Unitywater operates in one of Australia’s most exceptional environments in terms of natural beauty, geographical and demographic breadth. We operate on Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal Country, proudly providing safe and reliable water to customers in Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa. We are a water utility serving one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
We think a pretty good job starts here.
About the role:
Unitywater is seeking an experienced Infrastructure Planning Lead – Wastewater Treatment Plants (STP) to provide senior technical leadership across the planning, design, and delivery of major wastewater treatment plant infrastructure. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence strategic investment decisions and lead complex planning outcomes that shape the future of wastewater services across the region.
You will bring strong technical expertise and consultancy or design experience in wastewater treatment plant planning and engineering, including process understanding, capacity planning, optimisation, and upgrades. Working closely with the strategic planning in Growth Engineering team, you will translate master planning outputs into detailed planning, options assessments, and clearly defined solution requirements to support capital program development and major projects.
As a technical leader, you will provide hands-on guidance and assurance across planning and design phases, overseeing and managing design deliverables from external partners to ensure technical quality, regulatory compliance, and alignment with Unitywater standards. You will lead complex technical discussions, mentor planning engineers, and work collaboratively with Integrated Delivery Teams, consultants, regulators, and internal stakeholders to deliver robust, high-quality outcomes. This role combines deep technical knowledge with leadership, influence, and accountability for engineering excellence.
About you:
Our One Unitywater behaviours - Create the Future, Care Together, and Own It – define how we work together at Unitywater. To contribute to this, you will demonstrate the following skills and qualities for the role:
- Significant experience (preferably process engineering ) in the water industry, with a proven track record in a senior technical, planning, or design leadership role within a large utility, consultancy, or similarly complex, customer-focused organisation.
- Extensive experience leading and contributing to the development of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects, including strong knowledge of treatment plants, pumping systems, pipelines, reservoirs, and associated assets.
- Strong consultancy and design technical guidance experience, including the ability to provide technical leadership, review and assure engineering designs, and manage design deliverables produced by external partners and consultants.
- Knowledge of water industry design standards, products, materials, and specifications, with the ability to ensure designs align with regulatory, safety, and organisational requirements.
- Demonstrated capability to translate high-level strategic and master planning needs into clear, practical solution requirements for capital works projects, aligned with customer outcomes, regulatory expectations, and best practice.
- Proven experience undertaking detailed needs analysis, options assessment, and impact analysis, using data-driven approaches to support evidence-based decision-making and optimisation.
- Strong ability to prepare high-quality technical documentation, including planning reports, project development scopes, design briefs, and executive summaries for both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Well-developed organisational and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex work streams and provide clear technical direction in a dynamic environment.
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence outcomes, negotiate effectively, and collaborate with internal teams, consultants, regulators, and other stakeholders.
- Experience developing and improving engineering, planning, and technical design processes within a quality framework.
- The ability to establish meaningful performance measures, analyse outcomes, and recommend improvements to drive continuous improvement and delivery excellence.
- Tertiary qualifications, ideally in process or mechanical engineering.
- RPEQ qualification or be working towards.
As a Unitywater team member you will enjoy a range of benefits:
- Flexibility: We value flexibility and support work-life balance with hybrid and flexible working, purchased annual leave and access to floating public holidays. Tell us what this looks like for you!
- Wellbeing: We offer several initiatives to support your wellbeing, such as discounted private health insurance, salary packaging, employee assistance program, and access to retailer discounts and benefits.
- Learning and Development: We offer a range of opportunities to feed your curiosity such as: Walk on Country experience, study assistance, and access to a dedicated learning program and professional memberships.
- Extras: We invite you to join our dedicated employee networks focused on First Nations Reconciliation, LGBTIQ+, CALD, Gender, Life Stage diversity, and Accessibility.
We strive to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve and encourage all suitable applicants to apply for this role. Please feel free to share your pronouns and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.
If you would like to speak to a team member about our commitment to diversity and inclusion, please contact our Inclusion Specialist emma.guest@unitywater.com or Reconciliation Action Plan Advisor rebecca.williams@unitywater.com.
Additional information:
- We are proud to be recognized as an employer of choice for women by WORK180.
- We are proud members of Pride in Diversity and Australian Disability Network.
- We are a 2025 Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant.
How to apply:
Please apply online following the links, and make sure to upload your up-to-date CV.
If you’re successful we will need you to undergo a few checks…. We know they might not be the fun part, but you will need to confirm your right to work in Australia and complete relevant pre-employment checks, including verification of criminal history, drivers licence and driving history, alcohol and other drug screening.
Applications close: Friday 16 January 2026
Previous applicants are not required to re-apply.
For further information please contact the Careers team at careers@unitywater.com
Unitywater respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways in which we live, work and operate, the Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal peoples. We honour their enduring connection to these places and their deep cultural, spiritual and environmental knowledge and stewardship over the waterways that sustain us all. We pay our deepest respects to Elders past and present, who hold the wisdom, traditions and stories of their people.