Manager - Projects

Whitehaven Coal Limited; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Diverse project portfolio

Leadership opportunities

Competitive remuneration

Long-term growth

Job summary

Whitehaven Coal Limited, based in Brisbane with regular site travel, is seeking an experienced Manager Projects to lead a diverse portfolio of capital projects. You will report to the Group Manager Projects and manage multiple concurrent initiatives with values up to $50 million, ensuring safe, on-time and within-budget delivery.

You will balance competing priorities, engage with operational leaders, consultants and contractors, and drive governance, risk management and stakeholder alignment

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent capital projects in mining, resources, heavy industry, infrastructure or similar asset-intensive environments.
• Proven ability across the full project lifecycle from development to handover.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and external contractors.
• Strong budgeting, scheduling, forecasting and risk management capabilities.
• Commercial acumen including procurement, contract management and cost control.
• Ability to balance priorities and deliver outcomes in complex environments.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Willingness to undertake regular travel to operational sites.

Responsibilities

• Manage planning and delivery of multiple concurrent capital projects, aligning with business objectives.
• Develop project strategies, schedules, budgets and resource plans.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams, engineering consultants and contractors.
• Drive safe project execution and compliance with safety standards and governance.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to support decision-making and delivery.
• Oversee governance, financial controls, contractor performance and reporting.
• Support project development activities including scoping, feasibility and business cases.
• Monitor performance against cost, schedule, quality and safety targets; address risks.
• Ensure commissioning, readiness and handover of completed projects.

Skills

Engineering experience

Project leadership

Stakeholder management

Budgeting & controls

Risk management

Travel readiness

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Whitehaven Coal is the dominant player in Australia's only emerging high-quality coal basin. With a culture based on our STRIVE values, our reputation for excellence in project delivery and safe, efficient and environmentally responsible operations continues to grow.

Our STRIVE Values connect us and define how we behave. Whitehaven Coal recognises and celebrates individuals and teams going above and beyond the requirements of their role to deliver excellent outcomes while demonstrating our values of Safety, Teamwork, Respect, Integrity, Value and Excellence.

About the Role

An opportunity exists for an experienced Manager Projects to lead the planning, coordination and delivery of a diverse portfolio of capital projects across Whitehaven Coal's operations.

Based in Brisbane, with regular travel to operational sites, you will report to the Group Manager Projects and be responsible for managing multiple concurrent projects, with individual project values of up to $50 million.

Working closely with operational leaders, technical specialists, consultants and contractors, you will ensure projects are effectively prioritised, resourced and delivered safely, on time and within budget.

This role requires a technically credible and commercially astute project leader who can balance competing priorities, navigate complex operational environments and build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

What You'll Do

• Manage the planning and delivery of multiple concurrent capital projects, ensuring alignment with operational and business objectives.
• Develop and execute project strategies, schedules, budgets and resource plans, effectively balancing competing priorities.
• Coordinate and influence multidisciplinary project teams, engineering consultants and contractors to achieve agreed project outcomes.
• Drive safe project execution, ensuring compliance with Whitehaven's safety standards, regulatory requirements and project governance frameworks.
• Build trusted relationships with operational, technical and executive stakeholders to support effective decision-making and project delivery.
• Oversee project governance, financial controls, contractor performance, risk management and reporting.
• Support project development activities, including scope definition, feasibility assessments, business cases and investment approvals.
• Monitor project performance against cost, schedule, quality and safety objectives, proactively addressing risks and delivery challenges.
• Ensure effective commissioning, operational readiness and handover of completed projects.

What You'll Bring

You are an experienced engineering and project delivery professional who combines strong technical capability with commercial acumen, sound judgement and exceptional stakeholder management skills.

You will bring:

• Tertiary qualifications in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing multiple concurrent capital projects of varying scope and complexity within mining, resources, heavy industry, infrastructure or comparable asset-intensive environments.
• Proven capability managing projects across the full lifecycle, from development and planning through to execution, commissioning and handover.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams, engineering consultants and external contractors.
• Strong project controls capability, including budgeting, scheduling, forecasting, risk management and performance reporting.
• Sound commercial acumen, including procurement, contract management and cost control.
• Demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities, manage resources and deliver outcomes in complex operational environments.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to build effective relationships at all organisational levels.
• Willingness to undertake regular travel to operational sites.

Why Whitehaven?

• Diverse project portfolio: Deliver capital projects that directly contribute to operational performance, efficiency and business growth.
• Leadership and influence: Collaborate with experienced operational and technical leaders, influencing project priorities and outcomes.
• Variety and challenge: Take ownership of multiple projects across dynamic and technically complex mining environments.
• Competitive remuneration: Attractive remuneration package and performance incentives.
• Long-term opportunity: Join a growing Australian resources business with an ongoing capital investment pipeline.

Whitehaven is committed to increasing the representation of women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the workplace. We strive for an inclusive workplace that engages people from diverse backgrounds and welcomes diversity of gender, culture and experience.