Just over an hour north of Townsville is the tropical paradise of Hinchinbrook. With Ingham at its centre, the region is surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, giant waterfalls, the Great Barrier Reef, wild beaches and tropical islands. It's a place where breathtaking scenery, unique wildlife, world-class fishing experiences, delicious, locally sourced food, inspirational art and 60,000 years of culture are all weaved into one incredible story: The Hinchinbrook Way. Hinchinbrook Shire Council is seeking an experienced leader to lead the delivery of high-quality, compliant, and sustainable water, wastewater, and waste services to the local community. This is a pivotal operational leadership role, reporting to the Director Infrastructure Services, where you'll play an integral part in ensuring the reliability, safety, and efficiency of Council's essential service networks. As Manager Water and Waste, you will lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for the day-to-day operations, maintenance, and capital delivery programs across the region's water, wastewater, and waste functions. Your focus will be on ensuring regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and strong safety performance, while driving continuous improvement and customer-focused service outcomes. With a team of 28 dedicated professionals, you'll bring clarity, structure, and accountability to lead and develop a technically capable workforce, guiding them through change and fostering a culture of collaboration and professional growth. Your leadership will extend beyond operations. You'll provide expert technical and strategic advice to Council, oversee major infrastructure initiatives-including upgrades to ageing treatment plants and the expansion of water and wastewater networks to support new residential developments-and manage complex budgets and capital programs. You will also represent Council in stakeholder discussions, ensuring effective communication with Councillors, regulators, contractors, and the community. Success in this role will require a pragmatic leader with a strong background in water, wastewater, or waste management-ideally supported by RPEQ registration or equivalent experience. You'll demonstrate a proven ability to uplift compliance performance, manage competing priorities, and influence across multiple stakeholder levels. Equally important will be your commitment to safety, customer service, and organisational transformation. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact-shaping the future of critical community infrastructure and leaving a tangible legacy for the Hinchinbrook region. If you're a capable and connected leader ready to drive improvement and lead with integrity, we invite you to bring your expertise to this vital role. BEFORE APPLYING, PLEASE OBTAIN THE CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK from the McArthur website, search J8491 or for a confidential discussion - call Rebecca McPhail on 07 3211 9700. Applications close Monday 24 November 2025
