Senior Technical Specialist, Mechanical

Optus Enterprise; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly $80 credit

25% off Optus products

Flexible three-office/two-remote work

Job summary

Optus invites applications for a Technical Specialist (Mech and Fire) to shape and deliver critical infrastructure across Optus Technical Facilities, including data centres and exchanges.

You will lead planning, design, procurement, construction and commissioning of mechanical, electrical, fire, hydraulic and BMS systems, ensuring safety, compliance and resilient delivery in live operations.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or related discipline required.
• 10–15 years delivering critical facility infrastructure projects.
• Experience in project management and contractor governance in live environments.
• Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, fire protection, BMS and critical facility infra.
• Commercial acumen: CAPEX, procurement, budgets, cost estimates, cashflow.
• Knowledge of Australian Standards, Building Code of Australia and WHS.

Responsibilities

• Identify constraints, risks and lifecycle requirements across facilities.
• Oversee engineering designs to meet standards and requirements.
• Develop scopes, cost estimates and business cases for delivery strategies.
• Lead procurement activities and bid evaluations.
• Manage capital programmes from planning through handover.
• Ensure safe, compliant delivery in live telecom environments.
• Oversee site planning, audits, permits and issue resolution.
• Maintain relationships with contractors, suppliers and delivery partners.

Skills

Leadership

Contractor governance

Project management

Communication

CAPEX management

Safety & compliance

Education

Engineering degree

Construction Management degree

Job description

Optus is an Australian telecommunications company, delivering more than 11 million services to our customers every day across mobile, broadband and digital solutions.

As the Technical Specialist (Mech and Fire), you’ll help shape and deliver critical infrastructure projects across Optus Technical Facilities, including telephone exchanges, data centres and related network facilities. You’ll lead the planning, design, procurement, construction delivery, commissioning and governance of mechanical, electrical, fire, hydraulic and Building Management System infrastructure, ensuring projects are safe, compliant, resilient, cost‑effective and delivered with minimal impact to live telecommunications operations.

What You'll Do

• Identify infrastructure constraints, risks, capacity limitations and asset lifecycle requirements across Optus Technical Facilities, contributing to investment strategies and Annual Operating Plan development.
• Oversee and govern engineering solutions, technical scopes, specifications, standards and design requirements across mechanical, electrical, fire protection, hydraulic, structural and BMS disciplines
• Review consultant, contractor and vendor designs to ensure compliance with Optus Engineering Standards, Australian Standards, statutory requirements and industry best practice.
• Develop project scopes, cost estimates, risk assessments, business cases and delivery strategies that balance operational risk, cost, schedule and service continuity.
• Lead procurement activities, including tender documentation, scope packages, vendor engagement, technical bid evaluations, contractor recommendations and commercial efficiencies.
• Manage capital expenditure programmes typically ranging from $2 million to $10 million, including budgets, forecasting, expenditure and financial reporting.
• Lead critical infrastructure projects from award through construction, commissioning and handover across live operational telecommunications environments.
• Manage contractors, consultants and vendors to ensure safe, compliant and high‑quality delivery against programmes, budgets, milestones and operational requirements.
• Oversee construction planning, staging, site inspections, audits, toolbox meetings, permit systems and resolution of technical issues, defects, non‑conformances and delivery risks.
• Protect continuity of critical services throughout construction and ensure compliance with WHS obligations, construction regulations and operational readiness requirements.
• Manage commissioning, integrated systems testing and operational handover, including FAT and SAT documentation, asset registration, training, as‑built drawings, O&M manuals and defect rectification plans.
• Maintain effective contractor and supplier relationships, support audit and regulatory compliance activities, and escalate critical project, operational, financial and safety risks with mitigation strategies.

What You Bring

• A degree in Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline.
• 10–15 years’ experience delivering critical facility infrastructure projects, ideally across data centres, telecommunications facilities, mission‑critical environments or major infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience in construction delivery, project management and contractor governance across complex, live operational environments.
• Strong technical understanding of mechanical systems, electrical systems, fire protection systems, BMS and controls, and critical facility infrastructure.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience managing CAPEX programmes, procurement activities, project budgets, cost estimates and cashflow forecasts.
• Detailed knowledge of Australian Standards, the Building Code of Australia and WHS legislation, with a strong focus on compliance, safety and operational resilience.
• Proven ability to develop business cases, secure funding approvals, prepare technical specifications and scopes of work, and produce tender documentation.
• Experience with telecommunications infrastructure, data centre design and operations, critical power systems, DC infrastructure, national capital works programmes or asset lifecycle planning is desirable.
• Project Management certification such as PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent is desirable.
• Customer‑focused, organised and self‑disciplined, with clear written and oral communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships.
• Demonstrated leadership, ownership and teamwork, with the ability to influence Engineering, Operations, Procurement, contractors, suppliers and other delivery partners.

The good stuff...

• Competitive remuneration and employee discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and unique shopping discounts with our retail partners.
• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home.
• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected' days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever’s important to you.
• We support growing families with inclusive, carer‑neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks.
• Build meaningful connections through employee‑led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in‑person, by phone, SMS, or video.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying 'yes' to embracing individual differences.

We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive.

If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email [e-mail] or call 1800 309 170.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity