Sam, our specialist consultant across Engineering Contractors, Consultancies and Providers for Utilities with a specialisation in the Water/Wastewater sector dives into the rise of water infrastructure and the job opportunities that come along with it.

With billions of dollars earmarked for investment into the sector across Australia to combat the current water crisis and drought-affected areas, there are several projects coming on board that will open up the floodgates for job opportunities across the board. 
 

“What I have really enjoyed about working in the sector is speaking firsthand with both clients and candidates that have a real passion for the industry and a commitment to securing a sustainable water supply for all.

Something that myself and the team at Design & Build are particularly proud of is when we were privileged to be selected to partner with SUEZ and assist in the recruitment of key team members who will be involved in the upgrade of 2 major water treatment projects in NSW & VIC.” 

- Sam Carew

Working closely with various stakeholders within SUEZ, Sam was able to provide a bespoke recruitment solution that saw us successfully identify and introduce a wide range of candidates from site-based Operation Technicians, Specialist Design Engineers, Bid Managers all the way up to Project Directors.

So what’s happening in Water? 

Looking ahead to the near and midterm future, it is most definitely an exciting time in the industry in terms of job opportunities. 

Sydney Water. Sydney Water is in the process of implementing the game-changing P4S programme which will appoint 3 Regional Delivery Consortia, all made up of heavyweights in the industry. WaterNSW are embarking on heavy investment for both regional and local works and there is also the upgrade to the Sydney Desal Plant.

The NSW state government has begun "preliminary planning" to expand the Kurnell desalination plant as Sydney dam levels continue to drop at a record pace. The plant is producing 250 million litres of water a day at present but was constructed in such a way that capacity can be scaled up to 500 million litres per day.

Skilled Water Engineers are in demand. A number of dedicated engineering consultancies are seeking local talent with “deep” water experience as a first priority, however, there could be demand for candidates with UK based experience to support local projects. Watch this space!

National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and Loan Facility. The Australian Government’s $3.3 billion commitment to build the water infrastructure of the future is being realised through the $1.3 billion National Water Infrastructure Development Fund (Fund) and the $2.0 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility (Loan Facility). 

Through the Fund and the Loan Facility, the Australian Government has committed $814.9 million in capital to assist state and territory governments to construct new water infrastructure, including…

• Rookwood Weir in Queensland ($176.1 million)
• Modernisation of the Nogoa-Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme in Queensland ($3.0 million),
• Modernisation of the Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme in Queensland ($11.6 million).
• The Big Rocks Weir in Queensland ($30.0 million)
• The Hughenden Irrigation Scheme in Queensland ($180 million)
• The Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme ($45.6 million) in South Australia.
• Modernisation of the Macalister Irrigation District Phase 1 in Victoria ($20.0 million).
• Macalister Irrigation District Modernisation Project Phase 2 in Victoria ($31.3 million).
• South West Loddon pipeline in Victoria ($20.0 million), Sunraysia Modernisation Project 2 ($3.0 million).

There’s a number of large-scale water infrastructure projects, both greenfield and brownfield, with numerous opportunities available so it’s an optimum time to develop your career in the water industry. 

The water sector makes for a rewarding long term career move as you’re directly supporting a vital resource that people use on a day to day basis.

To talk about your next career move or to hire staff within Water get in touch with Sam Carew via email sam@designandbuild.com.au.