Stay ahead. Get job alerts

At SA Water, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Manager Culture & Performance to lead an integrated portfolio of people-focused functions and help shape an inclusive, high-performing and future-ready organisation.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished people leader who understands that organisational performance is about more than systems and processes. It is about creating the right environment, building capability, recognising contribution and enabling people to do their best work.

Bringing together Organisational Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), Reward & Benefits you will lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team to deliver a connected agenda that strengthens our culture, develops our people and supports our strategic ambitions.

About the job  

Reporting to the Senior Manager People Culture & Capability, you will provide strategic leadership across the Culture & Performance portfolio, translating organisational priorities into meaningful initiatives and measurable outcomes.

You will lead the development and delivery of an integrated, rolling 12-month Culture & Performance plan, ensuring priorities are aligned, resources are effectively coordinated and initiatives are embedded across the organisation.

Working closely with executives, senior leaders and key stakeholders, you will bring together specialist expertise and create a cohesive approach to organisational development, workforce capability, inclusion, performance and reward.

You will also play a key role in strengthening the connection between our people strategy and long-term workforce needs, ensuring SA Water is equipped with the leadership, skills and capabilities required for the future.

About the Person

You are a confident and collaborative people leader who brings together strategic thinking, commercial acumen and a genuine passion for creating great workplaces.

You have the ability to see the bigger organisational picture while understanding what it takes to turn strategy into practical, sustainable outcomes. You are comfortable navigating complexity, influencing at senior levels and bringing diverse specialist disciplines together around a common purpose.

About People and Safety

The People and Safety business group supports the capability, wellbeing, and safety of our workforce. The team brings together human resources, talent attraction, organisational development, and safety and wellbeing to ensure our people can do their best work, safely and sustainably

Working in People and Safety means shaping culture, attracting and developing talent, supporting leaders and teams, and strengthening safe, inclusive workplaces across South Australia. Your work will help ensure we have the right people, skills, and environments to deliver essential water and wastewater services now and into the future.

In addition, your responsibilities will include: 

Fostering trust with our people, customers and community by providing expert advice and service that ensure we effectively communicate and engage audiences with our business strategy and its delivery across South Australia, every day. 

You will:

• Leading a diverse and high-performing team: Build an engaged, collaborative and capable multidisciplinary team, creating clarity of purpose, accountability and opportunities for professional growth.
• Driving organisational development: Lead contemporary approaches to organisational effectiveness, leadership development, talent management, succession planning and early careers.
• Shaping culture and inclusion: Champion diversity, equity and inclusion, embedding inclusive practices and creating an environment where people feel valued, respected and able to contribute.
• Connecting reward and performance: Provide strategic oversight of remuneration, benefits, performance frameworks and recognition approaches that support organisational objectives and employee experience.
• Planning for the future workforce: Lead strategic workforce planning, identifying critical workforce risks, emerging capability requirements and opportunities to build a sustainable talent pipeline.
• Delivering strategic initiatives: Provide oversight of complex projects and programs, ensuring effective planning, prioritisation, governance, implementation and evaluation of outcomes.
• Influencing and partnering: Build trusted relationships with executives and senior leaders, using insight, evidence and sound judgement to influence decisions and drive organisation-wide outcomes.
• Ensuring strong governance: Oversee budgets, resource allocation, reporting, risk management and benefits realisation, maintaining a strong focus on delivery and continuous improvement.

Your success in this role will come from: 

• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams across complex people, culture or organisational capability functions.
• Strong expertise in organisational development, workplace culture, talent and performance, with an appreciation of how reward, benefits and inclusion contribute to organisational effectiveness.
• The ability to develop and deliver integrated strategies, programs and frameworks that respond to business priorities and future workforce needs.
• Experience leading complex projects and portfolios of work, with strong planning, prioritisation, governance and delivery capabilities
• A collaborative leadership style that empowers people, builds trust, encourages innovation and creates a psychologically safe and inclusive team environment.
• Highly developed stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the confidence to work with executives, senior leaders and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong commercial and strategic judgement, including experience managing budgets, resources, risks and competing priorities.
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate complex people matters into clear insights, compelling recommendations and meaningful action.

Why join SA Water?

This is an opportunity to shape an important and diverse portfolio at a time when culture, capability and workforce sustainability are critical to our future.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Lead a broad and influential people portfolio with organisation-wide impact.
• Work alongside an experienced People & Safety leadership team.
• Shape the future of culture, capability, inclusion and performance.
• Lead a talented team of specialists and create opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Make a meaningful contribution to an essential South Australian organisation.

Further information can be found in the attached PD – Manager Culture & Performance.

To apply, click 'Apply'. Please submit and complete the application form, upload a cover letter and current resume. For enquiries, please contact Heidi Neale from the Talent Acquisition team heidi.neale@sawater.com.au.

Applications close 2pm, 20 November 2026.

A great customer experience is best achieved by having a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the community we serve. Applications are encouraged from everyone, including people living with disability, job seekers of all ages, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds. 

Our Industry is like no other. Dive into the wonderful world of water and explore the boundless opportunities. Learn more about the water industry at careersinwater.com.au.

Please note: We request that recruitment agencies do not submit candidates for this position, as they will not be accepted.