The Prospect

Lithgow City Council has an exciting opportunity for an Operations Manager - Water and Wastewater to join their team in Lithgow, NSW.

Reporting to the Director - Water, Wastewater and Waste, the Operations Manager leads and manages a multi-disciplinary team to deliver customer focused operations and maintenance aspects of Council’s Water and Wastewater Assets in accordance with Council Strategic, Management, Corporate and Business Plans within legislative and budgetary requirements.

The role provides certainty that Council is meeting its legislative obligations, through due diligence and the deployment of contemporary best practice methods, in respect to the services provided and that such services are delivered to meet any adopted delivery targets and / or Council Policies.

The role has operational oversight of the following departments, or functional areas:

- Water Treatment Plant, pump station and reservoir operations
- Sewerage treatment plant & pump station operations
- Water and Sewer Mains operation, and maintenance
- Environmental reporting and compliance for Council in Water and Wastewater areas

More specifically, your duties will include (but will not be limited to):

- Lead by example and focus teams to achieve delivery of innovative, technically sound, cost effective and safe engineering solutions for water and wastewater treatment and reticulation infrastructure.
- Contribute to the ongoing planning for and management of Water and Wastewater Assets
- Management of finances and assets applicable to the section and provide input into the development of Council's Workforce and Asset Management Plans, Operational Budget, and long-term financial planning
- Management of risk to Council whilst facilitating effective water and wastewater operations
- Ensuring compliance with across the section with relevant legislation, current guidelines, and standards applicable to an urban water utility such as plumbing, drainage, trade waste, WHS, EPA licensing
- Participate in the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework to ensure the activities of the section align with the future direction of Council
- Specialist support and coordination of Council's response to regulatory reporting, licensing and operations with key stakeholders such as DPE Water, EPA, NSW Health
- Actively engage with the community to ensure that service planning decisions properly consider their views
- Coach and mentor teams to identify opportunities for improvement, and foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in the workplace with succession and employee development at the forefront




- Participate in cross organisational effort to deliver strategic initiatives as identified through the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework.

For more detail about the specific duties and responsibilities of the position, please CLICK HERE for the complete Position Description.

About you

The successful candidate will meet the following criteria:

- Tertiary qualifications at the degree level in Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent experience
- Experience in managing water and sewer assets and ability to meet statutory requirements
- Experience in managing and leading a team of staff to achieve desired outcomes
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills, with particular emphasis in the areas of consultation, advocacy, negotiation, influencing and assertiveness in order to successfully resolve stakeholder issues and meet changing organisational needs relevant to the work areas
- Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the WHS Act and associated regulations including the development and implementation of WHS Risk Management Procedures
- Project Management abilities including detailed knowledge of technical specifications, project scheduling techniques, project cost estimating and control, tendering processes, quality assurance and control and management of contract services
- Demonstrated ability to maintain budget control
- Demonstrated understanding of asset management
- Demonstrated Commitment to the principles of honesty and integrity
- Class C Drivers Licence

In addition, an ideal candidate would have experience in Strategic Planning, demonstrated ability to deal with external authorities such as the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Department of Planning and Environment Water, NSW Health, WaterNSW and demonstrated competency in understanding and complying with statutory requirements including, but not limited to, Environment Protection licences and Development Consent conditions.

Salary and Perks

If you are looking for a change of lifestyle, a new adventure, or to take the next step in your career, this is the role for you.

- Between $2,371.40 and $2,579.97 per week, commensurate with your skills, qualifications and experience




- Permanent, Full-time, 35 hours per week
- Mobile Phone
- Laptop
- Ongoing learning and development opportunities
- Work/Life balance with a rostered day off every fortnight
- Access to Council's Fitness Passport Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- A leaseback vehicle is being offered with this position in accordance with Councils leaseback policy

APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON Sunday 27 September 2026 at 11.00pm AEST.

Please note: To be considered for this position, candidates must address all selection criteria. Those who do not address the selection criteria with examples will not be considered.

Applications generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) may not be progressed in the recruitment process.

Preferred applicants will be required to undertake a pre-employment medical, which includes a drug and alcohol screening and functional assessment. Preferred applicants may be subject to reference checks, driving history checks, qualification checks, a NSW Police Check, a Working with Children check and confirmation of your Right to Work in Australia.

You must be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or a permanent resident or have the right to live and work in Australia to apply for this position.

Lithgow City Council

The Lithgow local government area is located on the western edge of the majestic Blue Mountains. The area totals 4,567 square kilometres from the Capertee and Wolgan Valleys in the north, Little Hartley in the east, Tarana in the south and Meadow Flat in the west.

The major urban centre of Lithgow nestles in a valley of that name, overlooked by the sandstone escarpments of the Blue Mountains. In the addition to the major urban centre of Lithgow, the Lithgow local government area has 12 villages with mining or farming backgrounds. These smaller centres have proven to be a attractive rural residential areas which, along with the broader rural areas offer a truly unique lifestyle that harmonises its urban, industrial and rural qualities.

Council is focused on delivering quality services as a Centre of Regional Excellence that encourages community growth and development, and contributes to the efficient and effective management of the environment, community and economy for present and future generations.

The guiding principles of integrity, resilience, respect and accountability define how Lithgow City Council strengthen its working environment to deliver on the aspirations of our community. For further details on Council's values, please visit https://council.lithgow.com

📌 Operations Manager - Water and Wastewater (Lithgow)
🏢 Lithgow City Council
📍 Lithgow