First Nations Climate Legal Specialist (Parental Leave Cover)

Job Title:                      First Nations Climate Legal Specialist (Parental Leave Cover)

Strategic Focus:          Intersection of First Nations Justice and Climate

Location:                      Australia (remote)

Remuneration:             Competitive and benchmarked appropriately to location

Hours:                           Full-Time or Part-Time (5 or 4 days per week)

Contract type:                Fixed-Term Contract (12 months)

About The Funder 

We work as movement enablers and impact funders. We support growing the strength of the climate movement globally.

 

The Role

This role is a 12-month fixed term role, to provide additional capacity during a period of parental leave. A strategic focus of the role in the next 12-months is to deepen The Funder’s work at the intersection of First Nations Justice and Climate, as well as to help maintain the existing portfolio. There are also likely to be opportunities across our partner ecosystem to join legal or strategy roles after the 12-month role is complete.

It is a rare opportunity for an experienced, knowledgeable expert and innovator to apply their understanding of how civil society can enable First Nations and Climate Justice through legal and field building strategies.

This will include engaging funders and partners as well as developing and maintaining relationships with many of The Funder’s existing grantees.

This is an important grant making role within The Funder, and will work with staff across our portfolio teams, as well as the Research, Impact, and Learning (RIL), Grant Management, and Donor Relations teams.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Grant making portfolio development and implementation 

• Consult with First Nations groups to help co-develop a First Nations Climate Legal grant portfolio.
• Consult with partners and stakeholders to help coordinate and align efforts in the lead-up to COP31.
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing and connections that strengthen regional participation and impact.

Partner engagement and capacity building

• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with public-interest legal organisations, First Nations groups, and allied advocates.
• Facilitate collaboration across Australia and connecting partners to relevant expertise, resources, and peer learning opportunities.
• Support partners in identifying organisational capacity needs and linking them with training, research, and global best practice.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with grants, learning & impact, finance, and partnerships teams.
• Ensure grants and resource support are provided in ways that strengthen organisational capacity while preserving the full autonomy of partners in their legal work.
• Share partner insights to inform other global partners.

Convenings

• Design and deliver two major convenings during the contract period.
• Ensure events are inclusive, practical, and foster stronger collaboration across the legal community of practice.

Skills and Experience

• Interpersonal skills: ability to build and maintain relationships, including cultural competency and experience engaging with First Nations and Pacific communities.
• Understanding of public-interest legal practice in climate, environmental, and energy matters.
• Experience in community engagement, relationship building and coalition building
• Deep understanding of the public-interest legal sector.
• Skilled at translating complex legal concepts into accessible language for non-specialist audiences.
• Understanding of inclusive design principles and demonstrated ability to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and learning.

About you

We know that long lists of criteria can be discouraging and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

 

We also recognise that skills and experience can be gained in unexpected places, so we welcome applications from candidates who feel they have relevant skills for the role, gained from a wide range of professional, lived and learned experiences.

 

Working for The Funder

 

The Funder is committed to challenging inequality and values diversity, equity and justice in the climate space.  Our mission, work and impact is global, with staff and partners from across the world and a range of lived experiences. We firmly believe that we are strengthened by the diversity of our partners and staff. 

 

We actively work to create an inclusive culture where colleagues feel welcomed, heard and supported to succeed and thrive. 

Location

This role will be based remotely in Australia.  There will be a need for donor and partner engagement across Australia, in addition to other occasional international travel.

 

We are advertising this role for candidates with lived experience within First Nations communities in Australia.

 

How The Funder supports its staff

The Funder is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. The Funder offers a generous annual leave policy and additional time-off work to support wellbeing. Amongst other benefits, The Funder offers private healthcare and superannuation contributions.

Applications

• Please email your application to: cv@ngorecruitment.com
• Should you have any questions, please email NGO Recruitment at: officeadministrator@ngorecruitment.com

 

This role is open for applications immediately and we accept applications on a rolling basis. If you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. The role will remain open for at least four weeks from the date of advertisement.

 

Diversity & Inclusion

As an equal opportunities employer, The Funder is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

 

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join The Funder. We are committed to continually learning and improving our diversity and inclusion practices, which can best be done if we are as diverse as the people of the world we’re working to protect.