Community Resilience Liaison

• Join Ausgrid as we embark on our exciting transformation journey!
• Permanent Full Time | $115,347 - $$124,842 + 15.5% Super
• Enjoy a fortnightly Rostered Day Off (RDO) in support of work life balance

Ausgrid is on an exciting transformation journey and now is the time to be a part of something big. We are proud to service Australia’s east coast, as a leading business in energy distribution, delivering a safe and reliable electricity supply to more than 1.8 million homes – that’s over four million Australians relying on us every day. 

Our vision is simple; for our communities to have the power for a resilient, affordable net zero future. ​  

We take pride in knowing that the work we collectively achieve today, will transform the world tomorrow. We value a culture of working and living safely, being customer focussed, commercially minded, collaborative, honest, accountable, and respectful. Our values are not just initiatives driven by leaders; they define the way we work.

Your new role

At Ausgrid, we are dedicated to enhancing energy resilience within our communities, especially in the face of climate change impacts and related electricity outages. We are seeking a passionate and skilled Community Resilience Liaison to join our team and drive initiatives that support vulnerable communities in the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens area. In this position, you will play a vital role in making a positive impact in the local community and have the opportunity to be part of initiatives that truly matter!

The Community Resilience Liaison will play a central role in supporting customers and communities to effectively plan for and respond to unplanned electricity outages from climate-related and other events. You will develop and deliver initiatives tailored to the unique needs of communities most vulnerable to their impacts, working closely with local partners and other resilience actors to ensure we work collaboratively and maximise community benefit.

You will support the development and delivery of blackout planning and preparedness communications, ensuring that they are tailored and adapted to meet the diverse needs of different geographic areas and specific priority groups. Key audiences will include: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, elderly customers, low-income households, individuals with medical needs and non-English speaking communities, ensuring that all materials are accessible and relevant. You’ll work with other trusted local partners to align our messaging and encourage coordination.

Building partnerships is essential to succeed in this position. You will forge strong relationships with local government agencies, community organisations, emergency service providers and other stakeholders. In particular, you will progress formal partnerships and funding agreements the enable local community resilience improvements, such as investments in flexible energy sources like generators or solar and battery systems at local hubs. You will work closely with internal teams and subject matter experts to support Ausgrid’s strategic objectives.

The key to success in this opportunity is community engagement and stakeholder management. You will be required to represent Ausgrid at various community events, workshops, and meetings. By promoting energy resilience and climate adaptation strategies, you will support ongoing community engagement efforts, helping to build trust and awareness with our customers. You will also monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of resilience initiatives and partnerships, providing recommendations for improvement to ensure that programs are impactful and responsive to community needs.

Program background

Over the 15-year period to FY2023, 62% of supply outages to customers in Ausgrid’s operating area were caused by climate related weather events. The Climate Resilience Program targets mitigation of this growth in risk. In November 2023, Ausgrid submitted a revised proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) to seek funding for targeted investment in resilience to protect the long-term interests of customers and maintain current levels of resilience in the face of climate change. This proposal can be found here. 

The proposal was informed by over 80 hours of deliberative engagement with our customers in the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens as well as our broader customer base. This process delivered a bespoke program of investment to deliver on the unique needs of customers in these areas most vulnerable to climate impacts. In addition to strengthening our network infrastructure, Ausgrid’s customers asked us to invest in community resilience initiatives like blackout planning and flexible energy sources that can support them when climate events impact our services.

Spark our interest!

Our hiring decisions are not only based on your experience and skills, but your passion, attitude, and alignment to our core values. 

The ideal candidate will hold formal qualifications in stakeholder or community engagement, project management, public policy, energy, or another closely related field. This educational background will equip the successful candidate with a solid understanding of the complexities involved in community dynamics and energy resilience. Candidates with solid experience in resilience, emergency management and the energy industry are highly encouraged to apply, to effectively navigate the challenges and opportunities within this space.

Above all, strong communication and relationship-building skills are crucial for this role. The ability to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, from community members to technical experts to government officials, will be key in fostering collaboration and mutual understanding. Experience in project and contract management and partnership development is also essential. You will come with a proven track record of successfully leading projects and building partnerships that drive meaningful outcomes. You will have the ability to work autonomously, as the role will involve self-directed tasks and initiatives, however, a collaborative spirit is equally important. Lastly, a valid driver's license is required to facilitate travel within designated regions for community and stakeholder engagement operations.

Grow with Ausgrid
To continue building on our rich heritage, we actively invest in our people’s development through secondments, onsite training, mentoring circles, e-learning, Australian Graduate School of Management programs (UNSW) and study assistance.

It is through our investment in our people that the average tenure across the business is 14 years and our current turnover is sitting at a market competitive rate of just 3.9%.  

Ausgrid perks
Revel in more than just a competitive salary! Our employees enjoy a dynamic range of market leading support and safety services, wellbeing programs, corporate discounts, and flexibility arrangements in many forms. 

Our people are paramount to the continued success of Ausgrid, therefore celebrating great work is important to us! It’s not just the big wins that count, we have provided our employees the opportunity to applaud peer successes daily through our Amped Recognition Program. But let’s not forget the major milestones! For those ready to exceed expectations, anticipate a nomination for a CEO award at our formal end of year Award gala.

Belonging at Ausgrid  

At Ausgrid, we are powered by diversity. Our customers come from all walks of life, and so do we! We are committed to creating a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workforce, and encourage applications from various backgrounds, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, individuals with disability, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.  
 

If you require support with your application/reasonable adjustments for the interview process, please reach out to our dedicated Talent team - recruitment@ausgrid.com.au. 

Join us in shaping a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone can thrive.