Brisbane City Council

is now recruiting for

Manager Civil Operations

Applications close midnight, Tuesday the 25th of August 2026

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About Brisbane
City Council

Brisbane City Council is by population the largest local government in Australia, with total assets over $44 billion and an annual budget of over $4.1 billion. Our responsibility is to provide leadership for the people of Brisbane and to manage our resources to create a vibrant, successful and liveable city for the future. We work in partnership with a variety of governments, peak bodies, industries and community organisations to build a better Brisbane.

Corporate Values

Getting things done - Adapting to meet changing needs and priorities.
Value for money - Looking for opportunities to contribute to the growth of the city.
Passion for Brisbane - Delivering value to Brisbane, its residents and customers.
Respect for people - Embracing diversity and communicating openly and honestly.
Responsive customer service - Adding value to every customer interaction
Working together - Looking for opportunities to collaborate and connect to deliver a better Brisbane.
Courage to make a difference - Committed to continuous improvement and a city and workplace free of discrimination, harassment and offensive behaviour.

Making a Difference

Brisbane City Council’s people deliver services and projects that contribute to making Brisbane a great place to live and do business. We are passionate about delivering:

active and healthy and creative communities
driving a strong economy
sustaining a clean and green environment
a city of cultural vibrancy
developing our New World City
creating an enduring legacy of liveability for future generations.

More information can be found here.

Vision

Brisbane Vision 2031 is Brisbane City Council’s long-term community plan for the city. It guides the work that Council does and provides a focused set of goals to work towards.

Council's eight programs guide the implementation of our Corporate Plan to achieve the Brisbane Vision 2031. Council and the community are working together to ensure the important things about Brisbane are retained for future generations and we all make the right choices to achieve the future we want. Council is also transforming to be a leaner, innovative and high performing organisation that strives to deliver exceptional customer service and value for money for rate payers.

About the Role

Manager Civil Operations

Download Position Description

The Manager, Civil Operations leads Construction Branch’s Civil Operations team to deliver planned and responsive maintenance across Brisbane’s major civil infrastructure networks. The role provides executive leadership of a large internal workforce and service partners to lift productivity and outputs, improve planning and scheduling performance, and ensure Council remains competitive with the external market on cost, quality, safety and customer outcomes.

The position also oversees Council’s internal Traffic Control service, ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective provision of internal and contracted traffic control resources across the Infrastructure Services Group. Through strong governance and performance management, the role makes value-for-money decisions on the appropriate delivery model for maintenance work (internal delivery versus contracted packages) and works closely with partner teams to improve responsiveness and customer experience. A critical focus is attracting and retaining skilled labour in a competitive market by promoting Council’s Employee Value Proposition and building robust capability and succession plans for critical roles and trades.

The two civil infrastructure streams within Construction Branch, Projects and Operations, work together to deliver and maintain Brisbane’s essential infrastructure and assets works across Brisbane that support community needs and enhance quality of life for residents and visitors.

Together these streams are entrusted with the operational oversight of a diverse range of public assets, including roads, footpaths, waterways, drainage networks, and active transport networks. Both streams work together to deliver a significant capital works program while also managing substantial recurrent investment, upkeep and continuous improvement of these assets. Through the work these streams deliver, Construction branch plays a critical role in supporting the liveability, sustainability and public confidence in Council’s services and assets.

Key Accountabilities

For more information on key accountabilities of the role, please see the Position Description above.

Lead strategic workforce planning and service delivery planning to ensure maintenance capability and capacity meets demand across Council’s major civil infrastructure networks, including effective deployment, rostering, plant and resource strategies.
Direct operational performance to increase outputs and productivity and deliver planned and responsive civil maintenance programs (and associated minor works) safely, on time and within budget.
Embed a Zero Harm culture through visible leadership across maintenance worksites and the Traffic Control service, driving compliance, assurance and continuous improvement to achieve measurable safety outcomes for employees, contractors and the community.
Ensure strong governance, risk and compliance by meeting statutory, regulatory and Council policy requirements, and proactively identifying and mitigating operational risks across internal delivery, contract interfaces and the Traffic Control service.
Drive financial sustainability through disciplined budget management, cost optimisation and performance benchmarking, ensuring Council remains competitive with the external market on cost, quality and safety.
Make value-for-money decisions on the appropriate delivery model for maintenance work (internal delivery versus contracted packages) and work with partner teams to scope, procure and manage contracted maintenance packages where this delivers improved value, responsiveness and customer outcomes.
Work in close partnership with the Manager, Civil Projects to jointly plan and manage civil delivery capacity across Construction Branch, optimising workforce, plant and resource utilisation. Enable the efficient transfer of suitably scoped maintenance, minor and ancillary works between Operations and Projects to smooth demand peaks and troughs, maintain workforce stability, and deliver improved value‑for‑money, timeliness and customer outcomes.
Maintain shared visibility of delivery pipelines, workforce and plant capacity, and proactively resolve resourcing trade‑offs collaboratively in the best interests of Council’s overall civil works program.

