Job Description

Who we are

In Melbourne, water is essential to our way of life.

As caretakers for Melbourne’s water cycle, and our catchments. We care for water, life, and land throughout Melbourne: both its people and its biodiversity.

Each time you drink from the tap, flush a toilet, or kayak down the Yarra we’re there. Primed and ready, quietly delivering some of the world’s cleanest water for over five million residents and wildlife that call Melbourne home, just as we have for over 130 years.

About the Role

Lead the customer, communications, and reputation agenda for Melbourne Water in this senior leadership role. In this new role of, Head of Customer and Communications, you’ll shape how we engage with customers, communities, media, government, and our people driving trusted, clear, and impactful communication across a complex essential services environment. This role acts as the central authority for Melbourne Water’s organisational messaging, ensuring communications into and out of the business are strategically managed, consistent, timely and aligned to Melbourne Water’s reputation, stakeholder obligations, and enterprise priorities.

Drive enterprise-wide influence, in leading the use of customer insights, data and strategic communications to drive better decision-making, improve service outcomes and strengthen confidence in Melbourne Water’s role as an essential services leader.

• Lead and manage MW’s brand and reputation, strengthening community and stakeholder trust and confidence.

• Lead and deliver an overarching strategy that builds the seamless integration of internal and external communications across all channels, aligned to Enterprise objectives, values, and risk setting.

• Lead the operational customer interface to deliver efficient engagement pathways that reduce internal workload and increase customer satisfaction.

• Exercise single‑point governance over organisational messaging, providing authoritative control of outbound and inbound communications to protect reputation and licence to operate.

• Provide strategic media leadership, including media relations, issues management and crisis communications, to manage reputational risk and public confidence.
• Lead the department’s financial management with strong commercial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance.

For more information, please refer to the attached Role Mandate

This is an opportunity for an experienced customer, communications or public affairs leader to influence enterprise strategy, lead high-performing teams, strengthen community confidence, and deliver meaningful outcomes for Melbourne’s water future.

About you:

• Tertiary qualification in Communications, Public Relations, Business, Customer Experience, Marketing, Public Policy, or a related discipline.
• Extensive senior leadership experience leading large complex teams in customer or communications in a regulated, public sector, infrastructure, or essential services organisation.
• Strong commercial acumen, with demonstrable success managing budgets, forecasts, and operational resources efficiently.
• Highly developed stakeholder management and engagement skills across government, media, community, and industry.
• Ability to translate operational strategy into operational performance and financial outcomes.
• Demonstrable success managing digital program delivery.

A successful candidate would bring experience in customer, communications, or public affairs, with the ability to complex teams with confidence, and use insight, data, and strong stakeholder relationships to protect reputation, improve services, and build community trust.

Why join us:

At Melbourne Water, we care deeply about water and the life it sustains.

Our team is inspired by passion and purpose, with an unwavering commitment to safety. We are on a mission to protect every Melburnian’s way of life, one drop at a time.

We don’t just talk about flexible working - we live it. Our culture of purpose, safety, results, and learning flows through everything we do. We're dedicated to doing what's right, and this commitment extends to the meaningful work we do in a supportive and inclusive culture that encourages you to make the most of your talents.

Our long-standing commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ individuals, Neurodivergent Individuals, people living with disability, mature age and young jobseekers from all cultures can apply with confidence knowing they are safe, affirmed, and celebrated.

If you’re curious, action-orientated, outcomes-focused, and enthusiastic about public resources, community, and the environment, we'd love to receive your application and learn if you could be a great fit.

How to Apply

Click the 'Apply Now' button below and complete our online application form.

Closing date: Monday 20th July 2026 at 11:55pm AEST