Operations Manager - Civil

Catalpa Group; Perth; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Catalpa, the civil and electrical arm of Symphony Infrastructure Partners, seeks an Operations Manager – Civil in Perth to lead a portfolio of civil projects across substations, battery storage, wind and transmission. You will oversee Project Managers and site teams, ensuring safety, schedule, cost and margin are achieved with repeatable, high-quality delivery.

We require 10+ years in civil delivery, experience with Tier 1 EPCs, strong commercial acumen and WA WHS knowledge.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in civil construction delivery (10+ years).
• Experience delivering civil works on energy or infrastructure projects such as substations, battery storage, wind, solar or transmission.
• Experience as a self-perform civil contractor working with Tier 1 EPCs and principal contractors.
• Strong commercial acumen: forecasting, cost control and contract administration under Australian standard-form contracts.
• Proven safety leadership with WA WHS legislation knowledge.
• A tertiary qualification in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or related discipline, or substantial equivalent experience; CPEng or NER desirable.
• Leadership style that builds accountability and trust — setting clear expectations and backing your people to meet them.
• Driver’s licence, White Card, and willingness to travel regularly to project sites across the country

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of Catalpa’s civil project portfolio to scope, schedule, budget and quality, with a clear view of progress and risk on every project
• Own the operational and commercial performance of the portfolio, including cost-to-complete forecasting, productivity and margin delivery
• Drive contract discipline so notices, variations and extensions of time are raised early and within time bars
• Champion a Safety Always culture through visible leadership on site, including critical risk controls for high‑risk civil works
• Provide constructability and delivery-readiness input into tenders, working with the Strategy & Business Development and Estimating teams, and lead smooth handovers into delivery
• Work closely with Symphony’s engineering and electrical teams so civil scopes integrate seamlessly into wider connection projects
• Standardise methods and controls so repeatable scopes — foundations, slabs, tower civils — are delivered consistently across projects
• Lead, coach and develop Project Managers, Supervisors and Engineers, holding the team accountable for outcomes

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Safety leadership

Commercial acumen

Risk management

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Construction Management degree

CPEng/NER desirable

Job description

Symphony Infrastructure Partners is building Australia’s only independent, end-to-end connection infrastructure business — and Catalpa is the specialist civil and electrical arm within the Symphony group of companies that makes it possible. As Catalpa moves into its next growth phase, we’re looking for an Operations Manager – Civil to lead how we deliver: running a portfolio of civil projects safely, productively and profitably, and making sure the work we win is delivered the way we promised.

About Catalpa

Catalpa is a specialist civil and electrical construction business within Symphony Infrastructure Partners, an independent, end-to-end connection infrastructure partner working across renewables, battery storage, transmission and data centre power projects nationally. Symphony designs, builds, owns and operates the high‑voltage assets — substations, switchyards, transmission lines and balance of plant — that connect major projects to the grid, working with all of Australia’s transmission network service providers. Catalpa delivers the civil and electrical works behind that mission: earthworks, foundations, structural and precision works, and tower and line construction for wind, solar, battery storage and transmission projects.

Based in Perth, WA, and backed by significant institutional investment, Catalpa is a growing business entering its next phase.

The opportunity

Reporting to Catalpa’s General Manager – Operations, this is a senior delivery leadership role at an important point for the business. With a growing pipeline across substation, battery storage, wind, solar and transmission civils, Catalpa is focused on consistent, repeatable delivery and on getting the most from its self‑perform crews.

The Operations Manager – Civil will own the performance of our civil portfolio: leading Project Managers and site teams across multiple concurrent projects, keeping clear line of sight on safety, schedule, cost and margin, and building the standards and habits that let us deliver complex scopes with precision and repeatability.

Key responsibilities

Lead the delivery of Catalpa’s civil project portfolio to scope, schedule, budget and quality, with a clear view of progress and risk on every project

Own the operational and commercial performance of the portfolio, including cost-to-complete forecasting, productivity and margin delivery

Drive contract discipline so notices, variations and extensions of time are raised early and within time bars

Champion a Safety Always culture through visible leadership on site, including critical risk controls for high‑risk civil works

Provide constructability and delivery‑readiness input into tenders, working with the Strategy & Business Development and Estimating teams, and lead smooth handovers into delivery

Work closely with Symphony’s engineering and electrical teams so civil scopes integrate seamlessly into wider connection projects

Standardise methods and controls so repeatable scopes — foundations, slabs, tower civils — are delivered consistently across projects

Lead, coach and develop Project Managers, Supervisors and Engineers, holding the team accountable for outcomes

About you

Substantial experience in civil construction delivery (typically 10+ years), including several years leading multiple concurrent projects and Project Managers

A track record delivering civil works on energy or infrastructure projects such as substations, battery storage, wind, solar or transmission — highly regarded

Experience as a self‑perform civil contractor working with Tier 1 EPCs and principal contractors

Strong commercial acumen: forecasting, cost control and contract administration under Australian standard‑form contracts

Proven safety leadership, with a working knowledge of WA WHS legislation

A tertiary qualification in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline, or substantial equivalent experience; CPEng or NER registration desirable

A leadership style that builds accountability and trust — setting clear expectations and backing your people to meet them

The confidence to help shape how a growing business delivers during a period of change

A current driver’s licence, White Card, and willingness to travel regularly to project sites across the country

Our culture

• Win with Integrity — we think long term and build trust by doing the right thing
• Make the Complex Simple — we anticipate what our clients need and keep improving how we work
• Extreme Ownership — we operate as one team with one mission
• Safety Always — everyone goes home safely, every day, to family, friends and pets

If that sounds like how you already work, we’d like to hear from you.

What can I earn as an Operations Manager