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Carbon Reporting and Value Optimisation Specialist

Cleanaway Waste Management • Australia • Added on Jul 22, 2026
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This role takes full ownership of Cleanaway’s carbon accounting ledger, effectively turning raw operational data into a strategic asset. You will manage the complex reporting of Scope 1 and 2 emissions while spearheading the evolution of the company’s Scope 3 disclosures. Beyond just reporting, you are responsible for the application and issuance of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), ensuring compliance with NGER and Safeguard mandates.

As Australia’s largest waste manager, Cleanaway sits at the heart of the circular economy. This position is critical because it bridges the gap between regulatory compliance and commercial value. By optimizing carbon credit outcomes and translating policy into actionable insights, you directly influence how the waste industry contributes to national net-zero targets and resource recovery targets across hundreds of sites.

This suits someone who possesses deep technical knowledge of carbon accounting methodologies and enjoys the challenge of working with large datasets. You should be comfortable pivoting between a highly detailed greenhouse gas audit and a high-level strategic discussion with operational leadership about decarbonization pathways.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The core of this role involves managing the full lifecycle of carbon accounting and reporting within a sprawling industrial context. You will be responsible for preparing precise monthly and annual emissions logs for Scope 1 and 2, while leading the application and issuance processes for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Beyond basic accounting, you will own the assurance and auditing programs that satisfy NGERS and Safeguard Mechanism obligations. You will also be tasked with designing and implementing more robust controls for Scope 3 reporting, ensuring that the company’s entire value chain impact is documented and compliant with evolving ASRS standards. Strategic value creation is equally important. You will use scenario modelling and carbon analysis to provide commercial insights that help the business optimize its carbon position. This involves translating complex regulatory shifts into practical operational strategies that mitigate risk and capitalize on environmental credits.

Key learning opportunities for this job

You will gain immense expertise in the Australian carbon regulatory landscape, specifically navigating the nuances of the Safeguard Mechanism and NGER Framework within a large-scale industrial setting. Exposure to the ACCU market from an issuance perspective provides rare insight into the commercialization of carbon offsets. Working at the intersection of engineering and finance, you will master advanced data analytics tools like Power BI to visualize complex emissions profiles. This role also offers a front-row seat to the implementation of the new Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS), positioning you at the forefront of mandatory climate-related financial disclosures.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings at least five years of experience in carbon accounting or decarbonization, ideally with a background in waste management or energy sectors. You must have a strong grasp of NGER and ACCU methodologies and be comfortable with the rigor required for statutory assurance and auditing processes. Technically, you should be a power user of Excel and Power BI, capable of interpreting complex datasets to find trends or anomalies. Crucially, you need the stakeholder management skills to influence operational teams on-site and technical experts at the corporate level, translating technical carbon data into business-friendly language.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, move beyond just technical carbon accounting and demonstrate your commercial acumen. Cleanaway is looking for a specialist who understands how carbon credits and policy changes impact the bottom line. Mention specific instances where you have improved reporting accuracy or optimized credit outcomes. Tailoring your application to highlight experience with landfill or industrial emissions will be highly beneficial, as these are unique data environments compared to standard corporate footprints. Showing that you understand the transition from voluntary to mandatory reporting standards in Australia will signal that you are ready for the ASRS implementation.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role focuses heavily on emissions transparency and decarbonization. Because Cleanaway manages landfills and high-intensity industrial processes, managing methane and operational energy use is central to the company’s environmental footprint. You will likely spend significant time on resource recovery and methane abatement projects that generate ACCUs. By ensuring the integrity of these credits, you support the company’s mission to transform waste into a resource and provide the financial justification for further investment in green infrastructure.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the primary challenges will be the complexity of secondary data collection for Scope 3 reporting across such a diverse national operation. Coordinating data from over 350 locations and various business units requires exceptional organization and persistence. You may also face the challenge of rapidly changing regulations. As the Australian government tightens Safeguard Mechanism requirements and introduces new disclosure standards, you must remain agile, ensuring that the business remains compliant without disrupting existing operational workflows.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with reviewing emissions data logs from various landfill sites to ensure daily capture rates are accurately recorded for monthly reports. Mid-morning could involve a meeting with the IT and Data Analytics teams to refine a Power BI dashboard tracking carbon intensity targets. In the afternoon, you might shift to stakeholder engagement, perhaps coordinating with an external auditor for an upcoming NGERS review or discussing carbon policy implications with the Head of Carbon. The day often concludes with scenario modelling to determine how operational changes might impact the future issuance of carbon credits.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

This role is a high-visibility position within a critical business function, offering a path toward senior leadership in ESG or Carbon Strategy. As carbon becomes a central financial metric for ASX-listed firms, your expertise in value optimization will be highly sought after. You may also have opportunities to transition into Strategic Sustainability Engineering or corporate finance roles focused on environmental markets. Cleanaway’s scale provides a broad internal network for cross-functional development across diverse industrial and environmental sectors.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will report directly to the Head of Carbon but will operate across a matrix of internal departments. Your closest collaborators will be in Engineering and Operations, where carbon data is generated, and Finance, where carbon values are reported. Externally, you will be the primary point of contact for regulators and external auditors. You will also interact with carbon credit registries and policy agencies to ensure that Cleanaway’s carbon assets are managed correctly and that the company’s interests are represented in policy discussions.

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