Team Leader, Strategic Communication

• Permanent Full Time
• From $160k package
• Footscray Location | hybrid

About Greater Western Water

We’re water… and more.

GWW is a Victorian government-owned water corporation that provides an essential service to some of the fastest-growing communities in Australia, stretching from Melbourne’s CBD to Lancefield in the north and Bacchus Marsh in the west. Click here to learn more

Benefits

• We embrace flexibility and connection with a balance of on-site and WFH
• Free onsite parking (subject to availability)
• Gender neutral, 16-week parental leave
• Monthly work life balance day off to treat yourself (if full-time)
• Free income protection and salary continuance insurance
• Access to corporate health insurance deals with major providers
• Wellbeing, prayer, and sensory rooms in the Footscray and Sunbury office

The opportunity

The Team Leader, Strategic Communications at Greater Western Water plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the organisation's reputation. Reporting to the Communications Manager, this position oversees a team of Senior Advisors responsible for external communication advice and planning for priority projects and emerging issues to ensure a customer-first approach and effectively manage opportunities and risks. The leader advocates for the company as a premier service provider in the water industry, providing strategic advice to both internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, they represent Greater Western Water in industry collaborations and lead communication strategies on key issues and projects. This role is essential for early engagement with priority business projects, fostering collaboration with key stakeholders to achieve optimal outcomes for customers while monitoring the external environment to mitigate risks and seize opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong team leadership while promoting alignment with GWW values and fostering a culture of achievement that emphasizes learning, valuing people, and driving performance.
• Ensure GWW's strategic communications align with corporate priorities, lead communication advice for senior leaders, develop and evaluate best practice communication plans, and represent GWW in key projects to support government messaging and strategic recommendations.
• Identifying and managing reputation opportunities and risks associated with GWW’s operations, working across all enterprise levels to deliver high-quality strategic advice, plans and tactical solution
• Provide leadership advice to stakeholders on complex customer issues, advocate for optimal customer outcomes using data and analytics, and support incident and crisis management, including after-hours participation when necessary.
• Foster strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders while implementing communication and engagement strategies to enhance support and understanding of GWW.
• Manage the team’s budget and resources while providing support and ensuring performance and development plans are established for all members.

Skills & Experience

• Tertiary qualified in a communications or journalism-related discipline and/or equivalent experience in a senior strategic communication role
• Strong expertise in communications, stakeholder relations, and risk management.
• Proven experience in creating and maintaining effective communication plans aligned with strategic priorities.
• Ability to identify trends and translate strategic direction into daily operations.
• Skilled in engaging diverse stakeholders and influencing behaviour change for successful outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with proficiency in developing clear written materials.
• Demonstrated leadership capability to guide teams in delivering high-quality results while analysing complex issues and implementing innovative solutions.

See yourself thrive

Our vision for GWW is Thriving People and Country. We aim to be as diverse as the communities we serve and are deeply committed to building a workplace where everybody thrives. We’re supportive, inclusive, and friendly, and value everyone for who they are and what they can bring.  

We’re seeking applicants across all cultural backgrounds, genders, and abilities, and will make reasonable adjustments as required, so please talk to us about what you need.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role, we encourage you to apply.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which will include reference checks, national police checks, and working rights in Australia checks.

Applications close: Tuesday 15 April