Are you ready to make a real impact in Australia's energy transition?
At AusNet, we're the link between renewable energy sources and local communities, playing a key role in the clean energy transition and providing essential energy to every Victorian family.
Help us lead the way, while enriching your career with real people who encourage you to bring your best and make real impact – for your career, our communities and Australia's cleaner energy future.
About the role
The Western Renewable Link (WRL) is the first major transmission project in Victoria in over 40 years and a critical part of the state's energy transition. As Senior Stakeholder Specialist, you'll play a key role in supporting the planning and delivery of this landmark project.
Working closely with the Stakeholder Engagement Manager, you'll lead the coordination and execution of stakeholder engagement activities. This role carries a strategic lens, acting as a conduit between delivery teams, internal stakeholders and broader functions, including project senior leaders. While not leading a team, you'll guide a team of engagement practitioners and align efforts, helping to establish effective ways of working and ensuring consistent communication across all interfaces.
You'll be responsible for developing strong and constructive relationships both internally and externally, and building and implementing engagement plans, coordinating communications across project streams, and ensuring stakeholder input is captured and considered. Reporting is a significant focus, with responsibility for tracking activities, outputs, and results through effective systems and processes and presenting regularly to our client and leadership team.
This is a hands‐on, people‐focused role in a collaborative, energetic, and fun team environment. You'll be part of a team that values autonomy, initiative, and a solutions‐focused mindset.
Key Responsibilities
* Build and maintain strong connections with key stakeholders across government, community, and industry. Act as a key account owner, representing AusNet with professionalism and purpose.
* Lead engagement across WRL project streams to meet milestones and deliverables. Collaborating with internal teams to develop and deliver tailored engagement plans.
* Prepare, review, and share project and technical materials for diverse audiences. Delivering reports, presentations, and content that support engagement goals.
* Chair and facilitate stakeholder forums, workshops, and key events, both online and in person.
* Work closely with WRL teams including planning, approvals, land, security, communications, and strategic stakeholder groups to ensure integrated engagement.
* Collaborate with key team members within WRL including security, planning, approvals, communications, land, project management and strategic stakeholder teams.
* Provide regular updates on team activities and contribute to strategic initiatives.
What You'll Bring
You're a seasoned stakeholder engagement professional with experience working on complex infrastructure projects. You bring a strategic mindset, emotional intelligence, and a collaborative approach to every engagement. With a strong foundation in communications and public relations, you're confident navigating sensitive issues, building rapport across diverse stakeholder groups, and delivering high‐quality outcomes in dynamic environments.
You thrive in cross‐functional teams, are resilient under pressure, and have a deep appreciation for the nuances of planning, approvals, and project delivery. Your ability to listen, influence, and communicate with empathy sets you apart, and you're driven by a commitment to best‐practice engagement and community outcomes.
Skills & Experience
* Tertiary qualifications in Communications, Public Relations, Community & Stakeholder Engagement, or a related discipline.
* 10+ years' experience in communications and stakeholder engagement on major infrastructure projects.
* Proven track record developing and implementing engagement plans across diverse stakeholder groups.
* 5+ years' experience in development projects, including Environment Effects Statements (EES).
* Experience within major organisations, government, or consultancy environments.
* Exceptional interpersonal, diplomacy, and negotiation skills.
* Strong collaboration and teamwork capabilities; autonomous and proactive contributor.
* Demonstrated success in frontline stakeholder engagement, particularly in local government, regional development, or large‐scale infrastructure.
* Experience in project or program delivery with regular external stakeholder liaison.
* Highly proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and other relevant software, with a proven ability to produce clear, compelling reports, presentations, and documentation tailored to diverse audiences.
A real place to belong.
We celebrate unique voices, refreshing perspectives and diversity in our team. Engage and connect through our social club, wide range of events or by joining one of our Employee Network Groups.
We believe in more than competitive pay. Here's what sets us apart:
* Leave: more than typical personal leave and a generous 14 weeks of paid parental leave, with no minimum service.
* Community giving: a paid day to volunteer with our social impact partner, Foodbank, or for a cause that matters to you.
* Perks: we offer all the other perks you've come to expect like purchased leave, income protection insurance, novated leasing, corporate discounts, private health cover discounts and more.
As an industry in transformation, we're excited by the possibilities ahead.
So, if you're passionate about our purpose and committed to making real progress, bring your energy and join AusNet. Together, we can shape a new way forward.
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