Communications & Media Manager

• Make a real difference and help shape our customers’ Energy Future
• Hybrid working > 2 days WFH > Choose your office days
• Careers with Purpose > Collaborative > Inclusive > Flexible Work Environment

When you choose AusNet, you’ll join genuine people working together, making Real. Progress

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.

Purposeful work with genuinely good people. That’s refreshing.

Join a high-impact team where you’ll play a pivotal role in driving strategic communications, marketing, and media for the groundbreaking Western Renewables Link project. Reporting to the Director of Communications, Stakeholder, and Industry Engagement, you’ll lead a talented team dedicated to crafting and delivering compelling internal and external communications for this transformative initiative.

In this role, you’ll champion media relationships, ensuring clear, consistent messaging throughout the project’s development and delivery phases, and serve as a key voice in shaping the public narrative around this game-changing renewable energy project. You’ll spearhead innovative marketing campaigns, using social research and evaluation techniques to track their success and make data-driven improvements.

This is your chance to make a meaningful impact on a landmark project that will help power a sustainable future!

With a 3/2 Hybrid split (office/WFH), this role is based in Melbourne or Ballarat and is part of the WRL Team

This role will deliver real outcomes, including but not limited to:

• Provide expert advice and strategic direction on communications priorities, positioning, and best practices, including digital and social media strategies.
• Lead a high-performing team to develop and implement strategic communications, consistent messaging, media strategies, and advertising campaigns that promote the Western Renewables Link project.
• Collaborate with delivery partners, stakeholders, and internal teams to identify opportunities to highlight project benefits, progress, and community initiatives.
• Create and manage communication channels to engage communities, stakeholders, and the public while ensuring consistency in messaging across the project.
• Regularly measure the effectiveness of communication and engagement strategies using social research and best practices to achieve social license goals.
• Manage the WRL brand, ensuring consistent implementation across all channels and materials while promoting the reputation of AusNet and the project.
• Build strong media relationships, manage media inquiries, and drive proactive opportunities to highlight project milestones, community benefits, and renewable energy initiatives.

You don’t need to check every box; however, we are looking for a good combination of:

• Extensive, proven experience in senior management roles, overseeing strategic communications and media for complex infrastructure or energy projects.
• Strong background in navigating complex and politically sensitive environments, with success working across various organizational levels and government authorities.
• Exceptional skills in time management, leadership, collaboration, people management, and influencing stakeholders.
• Occasional regional travel within Victoria may be required, along with flexibility for after-hours or out-of-office work.
• Potential to support emergency response efforts (e.g., storms, bushfires, floods) in alignment with skills and capabilities, as needed.
• Tertiary qualifications in Communications, Journalism, Media, Stakeholder Engagement, or a related discipline.

A real place to belong

We celebrate unique voices, refreshing perspectives and diversity in our team. Engage and connect through our social club, family day, wide range of events or by joining one of our Employee Network Groups.

We believe in more than just competitive pay. Here’s what sets us apart:

• Flexibility: whether this is hybrid work, flexible hours, or part time arrangements, we’ll work with you to help balance work and life.
• 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.