Dam Safety Engineer

Gladstone Area Water Board is seeking a dedicated Dam Safety Engineer to join their highly skilled Capital team in Gladstone.

This is an exceptional opportunity to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the region’s water security by leading dam safety improvement and surveillance programmes, emergency management processes, and compliance initiatives. As a key professional specialist, you will be instrumental in ensuring the ongoing safety, reliability, and sustainability of critical water infrastructure that supports communities and industries across the Gladstone region. With over 50 years of service, Gladstone Area Water Board is renowned for its commitment to delivering safe, secure water supply and fostering a supportive, inclusive workplace culture where every employee’s wellbeing is prioritised. If you are passionate about making a tangible impact on public safety and environmental stewardship while enjoying flexible working opportunities and being part of a collaborative team, this role offers both challenge and reward.

• Join a respected Queensland Government bulk water authority with a legacy of over five decades delivering essential services to the Gladstone community and beyond; your expertise will directly contribute to regional resilience and growth.
• Enjoy a supportive environment that values collaboration, inclusion, health, safety, and professional development; Gladstone Area Water Board is committed to sending every employee home safe each day and nurturing your career progression.
• Take ownership of high-impact projects involving dam safety compliance, risk analysis, technical standards development, and stakeholder engagement—your work will help shape the future of water security in Central Queensland.

What you'll do:

As a Dam Safety Engineer at Gladstone Area Water Board, you will be entrusted with significant responsibility for the ongoing safety and performance of Awoonga Dam and associated infrastructure. Your day-to-day activities will involve collaborating closely with colleagues across engineering disciplines as well as external consultants and government bodies. You will lead the development of robust dam safety improvement programmes while ensuring all technical documentation remains current and compliant with industry guidelines such as ANCOLD. Your analytical skills will be put to use in modelling scenarios for droughts or floods while your attention to detail ensures that emergency action plans are always ready for activation. By providing guidance on asset management strategies and supporting project delivery from inception through evaluation stages, you will help drive continuous improvement in both operational efficiency and public safety outcomes. Success in this role means not only meeting regulatory obligations but also actively contributing to a culture where health, safety, environmental care, teamwork, and knowledge sharing are paramount.

• Undertake detailed modelling of Awoonga Dam’s catchment and storage capacity to inform drought management planning and ensure optimal resource allocation.
• Act as custodian for flood level prediction modelling, providing critical insights for emergency preparedness and operational decision-making.
• Provide expert technical input into the Awoonga Dam Emergency Action Plan (EAP), ensuring all updates meet evolving regulatory requirements.
• Assist in developing asset policies, strategies, plans, and programmes related to dam operations to support long-term infrastructure sustainability.
• Develop, maintain, and approve technical standards, standard operating procedures, operational manuals, and other essential dam management documentation.
• Conduct professional engineering reviews of internal and external investigations, research findings, and technical reports to uphold best practice standards.
• Offer technical support to internal stakeholders on all aspects of dam management while maintaining up-to-date dam drawings, databooks, standing operating procedures, and operation manuals.
• Maintain regular communication with the Dam Safety Regulator (DNRME) to ensure full compliance with statutory dam safety conditions.
• Design, develop, implement, and review comprehensive dam safety surveillance programmes to guarantee statutory compliance under Queensland legislation.
• Oversee annual inspection activities, comprehensive audits, 20-year inspection reports, risk analyses for failure modes and consequences, and provide specialist input into life cycle management plan reviews.

What you bring:

To excel as a Dam Safety Engineer at Gladstone Area Water Board you will bring proven experience in large-scale civil engineering projects—ideally within the water sector—and demonstrate an ability to interpret complex legislative frameworks governing dam operations. Your background should include hands-on involvement in developing technical standards or managing compliance-driven programmes. Strong interpersonal skills are crucial; you must be able to communicate clearly with diverse stakeholders ranging from board members through contractors while fostering positive relationships built on trust. Your approach should reflect empathy towards colleagues’ perspectives alongside an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct. You will thrive when working collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams yet remain dependable when independently reviewing technical documentation or conducting risk assessments. Adaptability is key: you should feel comfortable assimilating new information quickly whether it relates to emerging technologies or changes in regulatory expectations. Above all else your passion for public service combined with meticulous attention to detail will set you apart as someone who genuinely cares about community wellbeing.

• Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from an institution recognised by Engineers Australia is required for this position.
• Substantial knowledge of civil engineering construction practices with particular emphasis on water supply systems and dam engineering is necessary.
• Demonstrated expertise in interpreting and applying relevant legislation as well as engineering codes pertaining to dam safety is vital for success.
• Experience with standard contractual procedures including preparation of contract documents, tender evaluations, project administration is highly valued.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications along with SharePoint or other web-based platforms is expected for effective documentation management.
• A current C Class Driver’s Licence is mandatory due to site access requirements across various locations within the region.
• Ability to obtain a Work Safe Qld General Construction Induction White (Blue) Card is required for compliance with workplace health regulations.
• Familiarity with Queensland-specific legislation such as DNRME requirements plus industry guidelines like ANCOLD will be advantageous.
• Membership of The Institute of Engineers Australia as well as experience in water network modelling or flood prediction are desirable but not essential.

What sets this company apart:

Gladstone Area Water Board stands out as one of Queensland’s most trusted bulk water authorities thanks to its enduring commitment to customer service excellence since its establishment over fifty years ago. The organisation has grown from humble beginnings into a commercially focused entity employing nearly 100 talented professionals who share a common purpose: delivering safe reliable water supplies that underpin economic prosperity throughout Central Queensland. Employees benefit from an inclusive culture where everyone’s contributions are valued regardless of background or role; collaboration openness mutual respect form the foundation upon which all achievements are built. Health safety wellbeing are not just priorities—they are core values embedded into daily routines supported by robust risk management systems incident response protocols ongoing training opportunities designed so every worker returns home safely each day. Environmental stewardship also features prominently: GAWB continually seeks ways reduce adverse impacts business activities have on natural surroundings ensuring sustainable future generations enjoy same benefits today’s communities receive. If you seek meaningful work within an organisation that genuinely invests in people encourages personal growth fosters supportive leadership then GAWB offers unparalleled opportunity make lasting difference both professionally personally.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are encouraged to apply.
To apply please click apply or call Noah Young on +61 7 3032 2283 for a confidential discussion.