Lead Planner - Treatment Planning

Sydney Water; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

Hybrid working

Professional development

24/7 wellbeing support

Discounted private health insurance

Family-friendly benefits - up to 18 wk

Novated leasing

Job summary

Sydney Water is seeking a Lead Planner to shape the future of Water Resource Recovery Facilities in Parramatta. You will apply deep process engineering expertise to assess treatment capability, diagnose performance risks, and define upgrades to maintain compliant and efficient operation.

This technical leadership role requires 10–15 years of municipal wastewater experience, with strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills. Hybrid working options are available in Parramatta.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years experience in municipal wastewater treatment, process design, operations or infrastructure planning.
• Deep technical expertise in wastewater treatment, biosolids production and advanced treatment technologies.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical assessments, manage multiple interfaces and resolve interrelated process performance issues.
• Experience translating process engineering assessments into clear technical recommendations for planning and business case development.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence outcomes.
• A track record of coaching, mentoring and developing technical capability across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead treatment plant Process Capability Assessments, using performance data to define risks, constraints and upgrade needs.
• Define process upgrade requirements and develop long term adaptive plans for Water Resource Recovery Facilities in response to growth, regulatory, renewal, climate and operational drivers.
• Develop technically robust, practical process solutions that improve treatment performance, reliability and environmental outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve process integration, energy and resource recovery, whilst optimising investment pathways to deliver value for customers.
• Coach planners and build technical capability within the team, supporting their growth and career development.
• Represent Sydney Water in industry forums and promote leading practice.

Skills

Wastewater Process

Process Design

Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Coaching

Mentoring

Regulatory Compliance

Adaptive Planning

Energy Recovery

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Civil/Environmental/Mechanical

Job description

1 Smith St, Parramatta NSW 2150, Australia

Posted Tuesday 25 August 2026 at 2:00 pm | Expires Saturday 12 September 2026 at 1:59 pm

• Lead wastewater treatment planning for essential water services.
• Apply deep process engineering expertise to solve complex treatment challenges.
• Permanent role based in Parramatta, with flexible work options.

As a Lead Planner, you’ll help shape the future of Sydney Water’s Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs). Working with multidisciplinary teams, you’ll apply your wastewater process engineering expertise to assess treatment plant capability, diagnose performance risks, and define the process upgrades needed to maintain sustainable environmental compliance.

This is a technical leadership role for an experienced wastewater treatment professional who can translate complex plant performance, growth, regulatory and renewal challenges into robust process engineering solutions. You will define current and future treatment capability, assess process constraints, and guide adaptive upgrade strategies that support reliable, compliant and efficient plant operation.

Extensive municipal wastewater process design or operations experience is essential. Candidates with experience limited to scheduling tools, such as Primavera P6, will not meet the role criteria.

What you’ll do:

• Lead treatment plant Process Capability Assessments, using performance data to define risks, constraints and upgrade needs.
• Define process upgrade requirements and develop long term adaptive plans for Water Resource Recovery Facilities in response to growth, regulatory, renewal, climate and operational drivers.
• Develop technically robust, practical process solutions that improve treatment performance, reliability and environmental outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve process integration, energy and resource recovery, treatment efficiency and whole-of-plant performance, whilst optimising investment pathways to deliver value for customers.
• Coach planners and build technical capability within the team, supporting their growth and career development.
• Represent Sydney Water in industry forums and promote leading practice.

What you’ll bring:

You’ll hold a tertiary qualification in Engineering, Science or a related discipline, ideally in Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, or Environmental Engineering, along with:

• 10-15 years experience in municipal wastewater treatment, process design, operations or infrastructure planning.
• Deep technical expertise in wastewater treatment, biosolids production and advanced treatment technologies.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical assessments, manage multiple interfaces and resolve interrelated process performance issues.
• Strong experience assessing treatment plant capability, defining process constraints and developing technically sound upgrade strategies in adaptive plans, including scenario mapping and planning. .
• Experience translating process engineering assessments into clear technical recommendations for planning and business case development will be highly regarded.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence outcomes.
• A track record of coaching, mentoring and developing technical capability across teams.

Closing date: 11:59pm AEST on Sunday 12th September 2026.

We support candidates throughout the application process and can make adjustments where needed. For more information, contact TA Partner [e-mail] .

Please see the job profile for the role's full accountabilities.

• Competitive remuneration that recognises your skills and contribution.
• Hybrid working to support flexibility, collaboration and wellbeing.
• Professional development through leadership and capability programs.
• 24/7 wellbeing support for you and your family through our EAP portal.
• Discounted private health insurance and access to Fitness Passport.
• Family-friendly benefits, including up to 18 weeks' fully paid parental leave and childcare allowance.
• Novated leasing options to support your financial goals.

As part of the application process, Sydney Water will be collecting your personal information to assess your suitability for the role. Your personal information may also be used to establish a Dayforce talent profile. Your personal information will be collected in accordance with Dayforce's Terms and Privacy Policy and Sydney Water's Privacy Collection Statement - recruitment. Please note as part of the application process, you will be asked to undergo background checks which include a criminal history check.

At Sydney Water, we are passionate about making a difference to the lives of our customers and communities. We have a proud heritage and progressive future providing world class drinking water and services that are vital to our customers’ quality of life and safeguarding Sydney’s future. We see the world is changing, so we are changing too.

Our vision is to create better lives through world-class services, and we believe that starts with our people. Our people and their jobs are as diverse as the communities we serve. Our diverse skills, mindsets and backgrounds work together on exciting and challenging projects that make a difference and help ensure Sydney remains one of the most iconic and liveable cities in the world.

We welcome and encourage applications from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+, people with disability, people with caring responsibilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and veterans.

1 Smith St, Parramatta NSW 2150, Australia