Chief Operating Officer

OnTalent Pty Ltd; Mackay Regional; On-site; AUD 300,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) seeks an accomplished Chief Operating Officer to lead the safe, reliable and efficient delivery of port operations across Hay Point, Mackay, Abbot Point and Weipa.

You will oversee Port Operations, Maintenance, Marine Pilotage Services, People & Culture and Health, Wellbeing & Safety, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and contributing to the Executive Leadership Team.

Qualifications

• Significant operational leadership experience in a dynamic, high-risk environment.
• Proven ability to lead multiple functions across port operations, maintenance, and marine services.
• Strong governance, financial acumen, and strategic planning capabilities.
• Track record building safe, collaborative cultures and engaging with Boards.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership across Port Operations, Maintenance, and Marine Pilotage.
• Develop and deliver strategic plans, budgets, and forecasts.
• Drive safety culture and performance across the organisation.
• Build trusted relationships with government, customers, and stakeholders; report to CEO and Board.

Skills

Executive leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Health, safety & environment

People & culture leadership

Job description

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) is a Queensland Government Owned Corporation responsible for the development and management of four strategically significant ports at Hay Point, Mackay, Abbot Point and Weipa. Operating within a complex commercial, regulatory and stakeholder environment, NQBP plays an important role in connecting Queensland’s resources and industries with domestic and global markets.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Operating Officer will lead the safe, reliable and efficient delivery of NQBP’s port operations, with executive responsibility across Port Operations, Maintenance, Marine Pilotage Services, People & Culture, and Health, Wellbeing & Safety.

This is a broad and influential executive leadership opportunity requiring an experienced operational leader who can bring together diverse functions, strengthen organisational capability and drive performance across a complex, high-risk operating environment.

The Chief Operating Officer will provide leadership across maritime operations, including pilotage, port logistics and supply chain coordination, while ensuring NQBP continues to meet its safety, regulatory, environmental and operational obligations.

The role will also lead the development and delivery of functional plans, budgets and forecasts aligned with NQBP’s five-year Corporate Plan and ten-year Strategic Plan.

Key Priorities, will include:

• Leading safe, reliable and efficient port, marine and maintenance operations;
• Driving performance excellence across health, safety and wellbeing and embedding a proactive safety culture;
• Providing executive leadership across People & Culture and supporting organisational capability, performance and workforce priorities;
• Leading operational improvement, innovation and organisational change across a diverse portfolio;
• Ensuring effective financial management, resource allocation and performance across multiple functions and cost centres;
• Maintaining strong relationships with government, customers, contractors, port communities and other key stakeholders; and
• Partnering with the CEO, Board and Executive Leadership Team to deliver NQBP’s strategy and optimise business outcomes.

About You

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished senior executive with experience leading multiple operational and enabling functions within a dynamic, commercial, and complex organisation. Must be Mackay based, you will bring a genuine appreciation of the critical role a Government Owned Corporation (GOC) plays in supporting regional communities, economic development, and long-term regional prosperity.

You will bring significant operational leadership experience, ideally gained within ports, resources, heavy industry, or another high-risk operational environment. Your background will include leading geographically dispersed operations comprising multiple trades, diverse workgroups, 24/7 service delivery requirements and significant operational risk. Importantly, you will have demonstrated capability across health and safety, people leadership and operational excellence, combined with the commercial and financial acumen required to manage complex, multi-function operations.

A recognised safety leader, you will have a proven track record of building and sustaining strong safety cultures through programs such as Sentis or equivalent programs. You will understand operational risk, champion the protection and wellbeing of people and foster an environment where accountability, care and continuous improvement are embedded in everyday operations.

You will understand how to lead through complexity and change, bringing together diverse professional and operational teams around clear priorities and performance expectations. Strong stakeholder, government, and community engagement capability will be essential, together with an understanding of Queensland Government Owned Corporation (GOC) operating environments. Experience working with, presenting to and/or serving on Boards is highly desirable, along with a demonstrated ability to build trusted, constructive relationships between Management and the Board.

This role will suit a visible, pragmatic, and operationally grounded executive who can move comfortably between strategy and operations, build organisational capability, and create an environment of accountability, collaboration, and high performance. A respected and authentic leader with high emotional intelligence, you will be a genuine team player who complements the existing Executive Leadership Team, contributes positively to culture and is comfortable engaging in courageous conversations when required.

Above all, you will demonstrate and champion NQBP's values of Care, Courage, Connection and Curiosity through your leadership, decision-making and relationships with employees, stakeholders, and the broader community.

Why This Role Is Great

This is an opportunity to join the Executive Leadership Team of a strategically important Queensland organisation and lead a significant operational portfolio supporting some of the state’s most important trade infrastructure. Based in Mackay, the role offers genuine scope to influence NQBP’s operational performance, safety culture, people capability and long-term success.

Applications Close: Midnight, Monday 21st of September.