Title:  Senior Aboriginal Participation Advisor

About John Holland

At John Holland, our purpose is simple – we transform lives with everything we do. We’ve always known that infrastructure is about people — our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we work every day.

That’s our difference. Deep experience and capability with a genuine care about creating better lives for people along the way. Be part of the team that’s up for the challenge of transforming lives for good.

We are now seeking a Senior Aboriginal Participation Advisor to help lead, influence and deliver our Aboriginal engagement and participation outcomes on the Sydney Metro West Linewide project — one of Sydney’s most significant infrastructure programs.

About the Project

Sydney Metro West is a transformational 24 km underground railway connecting Sydney CBD to Parramatta, with stations at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and Hunter Street.

The Linewide package connects the entire system, delivering the critical rail infrastructure and technology that bring the metro network to life.
Project offices are located across several Sydney locations including the CBD, Clyde, Rosehill, The Bays and Burwood North.

About the Role

As the Senior Aboriginal Participation Advisor, you will take the lead in shaping, coordinating and implementing Aboriginal participation strategies across the project. You’ll work closely with community, industry, government and project teams to build genuine pathways for Aboriginal employment, skills development, procurement and engagement.

You will be the project’s trusted advisor in this space — building partnerships, uplifting capability and ensuring our commitments translate into real outcomes for Aboriginal people, businesses and communities.

Key Responsibilities
•    Lead the development and delivery of Aboriginal participation strategies and plans across the project
•    Build strong relationships with Aboriginal community stakeholders, organisations, training providers and industry partners
•    Oversee Aboriginal employment, retention and development initiatives, ensuring meaningful and sustainable outcomes
•    Work with our Commercial and procurement specialists to identify, engage and grow Aboriginal businesses and suppliers
•    Provide specialist advice to project leadership on Aboriginal participation targets, risks and opportunities
•    Monitor and report on performance, compliance and progress against contractual and project commitments
•    Facilitate cultural awareness initiatives and build capability across the project team
•    Ensure all initiatives align with John Holland policies, government requirements and relevant legislation
•    Represent the project with client, government agencies and community stakeholders

What We’re Looking For

•    a Cert IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Adult Education, Commerce, Education, Training and Assessment, Human Resources, Community Engagement or Social Policy
•    Extensive experience in Aboriginal participation, community engagement, social inclusion, workforce development or a related field
•    Strong understanding of Aboriginal cultures, histories and community dynamics
•    Demonstrated ability building trusted relationships with Aboriginal communities, organisations and leaders
•    Commitment to genuine, respectful engagement and improving opportunities for Aboriginal people
•    Experience in infrastructure or large scale projects (advantageous)
•    Experience developing or delivering participation plans, social procurement strategies or workforce initiatives
•    Strong communication, stakeholder management and advisory skills
•    Ability to effectively influence, collaborate and work within a fast paced project environment
•    Capability to analyse data, generate reports and monitor performance

This role is targeted for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons, in accordance with John Holland’s current exemption granted under section 126 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). 

As part of the team, you can help us transform lives

Your success is reflected in ours, so we’re committed to being an employer of choice. We pride ourselves on having a diverse and inclusive workplace, as we understand that different perspectives and ideas are critical to our long-term success.

We want you to be with us for the long term, so providing you with rich career experiences and ongoing development is our priority.

 
What's in it for you when you join John Holland?
 
We’re about connecting your sense of purpose to ours. We understand that your career is one of the biggest ways to have an impact on the world. We also believe in supporting you as a whole person, not just an employee.

We reward and support our people in so many ways. This starts with being flexible about how different people like to work. From generous leave policies to wellbeing and relationship support, your needs sit at the heart of our employee benefits.

We offer:

Competitive remuneration with salary continuance, and salary sacrifice options.

Great leave benefits including 18 weeks paid parental leave with super and up to an extra 18 weeks of super paid on further periods of unpaid parental leave, multicultural leave exchange and two extra days to prioritise your wellbeing.

Career progression underpinned by our exciting pipeline of work means you’ll have the opportunity to work on iconic projects that are shaping cities and communities. 

Learning and development opportunities where you’ll have access to emerging talent programs, building your career through clear career pathways, plus technical and leadership training and development opportunities.

Inclusion, diversity and equity is part of how we work. We want everyone at John Holland to feel that they belong – that’s why we’re working hard every day to foster a more inclusive culture, backed by a business-wide inclusion strategy to bring about meaningful change. We’ve also got active employee resource groups that support our commitments including those around gender equality and reconciliation.

Flexibility means different things to different people. Whether it’s flexi-hours, flexi-parenting, flexi-leave, flexi-shifts or flexi-work, we’re committed to helping our people work flexibly.