Senior Project Manager

Hunter Water Corporation; Newcastle City Council; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35-hour week

Hybrid/flexible working

Public holidays

Parental leave 14 weeks

Community service leave

Fitness Passport

Employee Assistance Program

Rewards program

Job summary

Hunter Water Corporation in the Newcastle region is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of capital works from concept through construction and commissioning. You will manage budgets, schedules, risks and relationships with consultants, contractors and internal teams to ensure safe, high-quality outcomes.

You will oversee the full project lifecycle, guiding project managers and technical specialists, while promoting safety, environmental stewardship and continuous

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering capital works projects.
• Strong budget forecasting and scheduling skills.
• Experience managing consultants, contractors and multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of capital works projects from concept design through to construction and commissioning.
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, schedules, risks and performance to achieve successful outcomes.
• Oversee consultants, contractors and multidisciplinary project teams, ensuring safe, efficient and high-quality delivery.
• Act as the Principal's Representative or Authorised Person for assigned contracts.
• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders, delivery partners and external organisations.
• Champion safety, environmental and quality outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide guidance and support to project managers, project officers and technical specialists.
• Identify opportunities to improve project delivery processes, share lessons learned and strengthen team capability.

Skills

Capital project delivery

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Contract administration

People management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering or related discipline

Job description

• Full-time, ongoing opportunity | 35-hour week + flexible working
• Lead complex capital projects from design through to delivery
• Support the sustainable delivery of an essential service to the Lower Hunter community

The Opportunity

Want to lead projects that make a lasting difference to the Hunter region?

We're looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our Infrastructure Delivery team on a full-time ongoing basis, helping to deliver essential water and wastewater infrastructure across the Lower Hunter region.

In this role, you'll play a key role in delivering Hunter Water's capital works program, managing projects across our network and treatment assets. You'll take ownership of capital works projects from concept and design through to construction and commissioning, working with technical specialists, consultants and contractors to deliver safe, high-quality outcomes.

You'll oversee the full project lifecycle, balancing safety, quality, environmental outcomes, budgets and delivery timelines. You'll also provide guidance to other project managers and technical team members, contributing your expertise to strengthen project delivery across the business.

This is a role where you'll have the opportunity to make decisions, build strong partnerships and contribute to the continuous improvement of how we deliver infrastructure for the region.

If you enjoy solving complex challenges, building strong partnerships and seeing the tangible impact of your work, this could be a great next step in your career.

What you'll do

• Lead the delivery of capital works projects from concept design through to construction and commissioning.
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, schedules, risks and performance to achieve successful outcomes.
• Oversee consultants, contractors and multidisciplinary project teams, ensuring safe, efficient and high-quality delivery.
• Act as the Principal's Representative or Authorised Person for assigned contracts.
• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders, delivery partners and external organisations.
• Champion safety, environmental and quality outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide guidance and support to project managers, project officers and technical specialists.
• Identify opportunities to improve project delivery processes, share lessons learned and strengthen team capability.

What you'll bring

We're looking for an experienced project delivery professional who combines strong technical knowledge with practical leadership and stakeholder management skills.

You'll have the following essential criteria:

• Tertiary qualifications in Civil or Environmental Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline. Other qualifications may be considered where supported by substantial project management experience.
• Demonstrated experience delivering capital works projects and managing programs of work.
• Strong experience in consultant management, contract administration and contractor oversight.
• Experience in engineering investigations, planning, design and tender documentation.
• Well-developed project management skills, including managing budgets, competing priorities and project delivery timelines.
• Strong communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across diverse stakeholder groups.
• A collaborative, proactive approach and a commitment to delivering safe, high-quality outcomes.
• A current Class C driver's licence and Construction Induction Card (NSW White Card).
• Experience delivering water or wastewater infrastructure projects, knowledge of relevant water infrastructure design guidelines, or formal project management qualifications would be highly regarded

If you bring strong capital project delivery experience but haven't worked in the water industry before, we'd still encourage you to apply.

Why you'll love working at Hunter Water

Hunter Water provides essential water services to communities across the Lower Hunter, while working to create a more sustainable, resilient and innovative water future for our region - and our people play an important part in making that happen.

We also know that doing great work is only one part of life. We support our people with flexibility, benefits and opportunities to learn and grow.

Our employee benefits include:

• 35-hour working week, with access to hybrid and flexible working options
• Additional public holidays
• 5 additional days of paid carers leave each year
• 14 weeks paid parental leave for both primary and secondary carers
• Paid community service leave
• Fitness Passport and discounted health and wellbeing services
• Employee Assistance Program
• Reward and Recognition Program

Remuneration:

Up to $155,000 + superannuation, commensurate with skills, experience and applicable award classification.

Our people are guided by five values - Wellbeing, Trust, Leading, Learning and Inclusion. They shape how we work together, make decisions and support our customers and communities.

We also encourage you to learn more about our Corporate Strategy and the future of Hunter Water, where we're working to build a more innovative, collaborative and resilient organisation.

Questions about the role?

Everyone belongs at Hunter Water

We want Hunter Water to be a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We value different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace with genuine equality of opportunity.

We encourage applications from people of all cultures, abilities, identities, ages and life experiences, and particularly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women and people with disability to apply.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know - we're happy to work with you to make the process accessible.

Employment with Hunter Water Corporation may be subject to pre-employment checks relevant to the position, including criminal background checks, a functional assessment, drug and alcohol testing and psychometric assessment for preferred applicants.