SECONDMENTS

The Victorian water industry secondment program builds organisational capability by connecting staff with work opportunities in other organisations exposing them to new ideas and knowledge, alternative leadership styles and diverse approaches to challenges and implementations.

SECONDMENT POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Who we are

In Melbourne, water is essential to our way of life.

As caretakers for Melbourne’s water cycle, we care for water, life, and land throughout Melbourne: both its people and its biodiversity.

Each time you drink from the tap, flush a toilet, run through a backyard sprinkler, or kayak down the Yarra we’re there. Primed and ready, quietly delivering some of the world’s cleanest water for over five million residents and wildlife that call Melbourne home, just as we have for over 130 years.

If you value making it count, diving in with curiosity, and doing what’s right, you’re in the right place.

About the Role

Join Melbourne Water in this fixed term opportunity, as a Stormwater Advisor and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of water management for our city.

In this dynamic position, you will provide technical leadership and drive innovative policy, planning, and engineering solutions to deliver Melbourne Water’s strategic stormwater vision. You will collaborate across internal teams and with industry partners to enable the co-delivery of stormwater targets, translating research into practice and leading change that improves waterway health.

If you are passionate about integrated water management, thrive on influencing policy, and want to make a real impact on Melbourne’s environment, we invite you to bring your expertise and leadership to our team.

  • Lead, influence and drive policy and development planning change that leads to implementation of stormwater targets on the ground.
  • Translate research to practice and work across the various management levers in the stormwater space, e.g. policy, regulation, planning, market mechanisms, roles and responsibilities, development planning, sector capacity, and incentives.
  • Identifying and responding to strategic issues and trends that will influence co-delivery of stormwater targets.
  • Lead business improvement initiatives for continuous improvement of stormwater management, for improved business alignment, efficiencies, and customer value.
  • Managing budgets and contracts as required for work associated with assigned programs.

For more information, please refer to the attached Position Description

About you:

  • Understanding of stormwater management within planning policy framework and land development context.
  • An understanding of engineering solutions required to deliver our strategic vision is desirable.
  • Demonstrated expert proficiency, knowledge, practical experience and leadership relating to stormwater management and improvement, such as water sensitive urban design and integrated urban water management.
  • Knowledge and understanding (theoretical and practical) of industry issues, relevant research and best practice and the ability to provide guidance regarding the current policy, regulation, and standards.
  • Strong customer focus with well-developed communication, influencing and negotiating skills and the ability to build strong relationships and gain the confidence of stakeholders and partners.
  • Demonstrated project management experience, with the ability to engage, coordinate and direct consultants and contractors in complex assignments.
  • Awareness of how the work relates to other activities, the organisation, and the wider industry.

A tertiary qualification in planning, civil/environmental engineering, or science, with direct experience in the planning, design and management of water sensitive urban design or integrated water management.

Why join us:

At Melbourne Water, we care deeply about water and the life it sustains. 

Our team is inspired by passion and purpose, with an unwavering commitment to safety. We are on a mission to protect every Melburnian’s way of life, one drop at a time.

We don’t just talk about flexible working – we live it. Our culture of purpose, safety, results, and learning flows through everything we do. We’re dedicated to doing what’s right, and this commitment extends to the meaningful work we do in a supportive and inclusive culture that encourages you to make the most of your talents.

Our long-standing commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ individuals, Neurodivergent Individuals, people living with disability, mature age and young jobseekers from all cultures can apply with confidence knowing they are safe, affirmed, and celebrated.

If you’re curious, action-orientated, outcomes-focused, and passionate about public resources, community, and the environment, we’d love to receive your application and learn if you could be a great fit. 

How to Apply

Click the ‘Job details’ button below for more details.

Job details – Stormwater Advisor

Closing date: Monday January 5th 2026  at 11:55pm AEST

A secondment is a chance to temporarily work in a different organisation.
It can also regenerate employees who have started to feel they have plateaued in their current role and looking for a springboard into the next phase of their career.
Secondment-school-students

The Victorian water industry secondment program offers the ability to develop further skills and knowledge through matching individual interest with work opportunities across water corporations, and catchment management authorities. The program directly builds the capability of the sector as a whole.

A secondment can offer a more intensive learning experience than classroom or online courses, and you get to put your new knowledge to use immediately and continuously. There are no theory or hypotheticals here, this is real and hands-on.

Hosting organisations experience the benefit of new skills, experience and perspective being applied.

Secondments pay dividends in terms of employee engagement as well. After all, what’s more engaging than a chance to develop new skills without the hassle of going to night school?

Want to advertise a secondment opportunity?

Listings are free of charge for VicWater Members
Contact us at vicwater@vicwater.org.au

Secondment-wetlands
Secondment programs build organisational capability by connecting staff and exposing them to new ideas, alternative leadership styles, and diverse approaches.
It’s an opportunity to learn further skills and knowledge they can use when they return to their regular role.

Secondments are also a great tool for employee retention. If a highly valued team member becomes restless in their role, sending them to another department for a quarter or two gives them a chance to stretch their legs without walking out the door.

VicWater is excited to support the Victorian water industry secondment program, which will help participants improve their skills and invigorate their careers and in doing so, build the capability of the sector as a whole.

Secondments are a great opportunity for people to experience a new functional area in a fast and furious way.

In an era of increasingly specialised skillsets and tough competition for the most talented workers, secondments are a win for both water sector employees and employers.
Secondment-canoeing

SECONDMENT FAQ

A secondment is the opportunity to work temporarily in a different firm or department to the one you are already working in. In an internal secondment, the employee moves to a different part of the same organisation. In an external secondment, the employee temporarily works at a different organisation.

Secondment programs build organisational leadership and positive cultural change by connecting staff and exposing them to new ideas, alternative leadership styles, and diverse approaches. It’s an opportunity to learn valuable skills and training on the job, they can use when they return to their regular role.

Length of secondment depends on individual circumstances, but it can range from less than 100 hours on a part-time basis, to up to two years full-time. Depending on organisational policies, opportunities may be open to all or restricted to managers, technical or professional staff.

Generally, your employer who is letting you go on secondment is the one that will continue to pay your wages. There may also be additional consideration in regards to bonuses, expenses, overtime and training costs.

Secondees can learn additional skills, benefit from new experiences and of course it’s a tremendous networking opportunity.

The secondment may be terminated at any time by mutual agreement of the Employing Organisation and the Host Organisation. Alternatively, the Employing Organisation or Host Organisation may terminate the secondment by giving the other party at least two weeks’ written notice.

A secondment does not terminate an employee’s contract of employment; the contract continues to subsist during the period of secondment, and a key principle of the arrangement is that the employee is expected to return to his or her substantive post when the secondment ends.

Below are examples of secondment agreements. If you would like more information please contact us.

Want to advertise a secondment opportunity?

Listings are free of charge for VicWater Members
Contact us at vicwater@vicwater.org.au

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VicWater proudly acknowledge the Traditional Owners and true Custodians of the land and waters where we live and work. We pay our upmost respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
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