Head of Community & First Peoples Engagement

About the role

The Head of Community & First Peoples Engagement is a senior leadership position at Melbourne Water, responsible for shaping and delivering the organisation’s community engagement, First Peoples self‑determination, reconciliation and heritage management strategies. The role provides strategic advice to the Executive and Board on complex, high‑risk community and cultural matters and ensures that community and cultural considerations are embedded in planning, investment and project delivery.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Melbourne Water’s community and First Peoples engagement framework.
• Build trusted relationships with Traditional Owners, community leaders, government agencies and sector stakeholders.
• Provide strategic advice to senior leadership on sensitive community and cultural issues.
• Manage social licence, reputational and cultural risks across the organisation.
• Oversee the Flood Awareness Engagement programme and incident‑management communications.
• Ensure compliance with heritage legislation and achieve heritage management goals.
• Lead a team, manage budgets, forecasts and resource allocation.
• Drive organisational capability to engage effectively in complex, time‑critical environments.

Required profile

• Demonstrated senior leadership experience in community engagement, stakeholder relations or cultural heritage.
• Proven ability to lead with authenticity, coach and inspire teams.
• Strong track record of influencing organisational decision‑making and embedding engagement standards.
• Experience delivering measurable outcomes in reconciliation and First Peoples self‑determination programmes.
• Excellent strategic thinking and advisory skills for executive and board level interactions.

Required skills