Agency : Department of Water and Environmental Regulation – Joondalup WA
3d ago, from Western Australia Government
At the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, we're not just hiring, we're building the future. As Western Australia embarks on a bold agenda to remain the strongest economy in the nation, we play a critical role in delivering on government priorities: supporting sustainable development across the state, enabling renewable energy, protecting our environment, and securing our water future.
We are an influential and future-focused organisation, working at the intersection of science, policy, and community. We're guided by good science, cultural knowledge, and a values-based culture that reflects who we are and how we go about our work.
If you're driven to make a real impact, whether it's supporting industry transformation, driving innovation in environmental regulation, enabling clean energy, or restoring waterways we invite you to bring your talent, your ideas, and your commitment to a team that's delivering for today and planning for tomorrow.
Opportunity
Lead a multidisciplinary incident response team responsible for managing and resolving environmental incidents that pose risks to public safety, infrastructure and the natural environment. This role is suited to an experienced leader from a background such as emergency services, incident response, regulatory compliance, investigations or operational risk management, who is skilled at leading teams through complex, contentious and high-consequence events.
About the Environmental Response Team
The Environmental Response team is a frontline responder to events that impact communities, industry and the environment. The team responds to a diverse range of environmental incidents, managing environmental hazards, protecting ecosystems and minimising harm to human health and property in the event of accidents, disasters, or environmental crises.
The team's functions include field operations, investigation, and coordination capabilities. Officers work in dynamic environments where no two incidents are the same, requiring sound judgement, adaptability, and strong situational awareness.
The team is also responsible for providing informed, science-based information to internal and external stakeholders to better inform and mitigate environmental risk.
About the Role
As the Manager Environmental Response, you will lead DWER's statewide environmental incident response capability. You will set strategy, standards and governance for environmental response and compliance activities, direct operational responses to complex incidents, and provide authoritative regulatory and technical advice to senior decision makers.
You will:
* Lead and manage statewide environmental response capability across Western Australia to pollution incidents and hazardous materials emergencies under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and deliver services under the Emergency Management Act 2005 and the State Emergency Management Framework.
* Direct the branch's Environmental Response team and the after‐hours on‐call team, ensuring people, equipment, systems and procedures are ready to respond safely and effectively, 24/7.
* Coordinate incident response and recovery, including mobilisation, on‐scene leadership, technical assessments and evidence‐based decision‐making to reduce environmental and public health risk.
* Coordinate the provision of science‐based advice and intelligence to internal and external stakeholders, such as government agencies, local government, industry and communities, to inform prevention, preparedness, response and recovery and mitigation of environmental risks.
* Lead DWER's Light Industry Program to better support local government officers to manage low‐risk pollution issues, offering practical guidance, escalation pathways and capability building.
* Build interagency and industry partnerships, working collaboratively with emergency services and regulators to ensure aligned plans, joint training, and clear roles during incidents.
* Drive continuous improvement, capturing lessons learned, maintaining SOPs and training programs and reporting on performance against the team's strategic priorities.
* Steward people, culture and resources, fostering a safe, inclusive and high‐performance environment and ensuring efficient use of budget, equipment and logistics.
About You
You are an experienced leader in a complex, high-risk regulatory or incident management environment, with the ability to:
* Set direction and deliver outcomes in ambiguous and time-critical situations
* Interpret and apply legislation and regulatory frameworks with confidence
* Lead multidisciplinary teams and build capability
* Consolidate, interpret and prioritise technical advice from your team and other sources, in order to provide clear, authoritative advice on complex environmental and compliance matters to decision-makers and other stakeholders
* Manage risk, investigations and enforcement activities with strong judgement and integrity
* Lead with an affiliative and adaptive leadership style, fostering strong, confident and psychologically safe teams through clear communication, trust, and a focus on people, capability and wellbeing
* Build trusted relationships and influence outcomes across stakeholders.
At the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, we are committed to fostering a modern workplace that supports flexibility, collaboration, and wellbeing.
Our flexible work arrangements include options for alternative work locations and adaptable schedules, designed to accommodate a variety of professional and personal needs.
We recognise that effective work can happen in different settings, and our approach reflects this, enabling staff to contribute meaningfully while maintaining balance and resilience.
We are committed to creating an equitable and diverse workforce that promotes an inclusive and supportive workplace environment. We value the unique diversity of experience that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, women and youth bring to our workforce.
Join us and be part of a department that values innovation, inclusivity, and the evolving nature of work.
CLOSING DATE: 4:00pm Monday, 22 June 2026 (Australian Western Standard Time)
Applications that are in progress or submitted after the closing time will not be accepted.
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