POSITION DESCRIPTION
ROLE REPORTS TO
Industry, Director/GM Chief Executive Officer
BACKGROUND
End Food Waste Australia's vision is an Australia without food waste, starting with halving food waste by 2030. We will end food waste in Australia through research and innovation, industry action, policy development and behaviour change.
We conduct world-leading research through the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, funded by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, Science and Resources. We lead bold and innovative industry action and collaboration through the Australian Food Pact and Sector Action Plans and help change behaviours in our homes and businesses through The Great Unwaste campaign, supported by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Together, we aim to create a more productive, sustainable, and resilient Australian food system by ending food waste and food insecurity. www.endfoodwaste.com.au
We are a values-led organisation that is focused on:
- Purpose: making a difference, for good.
- Integrity: doing what is right.
- Collaboration: working together for better outcomes.
- Performance: creating meaningful impact.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Industry is a strategic industry engagement and program leader who translates EFWA’s mission, to end food waste across Australia, into commercially valuable, co-funded programs across retail, manufacturing, supply chains and adjacent sectors. Blending industry credibility, commercial acumen and systems thinking with EFWA’s evidence-based, collaborative culture, the role leads the Industry program end-to-end to ensure full alignment with EFWA’s strategic objectives. This includes leading the partnerships and program delivery team (and relevant head-office staff), setting strategy and growth priorities, driving business development, monitoring performance against key metrics, evaluating programs and projects, managing and developing staff, overseeing budgets and resources, and fostering high-trust relationships with industry, government and food business stakeholders to deliver measurable, industry-wide outcomes.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Lead and expand EFWA’s Industry Partnerships Strategy and Program, building and sustaining collaborative relationships with food businesses, industry bodies, and government to accelerate progress toward halving food waste by 2030.
- Build, manage, and develop high-level partnerships and stakeholder relationships across the food supply chain, from retail and manufacturing to agriculture, to strengthen EFWA’s influence and visibility while achieving strong commercial and sustainability outcomes.
- Design, deliver, and oversee industry programs and initiatives, including sector action plans, partner projects, and pilot programs, in collaboration with supply chains, industry associations, and government partners, ensuring measurable impact and timely delivery.
- Develop and implement funding models, including co-investment and shared-IP frameworks, to drive business development through corporate memberships, sponsorships, and partnerships that resource innovation and behaviour-change programs.
- Lead and develop the partnerships and program delivery team, ensuring capability, accountability, and alignment to EFWA’s values and objectives. Play an active role in the EFWA leadership team.
- Monitor and report on partnership performance using clear KPIs, ensuring accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
- Lead the development, analysis, and interpretation of investment cases, business models, and cost-benefit assessments to attract and secure private sector participation.
- Contribute to strategic planning and organisational leadership, working closely with the CEO and Leadership team including, Directors of Research, Consumer Behaviour Change, and Policy.
- Represent EFWA publicly in forums, conferences, and media opportunities to actively champion the national food waste agenda.
- Excellent, high-level stakeholder communicator with the ability to develop value propositions that resonate with diverse audiences (boards, corporates, governments).
- Manage budgets and resources effectively to deliver industry programs with high impact and strong ROI.
- Ensure alignment with EFWA’s governance, risk, and reporting frameworks. Capacity to identify and manage conflicts of interest (especially where industry participants are funders and beneficiaries.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- Over 10 years of partnership and B2B business development experience in the retail, food, and related industries, with a strong understanding of food system interdependencies.
- Over 8 years of retail and or food manufacturing or supplier senior leadership experience is preferable.
- Over 8 years of experience in program management or a similar role, with a proven track record of successful program execution and team leadership.
- Highly developed industry business development skills with demonstrated track record of attracting new partners and funding to food waste initiatives.
- Strong leadership and management abilities, leading teams to deliver high performance and developing them to be reach their full potential.
- Knowledge of the food waste problem globally and in Australia, successful food waste reduction initiatives, consumer behaviour and food waste valorisation options. Ideally recognised as a global leader in the fight against food waste.
- Professional experience and/or graduate qualifications in a field relevant to one or some of the industry sectors of agriculture, food, consumer goods and food waste.
- Exceptional written and/oral communication skills with a high level of comfort working with a diverse array of stakeholders.
- Well-developed administrative skills for tracking performance against project, program and organisational Key Performance Indicators.
RELATIONSHIPS
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