Aquatic Systems Officer

**Position Number**:P00644

**Directorate**:E&PS

**Service**:Water Resources

**Location**:Katoomba HQ

**Date Created/Updated**2025

**Position Classification**:Salary Band 9

**POSITION PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE**

Manage Council’s waterway health monitoring programs, communicate findings and
priorities and advocate for improved waterway and catchment management throughout
the Blue Mountains. Provide expert advice and deliver projects and programs to support
the transition to a Water Sensitive Blue Mountains.

**RELATIONSHIPS**

**Reports to**:(Position Title) Program Leader Healthy Waterways

**Reports to**:(Position number) P00043

**Staff Responsibility**:Nil

**Key Internal Relationships**:Cross
- council liaison on water management issues

**Key External Relationships**:Universities; WaterNSW; Sydney Water; DCCEEW
(including EPA, Environmental Forensics, NPWS);
Greater Sydney Local Land Services (GSLLS);
Water Sensitive Cities Australia; WSROC;
TransportNSW, Community Conservation
Volunteers including Streamwatch, Swampcare and
Bushcare groups; Blue Mountains World Heritage
Institute; Planetary Health Initiative; Blue Mountains
community; specialist consultants and contractors**

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Manage Council’s waterway health monitoring and catchment assessment programs.
- Manage and deliver aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys, site/issue/project
specific monitoring, recreational water quality monitoring and freshwater
crayfish surveys.
- Continually review and improve monitoring programs (including liaison with
external experts).
- Develop and maintain databases and data management systems.

management.
- Effectively communicate findings and key messages through a variety of

channels, including the online Waterway Health Explorer, videos,
presentations, council’s website, Waterway Health Snapshots and corporate
reporting.
- Manage the Waterways Science and Waterways Management core budgets. Seek

and manage external funding as required.
- Support the implementation of the _Water Sensitive Blue Mountains Strategic Plan _and

promote water sensitive principles and practices across the organisation and
throughout the Local Government Area.
- Provide specialist advice, services and leadership in the areas of catchment

management, water sensitive approaches, aquatic biodiversity protection, aquatic
pollution response and aquatic fauna mortality response.
- Provide expert advice and scientific data to support waterway health improvement

projects, including catchment and waterway restoration initiatives, stormwater
treatment projects and pollutant source control programs.
- Deliver community engagement and education programs and materials, focused on

local waterways and catchments and water sensitive approaches.
- Contribute to council’s Water Resource Management Service planning and reporting
- Represent council and the team internally or externally as required, including liaison,

partnership and negotiation with key NSW government departments and agencies.
- Promote community awareness of waterway health issues and support education,

citizen science and community participation initiatives such as Blue Mountains
Crayfish Count, Frog ID, Frog Watch, Swampcare, Streamwatch, Bushcare and
Landcare.
- Maintain a current understanding of environmental protection legislation and

environmental/waterway/catchment/water sensitive city management techniques and
principles.
- Keep the Program Leader and Manager informed on all matters likely to impact on the

Team, Branch or Directorate in the short or long term.
- Act as the Healthy Waterways Program Leader as required.
- Adhere to Remote Area Policy and other relevant BMCC policies.

**Guiding Principles**
- We act as one organisation responding to the changing needs of our community while

protecting and enhancing our World Heritage environment
- We are strategy led, driven by our Community Strategic Plan with clear priorities and

focus
- We are service focused we continuously improve service provision and provide

excellent customer service
- We collaborate and work together to achieve our outcomes
- We ensure safety and well-being is at the centre of our organisation, operations and

culture for our employees, our community and our environment
- We are a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable organisation, living

within our means, ensuring best value resource allocation
These Guidelines complement the Council’s adopted Values of: Work Together; Work
Safe Home safe; Service Excellence; Value for Money; Trust and Respect; and,
Supporting Community

**Workplace Health & Safety**

Ensure compliance with WHS obligations and responsibilities as outlined in Councils
policies and procedures and under the relevant WHS legislation. These include but are
not limited to identifying potentially unsafe situations or work practices and notifying your
Supervisor or Manager (or the Health, Safety Manager/Area Safety Representative);
never performing a