Manager Open Space and Environment, Merri-bek City Council in Melbourne

Lead the green heart of Melbourne's inner north. Merri-bek is one of Melbourne's most densely populated and diverse municipalities. Its parks, creek corridors, sporting fields and street trees are central to how its community lives, plays and copes with a warming climate. Council is now looking for a senior leader to take charge of this work and shape its next chapter.

The role involves reporting to the Director City Infrastructure and sitting on Council's Senior Management Team. You'll lead the Open Space and Environment branch, which has four unit managers covering Open Space Design and Development, Open Space Maintenance, Urban Forest and Building Maintenance. You'll also manage a branch budget of about $21m a year. The role puts a strong focus on climate change. Within it you will:

• Lead a large multidisciplinary workforce, including frontline crews, and build a culture that is safety-first, inclusive and high-performing.
• Oversee strategies and programs including the Urban Forest Strategy, Open Space Strategy, Park Close to Home, Nature Plan, Play Strategy and Moonee Ponds Creek Chain of Ponds.
• Grow canopy cover, protect waterways and natural values, and keep the city's public spaces safe, clean and liveable.
• Deliver the open space parts of the capital works program on time and on budget, and contribute to Council's 10-year asset and financial plans.
• Work in partnership with Traditional Owners on land and waterway management.
• Advise Councillors, the Executive and the community, and put real engagement at the centre of planning and delivery.
• Act as Deputy Municipal Emergency Response Officer.

About you: You're a leader that people want to work for, equally comfortable in a Council briefing, on a depot floor and in a community consultation. You will bring:

• Relevant Bachelor and/or post graduate tertiary qualifications and/or substantial equivalent senior leadership experience in areas such as operational management, horticulture, landscape architecture, public works, engineering or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated senior leadership experience building constructive, inclusive, psychosocially safe and high-performing teams, inspiring and fostering a positive, collaborative and high performing culture including leading through change, developing people leaders, addressing poor behaviour and creating an environment where staff feel safe to raise concerns and contribute ideas.
• Extensive experience designing, delivering and improving customer-focused open space planning and design, environmental strategy development, open space maintenance, arboriculture, capital works, asset management, building services, and operational service delivery through direct labour, contractors and partnerships, with a strong focus on community outcomes, service standards, risk management, climate resilience and continuous improvement.
• Highly developed conceptual, analytical, and strategic skills with a track record in addressing complex, intractable problems.
• Strong financial acumen and demonstrated application of sound asset management principles, including management of significant operational and capital budgets, procurement, contracts, lifecycle planning, asset condition, risk-based prioritisation, renewal planning and value-for-money investment decisions.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, connecting with diverse audiences and stakeholders, including Traditional Owners.
• Understanding and thought leadership of contemporary challenges and opportunities facing local government, particularly addressing the climate emergency and protecting the natural environment.

This role gives you real influence over the health, wellbeing and climate resilience of a community of more than 195,000 people. You'll join a Council that takes environmental leadership seriously and supports flexible work, diversity and inclusion.

Merri-bek City Council is proudly diverse and an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, people with disability, and people from every culture, gender and sexuality identity, age and ethnic background. Merri-bek City Council is a Child Safe organisation.

Merri-bek City Council has adopted a Statement of Commitment to Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the municipality. The statement recognises the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as the traditional owners of the lands and waterways of our municipality. Merri-bek City Council is committed to being a Child Safe organisation and have zero tolerance for child abuse. We believe children and young people have the right to be and feel safe and that their safety and wellbeing is the responsibility of everyone.