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JOB DETAILS

Environment, Planning and Sustainability Director

CompanyDowner
LocationHexham
Work ModeOn Site
PostedOctober 27, 2026
About The Company
Enabling communities to thrive. It’s what we’ve done for more than 150 years. Solving problems. Making the extraordinary run smoothly every day. We’re keeping the lights on and the water flowing. Running the hospitals that take care of us. Delivering the transport that takes us from A to B. Maintaining communication networks that keep people connected. Helping our Government and Defence customers keep them protected. Delivering train fleets. Building bridges, roads and streets. Now we’re building momentum too. Moving forward even faster. Across Australia and New Zealand, we’re transforming the way we work. Unlocking our potential to lead by example. Using our passion and expertise to deliver complex projects and turn fresh ideas into solutions that make society a better place. Creating opportunities for our people, growth and value for our shareholders, and world-class solutions for our customers. Imagining. Innovating. Engineering. Enabling.
About the Role

Environmental, Planning and Sustainability Director

The opportunity

Downer is seeking an experienced Environmental, Planning and Sustainability Director to provide strategic leadership across environmental planning, sustainability, approvals and compliance for a significant infrastructure program within our Energy and Utilities business.

Reporting to the Head of Sustainability and Environment, this senior leadership role will oversee environmental planning, monitoring, reporting and regulatory engagement, while building and leading a high performing multidisciplinary team. The position is office based with regular travel to project sites. 

You will provide trusted advice to senior project leaders and be a key escalation point for complex environmental matters. You will also oversee statutory approvals, licences and permits, environmental audits, incident investigations, regulatory reporting and Infrastructure Sustainability Ratings. 

What we’re looking for

You will bring extensive senior environmental leadership experience gained across major construction, energy or infrastructure projects, together with the ability to operate effectively in complex and commercially sensitive environments. 

Ideally, you will bring

  • Tertiary qualifications in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Energy, Management, Sustainability or a related discipline

  • Extensive relevant experience within major construction projects, with the position description nominating more than 20 years of experience

  • Strong knowledge of contemporary environmental regulation, statutory planning, development assessment, approvals and sustainability

  • Demonstrated experience leading and developing high performing multidisciplinary teams

  • Strong negotiation, stakeholder engagement and relationship building capability

  • The ability to influence senior leaders, government, regulators, clients, industry and community stakeholders

  • Experience overseeing environmental licences, permits, approvals, audits and compliance requirements

  • ISO 14001 Environmental Management System auditor or implementation training

  • A current drivers licence

  • The ability to travel regularly to project sites

What we offer

This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership role within a major infrastructure environment where your expertise will directly influence environmental performance, sustainability outcomes and successful project delivery.

You will work alongside experienced operational and project leaders and have the opportunity to shape environmental and sustainability capability across Energy and Utilities.

About Energy & Utilities

Downer is a leading provider of integrated services across Australia and New Zealand. Through our Energy and Utilities business, we work with our customers to deliver critical infrastructure and services that connect communities and support essential services.

Downer is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

How to apply

If you are ready to bring your environmental, planning and sustainability leadership experience to a significant infrastructure environment, we would like to hear from you.

Please submit your application online, including your current resume.

Downer does not accept any unsolicited resume referrals from external Recruitment or Labour Hire Companies.

 

Key Skills
Environmental PlanningSustainability StrategyRegulatory ComplianceStatutory ApprovalsInfrastructure Sustainability RatingsEnvironmental AuditingStakeholder EngagementTeam LeadershipEnvironmental EngineeringRisk ManagementProject ManagementNegotiationIncident InvestigationEnvironmental Management SystemsISO 14001
Categories
Environmental & SustainabilityManagement & LeadershipConstructionEnergyEngineering
Job Information
📋Core Responsibilities
The Director will provide strategic leadership for environmental planning, sustainability, and regulatory compliance across a major infrastructure program. They will oversee statutory approvals, environmental audits, and lead a multidisciplinary team while advising senior project leaders.
📋Job Type
full time
📊Experience Level
10+
💼Company Size
18195
📊Visa Sponsorship
No
💼Language
English
🏢Working Hours
40 hours
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