Operations Manager - Transmission and Utilities Major Projects

UGL; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible and blended work environment

Wellness Program with AIA Vitality

Discounts across shopping, food and酒

Salary sacrifice options

Job summary

UGL is seeking an Operations Manager to lead the delivery of major Utilities and Transmission Lines projects, with a strong focus on construction and delivery outcomes. You will be accountable for planning, management and control of projects and teams, ensuring safe, efficient and profitable delivery while meeting customer requirements, budgets and business objectives.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will influence commercial strategy, identify growth opportunities and drive strategic

Qualifications

• An appropriate tertiary qualification from an accredited institution or equivalent industry experience.
• Substantial trade experience preferably gained in an engineering environment and proven experience of leading operations and projects in a multi-discipline engineering design, build and commission operating environment.
• Strong leadership experience in shaping business.
• Proven project management capability.
• A high level of business and commercial acumen backed by a sound ability to read and interpret budgets, financial statements and analyse variance reports.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written) including strong negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to establish effective working relationships with a variety of people at different levels both internally and externally.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies, plans, structures, systems and procedures for a safe, cost effective and efficient business operation aligned with UGL long and short-term objectives.
• Provide strong senior management and strategic leadership and direction, establishing clear divisional objectives, setting standards, targets and goals, implementing controls and KPIs to measure performance (profit, cost, quality, time) within and across the business.
• Monitor performance and progress against KPIs, program milestones, delivery schedules, objectives and budgets, and take corrective action as needed.
• Oversee resource use (Assets, Human and Financial) and drive continual improvement across the operation to improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase quality and client satisfaction.
• Oversee contract management and commercial execution of major projects, ensuring risk is mitigated and deliverables meet requirements and standards.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Budget & finance

Communication

Negotiation

Education

Tertiary qualification

Engineering trade experience

Job description

Operations Manager - Transmission and Utilities Major Projects

At UGL, our Utilities business is at the forefront of Australia’s energy transition, delivering essential design and construction services for critical infrastructure across the power sector. We provide end-to-end solutions on major projects including transmission lines, switchyards, substations, and electrical distribution networks.

Our expertise spans the full project lifecycle—design, construction, commissioning, operations, and maintenance. Whether through self-performed work, collaboration with subcontractors, or joint ventures, our teams deliver projects safely and effectively across Australia. Our capabilities cover everything from engineering and structural works to civil, electrical installation, and commissioning.

To date, we’ve successfully delivered over 7,300 km of transmission lines and completed more than 300 substation projects—and we’re just getting started!

The role

As Operations Manager, you will lead and support the successful delivery of major projects across our Utilities and Transmission Lines business, with a strong focus on construction and delivery outcomes within the Power sector. You will be accountable for the planning, management and control of projects and teams, ensuring safe, efficient and profitable delivery while meeting customer requirements, budgets and business objectives.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will play a key role in shaping commercial strategy, identifying growth opportunities and driving strategic initiatives across the Transmission and Utilities business. The position is responsible for fostering strong client relationships, overseeing tender development and ensuring the successful execution of major projects that support the continued growth and success of the business.

What will a day in this role look like:

• Develop strategies, plans, structures, systems and procedures for a safe, cost effective and efficient business operation aligned with UGL long and short-term business objectives.
• Provide strong senior management and strategic leadership and direction, establishing clear divisional objectives, setting standards, targets and goals, implementing controls and KPIs to measure and compare performance (profit, cost, quality, time etc.) within and across the business.
• Monitor the performance and progress of the operation compared to; KPIs, agreed performance indicators, program milestones, delivery schedules and objectives and budgets, addressing any issues and where necessary taking corrective action, ensuring any significant issue is raised with GM in a timely manner without surprise.
• Monitor the use of all resources (Assets, Human and Financial) initiating ongoing review, benchmarking, development and continual improvement of processes, facilities and resources across all of the operation, looking for new ways to improve efficiency, minimise costs, increase quality, safety and client satisfaction.
• Oversee the contract management and commercial execution of all contracts/ projects/ programs for the major project’s portfolio, ensuring all risk is mitigated, all deliverables are achievable prior to acceptance, all changes are approved and casted, all customer requirements/ specifications/ agreed configuration and standards are achieved and all programs/projects are carried out in a controlled and documented manner.

The following qualifications and experience are highly desired, but if you don’t tick all the boxes, you could still be a perfect fit for this role.

What are we looking for you to bring to the team:

• An appropriate Tertiary qualification from an accredited institution or equivalent industry experience.
• Substantial trade experience preferably gained in an engineering environment and proven experience of leading operations and projects in a multi-discipline engineering design, build and commission operating environment.
• Strong leadership experience in shaping business.
• Proven project management capability.
• A high level of business and commercial acumen backed by a sound ability to create read and interpret budgets, financial statements and analyse variance reports.
• Strong communication skills (oral andwritten) includingstrongnegotiation and influencing skills and the ability to establish effective working relationships with a variety of people at different levels both internally and externally.

Why Unite with the Very Best…

• A competitive salary working in a rewarding, supportive and successful team
• Back yourself and your development, and UGL will back your growth
• Flexible and blended work environment; make use of flexible working and our impressive employee benefits, including:
• A rewarding Wellness Program with AIA Vitality – earn cashback for gym shoes!
• We’ll give you access to a multitude of rewards: Through our partnerships we can offer you discounts across shopping, food and wine, insurance, health and wellbeing, leisure and entertainment.
• You can also take advantage of our salary sacrifice options including cars, eligible portable electronic devices and professional memberships.

UGL – Big projects. Big careers.

We keep Australia moving through our transport manufacturing, maintenance and operations offering, and we support the energy sector through our renewables, power generation, resources and transmission operations. We are an end-to-end engineering and services provider (one of Australia’s biggest inhouse design houses)

We’re the people behind communications, transport, utilities, power, oil, gas, Defence and renewables. We build tunnels under rivers and flyover roads. We’re the people who take on the problems that have never been solved. The ones that stretch you outside of what’s known, where your true genius is challenged and shines.

Diversity & Social Inclusion

UGL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where each employee feels safe to bring their whole selves to work. We encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, Women, Military Veterans, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, people with a disability and our friends in the LGBTIQ+ Community.

UGL respectfully acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land in which we work and pays our respects to elders past, present and emerging. As part of the recruitment process, there are a number of checks which may be conducted to demonstrate an applicant’s suitability for a role including police / criminal background checks, medical, drug and alcohol testing, due diligence checks, right to work checks, and/or reference checks. It’s good to know that UGL does not discriminate based on a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check