Duty Manager

Who are we?

We’re here to help people live well and create a better and more sustainable future. We support healthy and liveable communities by delivering water, sewerage and recycled water services to 1.77 million people who rely on us every day and every night. At South East Water, we innovate with purpose and act with care to deliver healthy water for life. Fresh thinking and collaboration are at the heart of our organisation. We are constantly learning, embracing the challenges of today and excited by the opportunities that tomorrow will bring.  

The role

As a Duty Manager in our Network Operations Centre (NOC), you’ll be acting as the operational authority overseeing the live operation of our water and sewer networks - making critical decisions that protect public health, the environment, and customer service. Leading during moments that matter most, you’ll balance technical insight with calm, decisive leadership, championing a customer centric approach while ensuring safe, reliable and compliant network operations around the clock.

Based onsite at South East Water’s Frankston office, this role supports a critical operations environment and will work across a 24/7 rotating shift roster. The role requires flexibility to respond to major incidents, including on‑call responsibilities and extended shift coverage.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

• Lead continuous 24/7 real‑time monitoring and control using SCADA, IoT platforms, CCTV, dashboards and alarm systems
• Identify emerging operational risks and drive proactive mitigation and continuous improvement
• Work closely with field operations, maintenance, faults and emergencies, water quality, asset, communications and customer teams to coordinate effective responses
• Ensure high‑quality shift handovers, documentation and incident continuity
• Provide clear, calm and decisive leadership in a high‑pressure operational environment
• Manage shift performance and resourcing to support safe and sustainable operations
• Act as the on‑duty Incident Lead for outages, water quality events, spills, flooding and asset failures
• Coordinate and prioritise responses to protect public health, the environment and restore services
• Manage incidents in line with emergency management frameworks and escalate to Level 2 as required
• Champion a strong safety‑first culture aligned with the Safety Management System
• Ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory obligations including water quality, environmental, and customer privacy 

Who are you?

Our ideal candidate will have: 

• Demonstrated experience in real time operations within a water utility, regulated critical infrastructure, or a comparable operational environment
• Experience leading teams in a 24/7, shift based operational environment
• Proven ability to manage incidents and make sound operational decisions in high pressure situations
• Strong working knowledge of SCADA based network monitoring and control systems
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to escalate issues appropriately and engage effectively with stakeholders
• Solid understanding of ITIL (v3 or ITIL 4) service management principles, including incident, problem, change, request, and service level management
• Tertiary qualifications in Engineering, Operations, Water, Energy, Environmental Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience are desirable

What's in it for you?

Working at South East Water means you can enjoy a wealth of benefits, starting with the chance to be part of an organisation deeply committed to environmental initiatives and sustainability; one who has been recognised as one of the top 101 Workplaces for Women in Australia by Work180 for the past two consecutive years and a 2026 Finalist in the Work180 Equitable Workplace Awards ‘Flexible Working’ category.   

South East Water cultivates a dynamic culture that emphasises collaboration and strong work ethics, supported by career-focused learning and development opportunities.   As a SEW employee, you can enjoy the following offerings from our benefits package: 

• Access to My Fitness Passport, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), annual flu shots, and health checks
• Work-life balance with flexible working arrangements, including leave purchasing
• Additional leave offerings, such as cultural and ceremonial leave and study leave
• Head office with modern facilities and panoramic beachfront views, a separate parents' room, a prayer and meditation room and an onsite cafe
• Limited free onsite and offsite car parking available, as well as pay-as-you-go parking options nearby
• Opportunity to be part of great initiatives involving the local community

We're for everyone

Our people are as diverse as the communities we serve. It makes us better learners, thinkers and collaborators, helping create better outcomes for our customers.  

We are deeply committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ individuals, people with disability and jobseekers of all ages and cultures. We aim to provide an inclusive, accessible workplace where everyone is welcome, safe, and celebrated. If you need any help with the application process or would like to discuss your reasonable adjustments during interviews, please reach out to our Talent team at careers@southeastwater.com.au. 

Keen to make an impact?

Click here to check out the position description. We're accepting applications for this exciting opportunity until Tuesday 5th May 2026!

To be considered for this opportunity, you must hold unrestricted working rights for the period of employment at the time of application.  Successful candidates will also be required to undergo a number of pre-employment checks, including a police records check 

As part of a team of engineers and technicians, central to this role are responsibilities for 24/7 safe operation to provide support and minimise disruption of services to customers and as well as ensuring that public health and the environment are not put at risk. This includes participation in a rostered after-hours duty team, emergency response, and incident support as required. 

Visit southeastwater.com.au to learn more about us and how we serve our customers.