Executive General Manager, Program

High Speed Rail Authority | SES Band 2 | Canberra, Newcastle or Sydney Lead delivery strategy and project sponsorship for Australia's first high speed rail network.

About the High Speed Rail Authority 

The Australian Government is planning a future high speed rail network to connect Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and regional communities across the east coast of Australia. 

The High Speed Rail Authority (the Authority) is an independent corporate Commonwealth entity governed by an independent board, established to lead the development and delivery of high speed rail.

 High Speed Rail – Line 1 connects Newcastle to Sydney in around one hour on a dedicated high speed railway. From the Central Coast it will take around 30 minutes to get to Newcastle or to Sydney. With funding now committed to progress Line 1, HSRA are forming an executive team to develop and deliver this generational program.

High speed rail will contribute to key Australian Government priorities, including increased economic productivity, new housing options, regional economic and tourism development and contributing to net zero. 

About the role 

This role supports the Development phase of the high-speed rail project by leading project delivery technical design and planning approval. It enables successful delivery by effectively managing partnerships, procurement, and governance, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and the achievement of outcomes on time, within budget, and to quality standards.

The role also provides technical leadership to develop high-quality designs, and the expertise required to execute this groundbreaking, mega infrastructure project

What you'll lead 

• Delivery Strategy Ownership — Develop and execute the program delivery strategy for the Development Phase, including early and enabling works, major work packages, and the establishment of advanced manufacturing facilities for railway component production.

• Technical Design Leadership — Drive the full design lifecycle from concept through to detailed specifications, leading consortia of designers and engineers to ensure rail infrastructure, systems and rolling stock are safely and effectively integrated to Authority standards.

• Planning and Environmental Approvals — Secure all necessary environmental and planning approvals by coordinating with regulators and authorities, while embedding sustainability principles and managing environmental impacts across the project lifecycle.

• Program Governance and Risk — Establish and operate robust PMO, reporting, and quality assurance frameworks, while owning all elements of program delivery risk management to give Government and the Authority the confidence to make major investment decisions.

• Stakeholder and Industry Engagement: Lead market and industry engagement, manage relationships with third parties, utilities and adjoining owners, and drive alignment across delivery partners and developers to ensure cohesive, on-time program integration.

About you 

This role demands an executive who has a demonstrable track record of major infrastructure development & delivery: someone who understands what it takes to move a program of this scale from design into delivery. You will bring:

• Proven senior leadership on complex, multi-disciplinary infrastructure programs, ideally in rail, transport, or civil mega-projects

• Deep technical credentials across design, engineering, and delivery — with the authority to lead expert consortia and make high-stakes technical judgements

• A track record of building and sustaining effective governance, risk, and assurance frameworks at program level

• Sophisticated stakeholder and industry engagement capability: from government ministers to supply chain partners

• The leadership character to thrive on an executive team navigating a first-of-its-kind program in Australia

Eligibility 

Employment with the Authority is subject to the conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999. To be eligible, you must: 

• Be an Australian citizen & hold a degree or equivalent working experience. 

• Hold or be able to obtain a Baseline security clearance & satisfy a National Police check (mandatory pre-employment screening). 

Next Steps

Applications close on Thursday 28th May at 5pm AEST.

To apply, please submit your CV together with a suitability statement to our recruitment partners, Robert Walters, via email to HSRAExecutive@robertwalters.com.au

A full position description is available to download on www.robertwalters.com.au/hsra.html or via request at HSRAExecutive@robertwalters.com.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are encouraged to apply.
To apply please click apply or call Jane Lowney on (07) 3032 2252 for a confidential discussion.