Strategic Projects Advisor

Yarra Valley Water Corporation; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex working (hybrid)

16 weeks parental leave

On-site parking

On-site café

15 days personal leave

5 days reproductive leave

Holiday swap option

Job summary

Yarra Valley Water is seeking a strategic communications and community engagement lead to steer engagement for major capital works and infrastructure projects. You will navigate complex stakeholder interests, provide guidance to senior leaders, and protect the organisation's reputation in fast-paced environments.

This 8-month parental leave cover role offers the chance to influence outcomes, work with a collaborative team, and deliver high-profile projects that matter to communities.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering community and stakeholder engagement for major infrastructure projects.
• Strong written communication for engagement materials and executive briefings.
• Experience managing sensitive issues and reputational risks in construction or urban projects.
• Excellent stakeholder relationship-building abilities.
• Knowledge of IAP2 engagement methodologies.
• Understanding of traditional and digital media and how to apply them.
• Ability to evaluate engagement outcomes using insights.

Responsibilities

• Leading community and stakeholder engagement for complex, high-profile infrastructure and capital works projects.
• Developing and implementing strategic communication and engagement plans for capital works and initiatives.
• Providing trusted communications advice to senior leaders and project teams.
• Identifying and mitigating reputational risks and issues.
• Managing engagement activities in sensitive environments with scrutiny.
• Protecting and enhancing our brand across interactions with customers and stakeholders.
• Supporting media preparedness, including holding statements and Q&As.
• Leading stakeholder engagement activities, including ministerial opportunities where appropriate.
• Monitoring media coverage and stakeholder sentiment to adjust strategies.
• Building cross-organisational relationships to coordinate timely communication.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic communications

Reputation management

Media readiness

Job description

• True hybrid working - work from home and our Mitcham office

About Us

We're on a mission to create a brighter future, where you can be a change maker at the actual source. We're one of Australia's largest water utilities with over 30% of Victoria's population relying on us for their essential water and sanitation services.

Our award-winning culture fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and flexible environment that enables our people to thrive. Here, you'll be inspired and challenged to grow alongside us.

We're committed to reconciliation and supporting the self-determined role for Traditional Owners/Custodians in water and land management.

The Role

We're seeking a strategic and experienced communications and community engagement professional to lead engagement for major capital works and infrastructure projects that directly impact our community.

This role is suited to someone who has successfully delivered engagement on complex infrastructure, transport, or urban projects, and can confidently navigate competing stakeholder interests, community sensitivities and fast-paced project environments.

This is an opportunity to influence outcomes at a strategic level, manage complexity and play a key role in protecting and enhancing organisational reputation.

This is an 8-Month parental leave cover opportunity, offering the chance to work on a range of high-profile projects and hit the ground running within a collaborative team.

To view the full position description, click HERE.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Leading community and stakeholder engagement for complex, high-profile infrastructure and capital works projects.
• Developing and implementing strategic communication and engagement plans for capital works projects and organisational initiatives.
• Providing trusted communications advice to senior leaders, project managers and subject matter experts, informing project direction or outcomes.
• Identifying and managing reputational risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Managing engagement and communication activities in sensitive and highly scrutinised environments.
• Protecting and enhancing our brand across customer and stakeholder interactions.
• Supporting media preparedness, including media handling plans, holding statements and Q&As.
• Leading and supporting stakeholder engagement activities, including ministerial opportunities where appropriate.
• Monitoring media coverage, stakeholder sentiment and community feedback to inform communication strategies.
• Building strong relationships across the organisation, with project partners, community and traders to ensure communication is coordinated, timely and effective.
• Proactively identifying opportunities to showcase organisational achievements and project outcomes.
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of strategic communications practices, tools and processes.

What we're Looking for

• Demonstrated experience delivering community and stakeholder engagement for major infrastructure, capital works or urban projects.
• Strong written communication skills, including preparation of engagement materials, consultation reports, executive briefings and stakeholder correspondence.
• Strong experience managing complex or sensitive communication issues, stakeholder and community impacts and reputational risks associated with construction, transport, infrastructure or urban development projects.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship-building capabilities.
• Knowledge of contemporary engagement principles and frameworks, including IAP2 methodologies.
• Sound understanding of traditional media, digital channels and communication best practice.
• Experience evaluating communication effectiveness and using insights to improve outcomes.
• A collaborative approach and commitment to meaningful stakeholder engagement.
• A proactive and 'can do' approach

About You

You're an experienced communications and engagement practitioner who thrives in complex environments where projects are highly visible and community expectations are high. You can balance strategic thinking with meticulous attention to detail, manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and maintain strong stakeholder relationships while delivering outcomes to tight timeframes.

You are:

• Experienced in delivering engagement for major infrastructure, capital works or urban development projects.
• Confident managing competing stakeholder interests and sensitive issues.
• Calm, proactive and solutions-focused.
• An exceptional communicator.
• Highly organised with exceptional attention to detail and capable of managing multiple priorities.
• A collaborative team player who builds trusted relationships.

Why Yarra Valley Water?

We celebrate and encourage new thinking at every level. Creating opportunities for you to grow - both professionally, and personally. When you flourish, we all do.

• Flexible working arrangements where our people are empowered to design their days with their team. Read our hybrid playbook HERE.
• Free and secure on-site parking with on-site café at our Mitcham office.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 15 days paid personal leave, which can be used for caring, illness, wellbeing and mental health needs.
• 5 days paid reproductive leave which can be used for experiencing symptoms or undergoing procedures associated with issues such as menopause, menstruation, endometriosis, PCOS, prostate health, or IVF.
• Request to swap certain public holidays for another day of paid leave.

To read more about our benefits and culture, read our employee handbook HERE.

Did you Know?

Research shows that men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, while women and other marginalised people tend to only apply when they meet all of them. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily tick every box, please apply or get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.

Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Australia and agree to provide information for pre-employment checks, if required for the position. This may also include a Police Check or AusCheck, where an offer will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of these checks.

Yarra Valley Water is recognised by Australian Disability Network as a Disability Confident Recruiter employer.