• A once-in-a-generation opportunity – help direct up to $30 million in disaster recovery funding and coordinate major renewable energy infrastructure upgrades across the region
• Lead from the front, not the frontline – a strategic role responsible for planning, resourcing and direction, backed by experienced coordinators and crews who deliver on the ground
• Influence where it matters – work closely with the Director of Infrastructure & Development, engage directly with Councillors, and help shape how Council delivers for its community
• Up to $160,000 + super, negotiable on experience, plus a fully maintained vehicle and relocation assistance for the right candidate!

Walcha Council, and the environment

Walcha Council is a small regional council with a large geographic footprint and a strong sense of identity.

What stands out is not just what Council delivers, but how it operates.

There is a genuine commitment to the community, not as a slogan, but as a day to day reality. Staff regularly go beyond what would normally be expected, whether that is delivering wraparound services across all stages of life, or doing the small, practical things that matter. It is a place where people step in, take ownership, and get things done.

At the same time, the organisation is evolving.

A number of senior leaders have joined within the past 6 to 12 months, bringing a clear mandate to strengthen capability, modernise systems, and improve how Council operates and presents itself.

The environment is:

• Practical and not overly process driven
• Collaborative and accessible, with conversations happening as often in corridors as in meetings
• Open to new ideas, provided they are well thought through and delivered

This is not a static organisation. It is one that is actively being shaped.

A role with real impact

The roads team at Walcha Council is entering its busiest and most consequential period in years.

Council maintains the Oxley Highway under its Road Maintenance Council Contract with Transport for NSW, and that baseline of compliance never lets up. Layered on top of that, Council is coordinating the rollout of Renewable Energy Zone works with a potential $30 million-plus disaster recovery roads program – two major bodies of work that need to be sequenced together so that roads are upgraded once, properly, rather than twice.

For the first time, the role will also carry asset management responsibility for the road network and quarries, an area that hasn't previously sat with this position. A consultant is currently developing the asset management plan, giving the successful candidate a genuine platform to build from early on.

This is a newly reshaped position: previously an engineering-heavy "works manager" role, it has been redesigned to prioritise leadership, strategy and stakeholder management over hands-on technical delivery.

What you'll be doing

Reporting to the Director of Infrastructure & Development, you'll set the strategic direction, resourcing and overall planning for Council's roads function – the delivery itself sits with your coordinators and crews.

You'll:

• Lead and support around 30 roads staff through two coordinators, a roads officer and admin support, building capability and morale across the team
• Coordinate the sequencing of Renewable Energy Zone works and disaster recovery roadworks so investment isn't duplicated
• Establish asset management practice for the road network, working from the incoming asset management plan
• Represent Council's roads program to Councillors (including two with professional engineering backgrounds), community members and external stakeholders such as the Reconstruction Authority, Transport for NSW, EnergyCo and project delivery partners
• Provide clear, confident reasoning on technical and budget decisions when questioned in public forums, without becoming defensive
• Build proactive relationships with crews and coordinators, several of whom have been with Council for some time and are adjusting to a new manager

Your first 90 days

• Meet the Director of Infrastructure & Development, General Manager and the wider roads team, and connect with the outgoing relieving manager and technical resource who'll support your transition
• Get across the Oxley Highway contract, current roads program and draft asset management plan
• Build relationships with Councillors and key external stakeholders, including the Reconstruction Authority, Transport for NSW, EnergyCo and delivery contractors
• Land on a clear sequencing plan for the disaster recovery and renewable energy roadworks, and start contributing to workforce planning as those projects ramp up

Who this role suits

You're someone who can set direction and lead people, more than someone who wants to be back out on the tools.

• Strong people and team management skills – this matters more than deep technical expertise
• Sound strategic judgement across multi-year, multi-stakeholder programs
• Politically savvy and comfortable fielding tough questions in public without becoming defensive
• Engineering and/or asset management experience, and a feel for local government or rural roads (highly regarded, not essential)
• High energy and outcome oriented – this is a genuine change and delivery role, not a caretaker position

This role suits someone who wants to lead a program of real scale, not just manage what's already in place.

You'll need 10+ years' experience in roads or infrastructure, a relevant tertiary qualification, a Class C licence and a current White Card – the rest is about how you lead, not just what you know.

What's on offer

Up to $160,000 + super, negotiable on experience and skills!

• Permanent full-time role, with flexibility on structure – choose between a 35-hour week or the standard 38-hour week with rostered day off
• Flexible arrangements considered, including four-day week or nine-day fortnight options
• Fully maintained vehicle for private use
• Relocation assistance for the right candidate
• A contracted technical resource available for up to six months to support your transition
• Genuine scope for the role to grow in scale and importance as renewable energy and disaster recovery works ramp up

Next step

If you're ready to lead a roads program at a genuinely pivotal moment for this region, and want a role with real scope to shape how it's delivered, this is a rare opportunity.

Apply now.