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About the Company 

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.

We operate in a geographically and climatically diverse service area, with sites and locations from Ceduna through to Port Augusta, the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, across to the Riverland, down to Mount Gambier, and most places in between.

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  

As a Senior Policy Adviser, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering high-quality policy outcomes that support strategic priorities. You’ll be responsible for writing policy briefings, reviewing cabinet submissions, and forming practical, well-informed policy solutions across complex and evolving areas.  

Working with stakeholders across the business, including working closely with Senior Managers, and General Managers, you’ll provide clear, insightful advice that balances opportunity with risk and governance considerations,  

Highly collaborative in nature, this role suits someone who enjoys working across organisational boundaries, making sense of complexity, and ensuring policy positions are robust, aligned and deliver real impact for the organisation and the community. 

This is a fixed term opportunity until February 2027. 

About the Person

You’re a solution focused professional with a genuine interest in policy and how it drives organisational and community outcomes.  

You may come from a policy, technical or advisory background, and you’re comfortable working with complex information and diverse viewpoints. You bring experience in developing clear, well-reasoned advice, navigating governance or decision-making processes, and understanding risk in a practical, applied way. 

You’re confident engaging with senior leaders, building trusted relationships, and influencing outcomes through clear, concise communication.  

With strong stakeholder management skills and a collaborative mindset, you thrive in complex environments and enjoy turning challenges into practical, effective solutions.   

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: 

• Author papers of a high standard as required for the business, including reports, Cabinet papers or public documents to tight deadlines.
• Provide policy advice and support to teams throughout the business in authoring policy reports and artefacts to enable the business to rapidly and authoritatively respond to business requests. 
• Assist the business in preparing materials such as papers, agendas and briefings to enable successful participation in external forums.
• Utilise internal and external written sources of evidence and available research to develop accurate and comprehensive policy positions on key areas of strategic policy.

Your success in this role will come from: 

• Tertiary qualifications in business, public policy, economics, law, engineering or other relevant discipline.  
• Demonstrated analytical skills, with an ability to assimilate information from multiple sources to conceptualise and articulate complex issues. 
• Excellent written skills, including a demonstrated ability to rapidly develop policy artifacts including briefings, executive summaries and position papers based on research and subject matter expert input.  

Further information can be found in the attached PD – Senior Policy Adviser.docx

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

Applications close 11:55pm, Monday 11 May 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.