Location: Queensland, preferably Townsville or Brisbane, with frequent travel across North and North West Queensland

Company overview The CopperString Project is one of Australia's most significant energy infrastructure undertakings, a large-scale transmission network that will connect North and North West Queensland to the national electricity market.

QIC has established a dedicated company to deliver the CopperString Project, and is now building the team, capability and governance to take a nationally important “mega project” through its next phases of development and delivery. This is a rare opportunity to shape and lead an enterprise of genuine scale and regional impact from the ground up.

About the role

As Interim Project Director, you will hold single-point delivery leadership for the project through its establishment phase, driving planning, design, approvals, procurement and delivery readiness, and providing the technical credibility and continuity the project demands.

Reporting during the interim phase to the Board (and transitioning to the CEO on appointment), you will integrate planning, design, approvals, land, procurement and construction readiness, ensuring the project advances safely, to schedule and to the right technical standards while the enduring delivery organisation is built out.

About you

You are a senior project and delivery leader with experience on major linear or transmission infrastructure, or comparable mega-projects, and a track record across development, approvals, procurement, construction and commissioning.

You bring strong project-controls, risk and contractor-management credentials, and ideally experience supporting projects through the transaction phase, including D&C; (and potentially O&M;) tendering and procurement. You are comfortable leading in a high-scrutiny, multi-stakeholder, government-adjacent environment.

Key accountabilities & requirements





- Delivery leadership & controls: own the integrated plan, schedule, cost and risk position, with robust project controls and assurance.
- Design & technical standards: oversee engineering and design, ensuring alignment to TNSP and network technical requirements.
- Approvals, setting & land: drive statutory approvals and land/easement acquisition and manage First Nations and cultural-heritage obligations with care.
- Procurement & transaction coordination: progress the delivery and procurement strategy, and coordinate information for the transaction-phase tendering of the D&C; (and potentially O&M;) contracts.
- Construction readiness: position the project to move from development into delivery as Powerlink support steps down.
- Stakeholder credibility: maintain trust with contractors, landholders, Traditional Owners, communities and government.

Capabilities

- Delivery leadership — takes single-point accountability for a complex major build.
- Technical credibility — commands confidence on engineering, design and delivery.
- Commercial and procurement acumen — drives the delivery model and major contracting.
- Stakeholder and safety focus — leads safely and builds trust across a complex stakeholder landscape.

Qualifications

Essential

- Tertiary qualifications in Engineering, Construction, Project Management or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated senior delivery leadership on major linear, transmission or comparable infrastructure.

Desirable

- Post-graduate or project-management certifications.
- Experience taking projects through the transaction phase, including D&C;/O&M; tendering and financial close.

Location

Townsville preferred, with Brisbane considered as an alternative, and frequent travel across North and North West Queensland. A visible regional presence is expected, reflecting the CopperString Project's footprint and the importance of local stakeholder, community, Traditional Owner and landholder relationships.

📌 Interim Project Director, CopperString (Brisbane)
🏢 Korn Ferry
📍 Brisbane