National Manager - Stakeholder Relations

Cleanaway Careers; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary package

Career development opportunities

Paid parental leave

Share plan

Novated leasing

Flu vaccinations

EAP access

Private health discounts

Company discounts

Job summary

Cleanaway is seeking a National Manager – Stakeholder Relations, Post Collections to lead the national stakeholder approach for post collections infrastructure and regulatory affairs. This senior role reports to the General Manager, Post Collections and sits on the senior leadership team, shaping engagement with government, regulators and communities.

You will drive risk-based stakeholder strategy, influence strategic decisions, and coordinate with Operations, Engineering and Environment to

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in strategic stakeholder relations or government engagement.
• Strong ability to influence executives and navigate complex, matrixed organisations.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to anticipate external risks and align stakeholder needs with business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead a risk-based national stakeholder strategy across operating assets, major upgrades, extensions and future developments.
• Advise the Post Collections leadership team on emerging stakeholder concerns, policy developments and implications for investments and projects.
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with councils, government agencies, regulators, communities and other key stakeholders.
• Lead stakeholder engagement strategies for major projects and statutory consultations with cross-functional teams.
• Guide genuine community consultation and responses to sensitive concerns, strengthening trust and informing decisions.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery across Operations, Engineering, Environment and Corporate Affairs to align priorities.
• Establish clear stakeholder governance, escalation pathways and ensure commitments are tracked and delivered.

Job description

Cleanaway Waste Management transforms waste into resources and renewable energy. When you start to think of waste as a resource, it opens a world of possibilities.

Join us and contribute to making a sustainable future possible, together!

The Opportunity

As National Manager – Stakeholder Relations, Post Collections you will lead the national stakeholder approach for Cleanaway’s Post Collections portfolio, helping support responsible operations and the future development of essential landfill and transfer station infrastructure. Reporting to the General Manager, Post Collections, and serving on the senior leadership team, you will bring external perspectives and strategic stakeholder insight into major investment, development and operational decisions.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity to help shape outcomes across government, regulators, communities and internal business leaders. You will connect commercial priorities with community and regulatory expectations, build trust through open engagement, and help the business respond constructively to complex issues in a highly regulated environment.

You will also:

• Lead a risk-based national stakeholder strategy across operating assets, major upgrades, extensions and future developments, with a focus on early identification and resolution of material issues.
• Advise the Post Collections leadership team on emerging stakeholder concerns, policy developments, opportunities and implications for responsible operations, investment and project decisions.
• Build and maintain constructive, transparent relationships with councils, government agencies, regulators, communities and other key stakeholders.
• Lead stakeholder engagement strategies for major projects and statutory consultation, working with Environment, Engineering and project teams responsible for planning and environmental approvals.
• Guide genuine community consultation and responses to sensitive concerns, strengthening trust and informing responsible operational and project decisions.
• Bring together Operations, Engineering, Environment, Corporate Affairs and project teams to coordinate engagement, clarify responsibilities and address competing priorities across a matrix organisation.
• Establish clear stakeholder governance, priorities and escalation pathways, ensuring material risks, consultation commitments and follow-up actions are managed and delivered.

About You

You are a stakeholder leader with a demonstrated record of anticipating external risks, building credibility and informing business decisions in complex environments. Commercially astute and aware of the government and policy landscape, you bring sound judgement and the ability to engage executives, government representatives, regulators and communities with integrity.

You bring the resilience and adaptability to navigate ambiguity, listen to differing perspectives and lead through influence rather than hierarchy. Experience in energy, industrial operations, infrastructure, major projects, government relations or similarly complex sectors will be highly regarded; waste industry experience is not essential.

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Demonstrated experience in strategic stakeholder relations, government engagement, community relations or major project interfaces, with evidence of outcomes personally achieved.
• Demonstrated success influencing executive stakeholders and delivering outcomes across complex, matrixed organisations.
• Strong commercial and operational judgement, including the ability to anticipate stakeholder concerns and ensure these are considered early in project, investment and operational decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to engage credibly and constructively with regulators, councils, government and communities on sensitive or contested matters.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure developments, meaningful consultation and stakeholder engagement associated with planning or environmental approvals.
• Strong negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills, including a willingness to listen, handle challenging conversations and respond constructively to concerns.
• Ability to establish priorities, coordinate cross-functional delivery and follow through on material stakeholder commitments without relying on direct reporting authority.

Why join Cleanaway?

We are Australia’s largest company in this sector, providing essential services to millions of customers and communities nationally. . This role offers direct access to Post Collections leadership and the opportunity to shape stakeholder practice across a significant national infrastructure portfolio.

As a national, high growth, ASX-listed organisation with more than 10,000 employees, our goal is to be recognised by our customers as the most innovative and sustainable waste management company. We are committed to achieving this while delivering industry-leading health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance.

• Attractive salary package
• Career development opportunities
• Paid parental leave
• Great company benefits: Annual employee share plan offer, novated leasing, optional flu vaccinations, EAP access, discounts on private health insurance, company discounts + much more!

Our Process

We are dedicated to improving employment outcomes and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also welcome candidates of all ages, abilities, gender identities, experiences (including veterans), and cultural backgrounds.

Our recruitment process involves a number of checks including, but not limited to, criminal history, medicals, drug & alcohol testing, as well as verification of qualifications, licences and right-to-work status.

If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact us by emailing [e-mail].

Join us on our exciting journey towards a sustainable future