply online.

Sydney West - Sustainability Education Officer - 68k
Penrith City Council seek motivated and experienced educator with appropriate qualification in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Education, Sustainability or a related field to help develop and coordinate the delivery of a City wide sustainability education program. For more information contact Carmel Hamilton on 4732 8050. Apply online.

Far North Queensland - Sustainability Assessor
Assessors urgently required for Cairns, Townsville local areas. Professional accredited training provided, good communications and time management skills required, potential to earn 2500/pw. Applications close 19th December.
Ph: 0430 536 888 / 0408 694 808 quote reference (FNQGREEN)
E: fnqgreen@gmail.com

Melbourne Inner - Online Education Manager  $45,000 + super
Centre for Sustainability Leadership seeks talented manager with good writing and networking skills to help develop the educational content of media rich online education program. Applications close 10th January but 20th December is advantageous.
For more detail visit.

Sydney CBD - NSW Manager - Environment and Sustainability
“World leading engineering and development consultancy” seeks experienced manager with team leadership skills and business acumen, appropriate tertiary engineering qualification ideally in environmental management or similar to lead team of multi disciplined environmental industry professionals. Apply online or contact Liz Floyd on 02 9919 6900 quoting reference code BPNSW32164.

Hunter Valley/Central Coast - Sustainability Assessor
Full time or casual, accredited training provided, apply online.

JOB NEWS

New appointments for MWH

John Darmody has been appointed Asia Pacific Director of Strategy for MWH, a global provider of environmental engineering, construction and strategic consulting services. Mr Darmody has more than 30 years of diverse engineering and management experience and most recently served as Managing Director, Australia. In his new role he will supervise key client relationships direct specific company growth initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions. In partnership with local teams across Asia Pacific, he will assist them to identify and clarify business development needs and objectives and monitor progress.

Peter Williams, a senior executive with the company will take over his role overseeing the operations and performance of MWH’s nine Australian offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra and on Queensland’s Gold and Sunshine Coasts. He joined MWH in 2001, becoming New South Wales State Manager in 2006 and overseeing an annual budget of more than $24 million and leading 125-plus staff members. His tenure at that post saw MWH continue to grow strongly despite tough economic circumstances.

New role for Monica Vandenberg

20 November 2009 - Monica Vandenberg has taken up a role as consultant to Australian Institute of Landscape Architects as national manager – government and community relations on a part time basis after recently leaving the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council where she had been executive director since 2007. Ms Vandenberg continues to operate her company, Encompass Sustainability, which offers strategies to bring sustainability into the business planning process.

Dexus on the search path

Recruiter  Mike Skelding of Judd Farris is currently searching to fill two posts with Dexus, reporting to sustainability manager Alex McKenna. One of the jobs is as engineering manager and another is sustainability project co-ordinator, Mr Skelding said.

Mirvac and Investa

Other companies on mini recruitment drives are Mirvac and Investa, both looking for engineering/technical types to manage NABERS ratings and other technical issues.

Green home loans are not greenwash

Contrary to much negative publicity green home loans are booming and this Federal Government program is well ahead of schedule, according to Alison Carmichael, chief executive of the Association of Building Sustainability Assessors.

The program sends out assessors to households to advise on energy improvements, which could range from simple behavioural change to replacing outdated equipment to the value of $10,000 in an interest free loan.

According to Ms Carmichael, whose association has the task of keeping up with booming demand to accredit assessors for the program, the program target is to provide 365,000 assessments over four years, but already 60,000 of these are completed and 78,000 are in the booking system

“There has been incredible grass roots uptake. It’s caught us by surprise, but it’s fantastic news. People are really ready for it.”

“They’re called green loans but it’s really about greenhouse gasses and energy efficiency. The emphasis isn’t really on the loan.”

The green home loans was good news for the thousands of assessors from many different fields of work, who are now embarking on the start of new sustainability related industries.

“Green loans are a bit like a nursery, like the start of a whole new industry.”

“We think that for green assessors it will broaden their experience so they can work in other [related] programs.

The ABSA has been in operation since 2003 and currently has 2170 members. It sets minimum standards for entry to building sustainability assessment with intention  to lift the standards as the industry matures.

Assessment is carried out under a national protocol but the ABSA does not receive any money from the Federal program, instead charging fees to its members for accreditation.

Negativity about the loans, - and other sustainability programs such as home insulation and solar arrays for that matter - did not always make sense, Ms Carmichael thought since early termination of programs generally signalled an early take up rather than failure, she said.

