Treatment Section Lead

• Location: Geelong, Flexible
• Statuses: Flexible; Full time

About the role

• Lead operational excellence across treatment plants in the Eastern Costal region
• Champion safety, quality and environmental performance while driving team culture
• Flexible and supportive working options

In this pivotal leadership position, you'll directly lead three operational teams across the Northern, Blackrock, and Coastal Treatment facilities (including Portarlington, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay). Reporting to the Head of Treatment, you'll be responsible for ensuring safety, and environmental compliance, plant performance, overseeing capital renewal projects and improvements. Your role will be central to fostering a strong team culture and maintaining budget control.

Partnering closely with external specialists as well as internal stakeholders you will bring strategic thinking to this role, understanding the implications of performance-related treatment issues. Through your influence the improvements will shape the future of our services.

This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of our water operations through strategic leadership and collaboration.

Travel across the region will be required in this role as you provide direct leadership to three coordinators and their operational teams. As such you will require a current drivers license and be undertake a pre-employment medical for the role.

• Position Description

About You

You're a confident and capable leader with strong people skills and a knack for building connections. You'll be a builder of cohesive and high functioning teams, fostering a positive culture across your working group, the Department and across the business. You'll identify areas of development for your team, empowering them to reach their potential.

Through your technical background, you're methodical in planning, innovative in problem solving, a lateral thinker as you apply your knowledge to real world solutions. Communication of technical information will be a key strength, as you deal with senior leaders across Barwon Water, and you are unafraid to challenge the status quo.

With a bachelor degree or higher in engineering (chemical, process or similar), or science, you'll be a dynamic technical professional with solid experience post-graduation, ready to take the next step into this leadership role. You'll be surrounded by leaders who empower your decision making and continued growth, this is the ideal role for those seeking longer term impact across the region.

About us

Barwon Water is Victoria's largest regional urban water corporation, with more than 110 years' experience in delivering world-class water, sewerage and recycled water services to our customers and community. More than just taps and toilets, we're a pivotal player in the region's ongoing social, economic and environmental prosperity.

We care about where we live and work, and we're always looking for like-minded people to join our team.

Why join us?

At Barwon Water, we believe that every individual has something valuable to offer. We understand that the more diverse workforce, the wider the variety of ideas we bring to the table. Enjoy being part of an organisation that values results, personal and professional growth, workplace diversity and a balance between work and life commitments.

Our work requires more than engineering and scientific solutions - it requires hands-on operational leadership, meaningful engagement with our communities, and a commitment to learn from the tens of thousands of years of knowledge and insights of Traditional Custodians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Get in touch

Does this opportunity sound like it might be a good fit for you? For enquiries, please contact Will Buchanan, Head of Treatment via

Ready to apply? Submit your cover letter and resume now

We lead. We learn. We deliver. We care about a better future.

If we can assist you with any reasonable adjustments to submit your application for this role, please contact the Talent Acquisition team via email at noting your preferred method of communication and contact details and a member of the team will be in touch.

Applications close Sunday, 7 September 2025.