Farm Environment Management Plan (FEMP) Auditor

Te Whakapakari Tahi I Tō tātau Taiao – Enhancing our environment together.

Our vision is a healthy environment and a resilient and prosperous community.

We focus on prioritising:

Te kounga o te wai, te haumarutanga me te mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi o te whakamarutanga | Water quality, safety and climate-resilient security.  

Kia koi, kia toitū hoki te whakamahinga o te whenua | Climate-smart and sustainable land use. 

Kia ora, kia āhei, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki te rerenga rauropi | Healthy, functioning and climate-resilient biodiversity. 

Kia toitū, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki ngā ratonga me ngā hanganga ā-whare | Sustainable and climate-resilient services and infrastructure. 

At Hawke’s Bay Regional Council our purpose is to work with our community to protect and manage the region’s precious taonga of rivers, lakes, soils, air, coast and biodiversity for health, wellbeing and connectivity. Our organisation is diverse and our work is varied. Our structure comprises of six key business units; Corporate Services, Integrated Catchment Management, Asset Management, Māori Partnerships, Policy & Regulation, and the Executive Advisory Group which also consists of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

About the Opportunity:

We are looking for a Farm Environmental Management Plan (FEMP) Auditor to join the Catchments Policy Implementation Team. This team is responsible for connecting catchment communities to catchment issues to bring about visible improvements, coordinating Council’s catchment management functions and providing a link between Council and its services and catchment communities.

The FEMP (Farm Environmental Management Plan) Auditor is a newly created role within an area of work with growing opportunities, which assesses and gives feedback to farmers and FEMP providers on the quality of FEMPs. This is a catalyst for ongoing improvement at the farm level to result in improved water quality and environmental outcomes at the sub-catchment level. The work will require an understanding of the primary sector and expertise in assessing environmental risks and issues on-farm which FEMPs seek to address.

The main initial focus of auditing will be within the Tukituki catchment and an effective auditing scheme is essential to the overall success of the Tukituki catchment plan change (PC6).

Experience with auditing processes and standards is essential and will assist in developing or adapting approaches for other catchments as national and other local requirements for farm plans come into effect. This role will work with farmers, farm plan providers, and other teams in council who are involved in policy implementation.

The role is also responsible for improving and maintaining audit processes and documentation so that processes are consistently applied across council by other roles involved in auditing.

About you:

Coming from a background of sustainable land management or primary sector related technical advisory, you will have a clear understanding of environmental issues related to farming, be personable and able to communicate clearly and ideally have knowledge of the auditing processes and standards required to deliver quality audits

You will also have sound knowledge of the rural sector and productive land use activities with excellent knowledge of pathways of nutrient and contaminant loss from land to water and be well informed of the main environmental risks in different landscapes and farming systems and an ability to identify and prioritise them.

Ideally you will also have:

• Minimum five years' professional experience in sustainable land management or in the provision of primary sector related technical advice.
• Hold either a Certificate of Completion in Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture from Massey University, or
• Hold a tertiary qualification in agricultural science or demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge and experience.
• Experience with auditing processes in a primary industry context would be an advantage.
• Excellent stakeholder relationship management, facilitation and networking skills with a strong ability to influence and provide advice
• A valid full driver’s licence is required.

The salary range for this role is between $85,000 and $95,000 and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Other benefits of working for our team include limited income protection and life insurance, subsidised eye tests and lenses, flu vaccinations, and other well-being initiatives. HBRC also has a strong commitment to developing and upskilling people within a flexible and supportive working environment.  To find out more about working for HBRC click here

All applicants must have existing rights to work in New Zealand.

To view the job description please visit our website here 

Please apply via SEEK

Applications close 2 June 2022.

7 June 2022

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