Bushfire Specialist

**_"YOU COULD MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE"_**

**Primary Work Location**: Somersby & Wyong, NSW
- **Opportunity to utilise your expertise for real impact**:

- **Join the Central Coast Council in the Water & Sewer team in this newly created role**:

- **Great Work/Life Balance with a **9 day fortnight and flexible/hybrid working arrangements**:

- **Permanent Full Time with a commencing salary of up to $110K + Superannuation based on skills and experience + Tool of trade vehicle**

Central Coast Council is the third largest water utility (or water and sewage service) in NSW servicing 139,000 homes and businesses in a growing region.

Ideally located on the northern fringe of Sydney and just an hour's drive from Newcastle, the Central Coast offers one of the best places in Australia to live and work.

Today the Central Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in NSW, with the third largest Local Government Area (LGA) in NSW and the 6th Largest LGA in Australia.

As a Bushfire Specialist, you will engage with senior management and other relevant stakeholders, providing your specialist technical advice to support strategic and operational initiatives to assess and mitigate bushfire risk to critical Water and Sewer infrastructure.

You will be responsible for the development, planning and delivery of strategic plans, programs, policies and procedures relating to bushfire risk management.

You will play an important role within the Central Coast through the design and implementation of community education projects and programs relating to bushfire management. You will be highly visible, representing Central Coast Council on the Bushfire Management Committee and other working groups as well as responding to community requests.

This position is required to provide quality customer service and create value for the community.

**About the Role**
- Develop, implement and maintain strategic plans, programs, policies and procedures relating to bushfire risk management
- Liaise with members of the community & NSW Rural Fire Service to assess and mitigate bushfire risk of assets and land
- Responding to requests from the community, Council and the NSW Rural Fire Service to assess and mitigate bushfire risk of Water and Sewer assets and land
- Seeking and managing funding opportunities for bush fire management and fire trail improvements
- Preparing and implementing operational works and maintenance of bushfire prone areas within the catchment, critical assets and the broader network, with the main focus being critical infrastructure protection
- Preparing, coordinating and reporting on the Water and Sewer annual hazard reduction program in consultation with the NSW Rural Fire Service and relevant sections of Council

**About You**
- Degree qualification in Natural Sciences, Bushfire, Natural Resource Management or a related field and/ OR demonstrated solid contemporary experience in natural resource management and bushfire management, combined with ongoing professional development
- Current Senior First Aid Certificate
- Current Class C Driver’s Licence
- Valid Construction General Induction card - SafeWork NSW or equivalent
- Significant experience in planning and coordinating the implementation of bushfire management programs including the preparation of works programs, budgets, action plans, correspondence and reports
- Demonstrated understanding of Council's obligations under relevant legislation including the Rural Fires Act, Local Government Act and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and experience in developing and implementing procedures to ensure that obligations are met
- Demonstrated understanding of the role of fire in Australian ecosystems and the risk that fire presents at the urban interface

**_What we offer:_**
- Weekly pay cycle
- Generous Leave Provisions: 20 days paid Annual Leave, 15 days Sick Leave/Carers Leave, Health & Wellbeing Leave, Long Service Leave after 5 years, Additional purchased leave, Parental Leave - 18 weeks full pay/36 weeks ½ pay, Paternity Leave - 2 weeks
- Novated Leasing
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to employees and their families
- Fitness Passport - access to gyms across the Central Coast and Newcastle
- Health & Wellbeing programs - skin cancer screening, Breastscreen, Flu vaccination, blood donations
- Recognition of Service
- Council Child Care Salary Sacrifice
- Professional Development opportunities
- Individual career development and learning opportunities
- Reward & Recognition programs
- Central Coast Council is committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all of our employees. In accordance with Council's WHS requirements and COVID-19 Safety Plans we require all employees to be fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine._

**Enquiries**: Elizabeth Knight, Process Engineer - Dams and Catchments on ph: 0417 481 173.
- If you are deaf, hearing or speech impaired, you can contact us through the National Relay Service TTY c