Senior Advisor, Disruptions

Yarra Trams; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Yarra Trams in Melbourne is seeking an experienced leader to join the Network Readiness team as Senior Advisor Disruptions. You will lead an Occupations Planning team, coordinating complex disruptions, occupations, and major events across the tram network in Melbourne.

This role requires strong stakeholder engagement, strategic operational planning, and a safety-focused approach to balance passenger experience with project needs.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams within transport operations, network planning or disruption management.
• Strong planning, organisation and prioritisation skills.
• Proven stakeholder engagement and relationship management abilities.
• Commitment to safety and continuous improvement in public transport.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Occupations Planning team, driving high performance and safety.
• Manage planning and delivery of infrastructure occupations, maintenance, renewals and projects across the Network Readiness Plan.
• Support Major Events and Designated Special Events (DSEs).
• Prioritise passenger experience while balancing operational, safety and project requirements.
• Monitor franchise obligations, governance and planning milestones.
• Provide technical expertise and strategic operational planning advice.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Drive process improvements, lessons learned and reporting across the business.
• Mentor, coach and develop team capability.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Mgmt

Planning

Disruption Mgmt

Transport Planning

Project Delivery

Data Analysis

Communication

Safety Culture

Mentoring

Education

Relevant tertiary qualifications

Job description

At Yarra Trams, we are committed to delivering a safe, reliable and world-class public transport experience for Melbourne. We are seeking an experienced leader to join our Network Readiness team as the Senior Advisor Disruptions, responsible for leading the planning and delivery of network occupations, maintenance activities, infrastructure renewals, major projects and special events across the tram network.

In this pivotal leadership role, you will oversee a team of planning professionals responsible for coordinating complex network disruptions and occupations to ensure works can be delivered safely and efficiently while minimising impacts on passengers and stakeholders.

You will work closely with internal operational teams, project delivery teams, the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), contractors and external stakeholders to develop service plans that support network readiness objectives and maintain franchise performance requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing the Occupations Planning team, driving a high-performance and safety-focused culture.
• Managing the planning and delivery of infrastructure occupations, maintenance programs, renewals and projects across the Network Readiness Plan (NRP).
• Supporting the successful delivery of Major Events and Designated Special Events (DSEs).
• Ensuring service plans prioritise passenger experience while balancing operational, safety and project requirements.
• Monitoring compliance with franchise obligations, governance frameworks and planning milestones.
• Providing technical expertise and strategic operational planning advice to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate successful network outcomes.
• Driving planning process improvements, lessons learned activities and reporting outcomes across the business.
• Supporting the development of team capability through mentoring, coaching and leadership.

This is an opportunity to play a critical role in shaping how Melbourne's tram network responds to infrastructure works, major projects and network events while leading a highly skilled team that contributes directly to the city's transport network performance.

About you

You are an experienced transport planning or operational leader with a strong understanding of public transport networks and service disruption planning. You bring a collaborative leadership style, strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to balance operational requirements with customer outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications and/or significant industry experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams within transport operations, network planning, infrastructure delivery or disruption management.
• At least five years' experience in the transport industry and/or project disruption planning environment.
• Strong leadership capability with experience managing, mentoring and developing teams.
• A sound understanding of Victorian public transport operations and service delivery principles.
• Excellent planning, organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and tight timeframes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capability.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience influencing outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups and operational environments.
• The ability to identify innovative solutions to network constraints and operational challenges.
• A commitment to safety, continuous improvement and delivering excellent customer outcomes.
• High attention to detail, accuracy and accountability.

If you are passionate about public transport, thrive in complex operational environments and enjoy leading teams that make a tangible impact on network performance and passenger experience, we'd love to hear from you.