Dam Operator

Seqwater; Gold Coast City; Hybrid; AUD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance may be available

Job summary

Seqwater is the Queensland Government Bulk Water Supply Authority, responsible for delivering safe, secure and cost-effective bulk water supply for over 3 million people across Southeast Queensland. Based at Hinze Dam, this permanent full‑time role supports dam and catchment operations, performing daily inspections, surveillance, and water release activities.

You will work with a collaborative operations team to maintain dam infrastructure, coordinate maintenance, and operate valves, hydro

Qualifications

• Certificate III in Water Industry Operations or deemed equivalent experience.
• C Class Driver’s Licence (mandatory).
• Experience operating and maintaining small plant and equipment.
• Experience operating water‑related infrastructure, or transferable experience in a similar operational environment.
• A strong commitment to safety, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Operating water distribution, release, irrigation and treatment activities to meet water delivery needs.
• Conducting surveillance and inspections of dam infrastructure to support safe, reliable and compliant operations.
• Coordinating and monitoring preventative, corrective and reactive maintenance and renewal activities with Seqwater maintenance teams.
• Operating dam infrastructure including valves, hydro generation equipment, water treatment systems and pump stations, with appropriate guidance and support.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across operations, maintenance and other areas to support safe and effective outcomes.

Skills

Safety focus

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Decision making

Willingness to learn

Education

Certificate III in Water Industry Operations

C Class Driver's Licence

Job description

Seqwater is the Queensland Government Bulk Water Supply Authority, responsible for delivering safe, secure and cost-effective bulk water supply for over 3 million people across Southeast Queensland.

Seqwater is one of the largest water businesses with the most geographically spread and diverse asset base of any capital city water authority. Our operations extend from the New South Wales border to the base of the Toowoomba ranges.

We commit to delivering a high standard of customer service aligned to our strategic vision. We value working collaboratively with our internal & external customers to improve service delivery.

About Your Opportunity

Reporting to our Dam and Catchment Operations Supervisor, you’ll play an important role in keeping dam and water infrastructure safe, reliable and operating effectively for the communities we serve.

You’ll work as part of a supportive operational team, undertaking daily inspections, surveillance and operational activities across dam infrastructure. You’ll also contribute to water releases and distribution, and help manage infrastructure during flood events and other emergencies.

This is a varied role where you’ll combine practical skills, technical knowledge, teamwork and sound judgement to help keep our water network operating safely and reliably.

This role is responsible for:

• Operating water distribution, release, irrigation and treatment activities to meet water delivery needs.
• Conducting surveillance and inspections of dam infrastructure to support safe, reliable and compliant operations.
• Coordinating and monitoring preventative, corrective and reactive maintenance and renewal activities with Seqwater maintenance teams.
• Operating dam infrastructure including valves, hydro generation equipment, water treatment systems and pump stations, with appropriate guidance and support.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across operations, maintenance and other areas to support safe and effective outcomes.

Hours and Locations

This is a permanent full-time role working as part of a roster that includes weekends, public holidays and some on‑call requirements. Shift allowances may apply.

The role is based at Hinze Dam, with opportunities to work across other Seqwater sites when required.

About You

We’re looking for someone who is safety-focused, practical and enjoys working as part of a team. You’ll bring a willingness to learn, strong attention to detail and the ability to make sound decisions in a range of operational situations.

To be successful in this role, you will possess:

• Certificate III in Water Industry Operations or deemed equivalent experience
• C Class Driver’s Licence (mandatory)
• Experience operating and maintaining small plant and equipment
• Experience operating water‑related infrastructure, or transferable experience in a similar operational environment
• A strong commitment to safety, teamwork and continuous improvement

This position has a salary range of $74,596.49 to $94,829.13 plus 12.75% superannuation and is permanent full‑time. Relocation assistance may be available.

Appointment to this role is subject to the provision of a national police check and may be subject to other medical/character requirements. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically deemed ineligible. Each application will be considered on its merits.

At Seqwater, we value the diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring to our workplace. We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, supported and empowered to contribute.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and encourage you to apply if you have the skills and experience to contribute, even if you don’t meet every requirement.

For a more detailed preview of the work that you will be involved in for this role, feel free to take a look at the position description on our careers page - careers.seqwater.com.au

If you are looking for an extraordinary career where you can make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you!

“Water quality monitoring is a task we have to do come rain or shine, literally. Some days you’ll be undertaking the work; sitting in a boat in the middle of a peaceful lake with perfect weather wondering how you landed such a great job and other days it’s cold and pouring rain and the prospect of heading outside to take samples suddenly doesn’t seem as appealing. Regardless, you still have to get out there and do the job.
I supervise our water quality scientists. We obtain water samples to help monitor the health of our catchments and drinking water quality. Every single water treatment plant and a variety of network sites are tested each week, and we sample our catchments once a month.
It takes a lot of planning and juggling schedules to make sure testing is done regularly as well as fitting in any unplanned testing when required. There is always a dedicated group of scientists keeping an eye on things. Weekends, public holidays, even through Christmas - we’re out there testing and monitoring water quality. A lot of tests can be undertaken in the field but we also send water samples back to the laboratories for more detailed analysis.
We test the temperature of the water, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity in the field and look to identify a range of components such as metals, nutrients, toxins, algae, as well as taste and odour. Even the clearest-looking water could be too acidic or contain microscopic bugs. All of these indicators combine to tell us the general health of the water and how our catchments are doing. We manage all the field data and report anything unusual or any trends to the catchment, drinking water or environmental advisors.
I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger. I think everyone did when they were a kid but I was committed to it. Initially, I became extremely interested in shark behaviour but after a few years expanded my horizons to freshwater catchments. I started at Seqwater on a 10-week contract and nine years later I’m still here.”