What Success Looks Like

Within the context of the responsibilities described previously, the ideal applicant will be someone who has:

Demonstrated capability, knowledge, experience and achievements in:
- Demonstrate substantial executive leadership capability in managing large operational workforces delivering complex civil infrastructure maintenance services across a diverse portfolio.
- Exhibit advanced stakeholder engagement skills with proven experience operating in dynamic government environments and effectively collaborating with elected representatives, agencies, and community stakeholders.
- Apply high-level operational planning expertise with a demonstrated ability to translate demand into deliverable programs of work, improving outputs through effective planning, scheduling, productivity and performance management.
- Show exceptional financial and commercial acumen in managing multi-million-dollar budgets, benchmarking performance and costs, and making sound value-for-money make/buy decisions across internal and contracted delivery models.
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of legislative and policy frameworks relating to Workplace Health and Safety, environmental compliance and workforce governance within a large operational workforce, including an ability to manage complex people and industrial risks.
- Leverage strong technical and operational capability to provide authoritative advice on civil maintenance standards, methods and risk-based prioritisation, ensuring safe, durable and cost-effective outcomes.
Demonstrated capability, knowledge, experience and achievements in:
- Leading organisational performance to deliver coordinated, responsive, and customer focused outcomes.
- Inclusive and people-focused leadership style in line with Council’s Leadership Blueprint, with demonstrated success in building high-performing, values-led teams and positive workplace cultures.
- Maintaining and developing relationships across organisational boundaries to drive consistent and seamless delivery and the direction of resources to corporate priorities
- Communication, stakeholder engagement and relationship management, with the ability to collaborate and influence across government, industry and community.
- Managing complex and contentious issues with high sensitivity and competing stakeholder interests.
- Leading thinking about initiatives to create public value.
Demonstrated capability, knowledge, experience and achievements in:
- Financial and risk management with experience overseeing operational budgets, regulatory compliance and governance in high risk, high accountability settings.
- Developing an engaged, productive, and customer-focused workforce.
- Delivering systems and processes which deliver value to the organisation and to the customer.
- Planning the resourcing of services with appropriate risk management to meet demand within budget.
- Building new collaborative models with suppliers and program partners to improve public value.
- Demonstrating a focus on shared outcomes, negotiating budget and resources across the organisation, and submitting joint budget proposals.
Demonstrated ability to undertake broad executive leadership beyond the specific requirements of the position, across the organisation, including the ability to:
- Collaborate and share accountability across organisational boundaries
- Participate in strategic decision making; represent Brisbane City Council to the community, other levels of Government and to industry.
- Own and champion corporate values, strategies, policy, and directions, particularly: Council values and behaviours, Code of Conduct, workplace justice, diversity and inclusion, Zero Harm and flexible work arrangements.
- Understand governance frameworks, statutory and regulatory compliance, including legislation relevant to local government operations particularly the City of Brisbane Act 2010 and associated regulations, Council Ordinances and Local Laws
- Champion the strategic corporate management agendas on issues such as customer service, service delivery, change management and people management, and integrate these principles into the operation of the business.
- During disaster events, be available to perform the role of Incident Controller within the Local Disaster Coordination Centre to provide leadership and implement strategic directions from the Local Disaster Management Group.

Essential at recruitment requirements:

Due to the requirements of this role criminal history and business history checks will be undertaken on preferred applicants. A criminal history does not necessarily preclude an applicant from appointment.

Desirable role-specific requirements:

Possession of a tertiary qualification in a suitable professional discipline relevant to the position is desirable.

How to Apply

Brisbane City Council are committed to inclusive and diverse practices, including recruitment and selection which ensures people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, women, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal opportunity to apply and participate.

Candidates who represent diverse backgrounds are encouraged to submit an application.

To be considered, please provide the following information in your online application, for the assessment of your suitability:

A short (no more than two pages) statement focusing on how you align with the core accountabilities outlined in the role statement below.
Your current CV highlighting your relevant experience, qualifications, and achievements.

If you need assistance with your application please reach out to us.

Apply Now

Applications close midnight, Tuesday the 25th of August 2026