Position overview

• 5-Year Maximum-Term Contract, Full-Time opportunity
• True hybrid working - work from home and our Mitcham office
• $217,511 Total Remuneration Package per annum (inclusive of 12% superannuation)

About us
We're on a mission to create a brighter future, where you can be a change maker at the actual source. We're one of Australia's largest water utilities with over 30% of Victoria's population relying on us for their essential water and sanitation services.

Our award-winning culture fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and flexible environment that enables our people to thrive. Here, you'll be inspired and challenged to grow alongside us.

We're committed to reconciliation and supporting the self-determined role for Traditional Owners/Custodians in water and land management.

The Role
We're seeking an experienced leader to head our high-performing customer service division, responsible for over 120 staff across 10 teams and managing more than 450,000 customer interactions each year. This strategic role drives service excellence, innovation, and both digital and workforce related transformation while managing a $12 million budget.

You'll shape an inclusive, customer-first culture, lead key cross-functional initiatives, and represent the organisation with regulators, industry partners, and major clients. Your leadership will ensure efficient, customer-focused outcomes that deliver impact across the entire enterprise.

Your key responsibilities
Strategic and Enterprise Leadership

• Set and execute the strategic direction for contact centre operations in alignment with enterprise goals and customer promises.
• Drive service and technology transformation initiatives in partnership with Service Futures, ensuring the delivery of future-ready platforms and customer experiences.
• Lead and champion enterprise-wide initiatives that enhance customer experience, operational/employee excellence, organisational agility beyond the contact centre function, diversity and inclusion, and drive operational expenditure efficiency.
• Influence organisational culture and performance at an enterprise level by modelling values-driven leadership and partnering with senior leaders across all divisions to embed desired behaviours, promote innovation, and drive change.

Division and People Leadership

• Lead a division of 10 teams, including 6 frontline contact centre teams and 4 support teams (Training, Support, Recruitment, Resource Optimisation, Case Management, and Reporting and Analytics).
• Oversee training and recruitment for Retail Services to ensure workforce capability development and recruitment processes align with enterprise policies and group needs.
• Drive talent development, succession planning, and leadership coaching, embedding ongoing professional development and leadership certification.

Customer Service Excellence

• Oversee delivery of approximately 450,000 customer interactions annually across phone, email, chat, and digital channels.
• Lead the bill and accounts related complaints and case management function, ensuring timely, fair, and customer-focused resolution of complex issues, including those escalated via the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV).
• Champion continuous improvement in customer service and employee experience, using insights from customer feedback and data to drive service design, product innovation, and policy reform across the organisation.

Operational and Financial Management

• Manage an annual operating expenditure (OPEX) budget of $12 million, ensuring efficient resource utilisation and financial accountability.

Stakeholder and Relationship Management

• Act as the key organisational contact for EWOV, ensuring timely resolution of escalated complaints and leading internal coordination of systemic issues and learnings.
• Represent the organisation in engagement with the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), including active participation in working groups focused on customer experience, performance benchmarking, and service innovation.

What we're looking for

• A relevant degree in Business, Management, Customer Experience or similar
• Proven senior leadership in large, multi-channel customer service environments, with a strategic, inclusive approach and a strong values-based leadership style
• Expertise in leading large teams and managing complex, high-value budgets
• Track record of driving digital transformation and service innovation
• Confident working with regulators, industry bodies, and key stakeholders
• Strong commercial mindset with sharp financial acumen
• In-depth knowledge of customer service standards, compliance, and workforce optimisation
• Comfortable with CRM, case management, WFM, and digital platforms
• Excellent communicator and relationship builder at all levels

To view the full position description, click HERE.

Why Yarra Valley Water?
We celebrate and encourage new thinking at every level. Creating opportunities for you to grow - both professionally, and personally. When you flourish, we all do.

• $217,511 TRP inclusive of 12% superannuation
• Flexible working arrangements where our people are empowered to design their days with their team. Read our hybrid playbook HERE.
• Free and secure on-site parking with on-site café at our Mitcham office
• 14 weeks paid leave parental leave
• 15 days paid personal leave, which can be used for caring, wellbeing, mental health, menstrual or menopause
• Request to swap certain public holidays for another day of paid leave

To read more about our benefits and culture, read our employee handbook HERE.

Did you know?
Research shows that men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, while women and other marginalised people tend to only apply when they meet all of them. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily tick every box, please apply or get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.

How to apply
Applications should include a supporting Cover Letter and Resume.
Closing date: Tuesday 23rd September 2025
This position is available for Yarra Valley Water employees and external applicants.

We welcome applications from everyone, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, mature age and young job seekers, members of the LGBTIQA+ community and people of all cultural backgrounds. If you need this information in an accessible format or would like to discuss reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please call 03 9872 2542 or email [email protected]. If you need any help with the application process or would like to discuss the recruitment process, please contact us via email [email protected].

Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Australia and agree to provide information for pre-employment checks, if required for the position. This may also include a Police Check or AusCheck, where an offer will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of these checks.