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About SA Water

SA Water is a successful, modern water utility wholly owned by the Government of South Australia. We employ more than 1,700 people across a broad range of disciplines who operate more than $14 billion worth of infrastructure to deliver essential water and sewerage services to more than 1.8 million South Australians.

With operations and offices across the state, our strength and expertise have been shaped by our history. For more than 165 years, South Australians have depended on us to innovate and deliver efficient and sustainable water services. With nationally and internationally recognised industry expertise, we’re focused on understanding and meeting our customers’ expectations.

As well as safely delivering smart and reliable services for our customers of today, we innovate to shape the water solutions of the future that will support thriving economies and healthy communities.

We are driven by our values; we value our people, we do work that matters, we keep it real, we know that our work has impact, and we are future focussed. Staying true to our values ensures that we consistently deliver positive outcomes for all South Australians.

About the job  

We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to take on the role of Manager Portfolio Governance, Assurance, Risk, and Improvement within our Infrastructure Project Management Office, reporting to the Senior Manager Infrastructure Management Office.

This is a pivotal management position responsible for providing enterprise‑level governance, assurance, risk management, continuous improvement, and enablement frameworks across SA Water’s capital and asset lifecycle. You will ensure confidence in decision‑making, integrity of portfolio information, compliance with legislative and assurance frameworks, and continuous uplift in capability and performance. You will support a multidisciplinary team covering:

• Governance and Assurance
• Infrastructure Improvement
• Risk Management
• Quality Management

About the Person

You are a credible, influential leader with a passion for governance excellence and improving how major infrastructure portfolios operate. You thrive in complexity, build trust quickly, and can balance assurance with enablement to deliver outcomes.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Provide leadership and oversight of Program and Portfolio Advisory governance ensuring high‑quality, timely, and compliant submissions that support sound investment.
• Lead and continuously evolve scalable governance frameworks, including the Corporate Project Management Methodology (CPMM), ensuring alignment with SA Water policies and external regulatory and assurance requirements.
• Establish and lead a robust portfolio assurance framework, delivering independent quality, compliance, and performance assurance across the asset planning to delivery lifecycle, including audit management and regulatory reviews.
• Responsible for strategic and operational risk management across Sustainable Infrastructure, embedding a mature risk culture and delivering the Sustainable Infrastructure Risk Management Framework to improve outcomes and outcome confidence.
• Drive enterprise‑wide continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities, prioritising investments, and steering end‑to‑end change delivery to embed sustainable improvements across the portfolio.
• Responsibility across portfolio-wide document management and quality systems to ensure consistency, accessibility, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness across capital and major projects.
• Oversee governance and optimisation of key portfolio systems (including Insight, CAPS, CPL, CPMM, Aconex, SharePoint and related platforms), ensuring system integrity, usability, and alignment with portfolio and business needs.

Your success in this role will come from: 

• Tertiary qualifications in Business, Project Management, Risk, Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated experience operating within and improving project or program governance frameworks
• Strong leadership capability with experience leading teams through change and transformation
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to influence at executive and operational levels
• Strong analytical thinking and problem‑solving capability
• A collaborative, pragmatic approach aligned to public sector values

Further information can be found in the attached PD – Position Description _ Manager Portfolio Governance, Assurance, Risk, and Improvement (1).docx

To apply, click 'Apply'. Please submit and complete the application form, upload a cover letter and current resume, by 5:00PM 16th of April. For enquiries, please contact Gregg Forte from the Talent Acquisition team on Gregg.forte@sawater.com.au

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. 

International candidates with relevant experience and qualifications are welcome to apply and will be considered.

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.