For information on the green home loans see www.hsas.net.au or www.environment.gov.au/greenloans

New jobs for Gabrielle Kuiper and Amanda Steele …and a whole lot of networking going on…

5 November 2009 -Gabrielle Kuiper has joined the huge Government land agency VicUrban as environment director. She was recently sustainability manager with property group Investa, a role she held for two-and-a-half years. Previously Dr Kuiper has held roles at Clarendon Homes and run her own consultancy, which worked with local government and companies such as GHD.

Dr Kuiper was the first PhD student with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney in 1997-2002 “before it was fashionable”, she recalls.

In her “spare” time, Dr Kuiper, who hails originally from New Zealand, has contributed to publications such as New Matilda on environmental issues and integrated transport [see http://cpd.org.au/user/gkuiper and is an occasional lecturer in sustainability, including developing a course titled”‘Making Sustainable Places” at the University of Western Sydney with Professor Peter Phibbs and Dr Alison Ziller.

TFE looks forward to learning more about Dr Kuiper’s influence on VicUrban in the coming months.

Stockland embraces CSR

Stockland’s new national sustainability manager, commercial, Amanda Steele, has only held the reins of this newly created position for a few weeks but she is relishing the prospect of extending the corporate social responsibility experience to the commercial property world, especially in shopping centres, where a there is continual interaction with community and community issues.

She’s well-armed for the job; Ms Steele has held senior sustainability roles at Suncorp, Insurance Australia Group and Sydney Water. At IAG she was responsible for work that led to the company being recognised as a leader in sustainability by international organisations such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the United Nations, Ethical Investor and the Davos Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable organisations.

Even more pertinent in today’s complex world of business and its intertwining with government and political imperatives will be her background with the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership under John Howard, which sought to encourage and facilitate individual and corporate social responsibility and  which included members such as the Prime Minister, David Gonski and the late Richard Pratt.

Over a coffee at Stock Home, Stockland’s swanky sustainable pad in Castlereagh Street in Sydney, Ms Steele told TFE of the formative moments that cemented her career choice. One was meeting Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, where Ms Steele worked as a student. Roddick, she says, was an engaging woman possessed of a “wicked” sense of humour, who encouraged staff to spend part of their paid work time on community issues. Ms Steele’s choice was a community investment scheme for abused youth.

Another influence was attending a climate change presentation by Al Gore in 2007, an event that had the audience “mobbing the stage” and in tears, including Gore’s wife, Tipper.

No wonder Stockland thought Ms Steele was a good catch.

Raring to go

Thomasen Leahy has been appointed sustainability consultant with Adaptation Environmental Support after two years with RARE Consulting group. Ms Leahy said she completed degrees in economics and science, specialising in sustainability, before joining RARE. Lisa Tarry Turning Green handled the placement.

Green skills initiative

The Melbourne based WPC group has embarked on a project that involves year-long training of people for greens skills work in government and not-for-profit organisations in a range of sustainable initiatives such as land conservation, the water industry, green building plumbing or electrical skills and sustainable horticulture.

The plan is for an uptake of more than 140 positions a month for a limited period to a total of more than 600.

Networking and getting ready for action

Lisa Tarry of recruitment consultancy Turning Green says it’s been a big year for networking in the sustainability sector — plenty of drinks; new groups forming, government-sponsored and non-government alike — and the green development industry has been stoking the fires of goodwill, waiting for the tide to turn.

“It’s all about networking; loads of functions and lots of goodwill gatherings,” she says.

“A year ago everyone was terrified of doing anything. They had their their purse strings tightly closed.

“It’s been a year of up-skilling and gradually the cloud has lifted and it’s a steady path through to Copenhagen …Obviously the decoupling of the emissions trading scheme with a renewable energy target was a significant milestone, but then a lot of jobs around are ground level jobs such as a solar-panel installers and grid workers. Quite base-level roles.”

At the corporate end there is also evidence is that the tide is turning and demand for green jobs and green services is building, she says. ASX-listed companies are hiring some in-house staff and, for now at least, outsourcing the overflow of work.

“They can’t cope with the amount of work they have, so they will outsource extra work to consultants,” Ms Tarry says.

On the candidates sides, competition for in-house positions with the best companies is fierce. “Applications are running at about 70 to 80 for each position,” she says.

That doesn’t mean others are missing out. They are registering the surge in outsourcing work and teaming up with like-minded people to form small consultancies.

“I’m seeing a lot of candidates register with me and then drop off to start their own company or getting together with other consultants to start companies.”