Innovation Manager - Water Infrastructure

About Us

With over 85 years of tangible impact, we have carved out our place as a leader in water infrastructure across Australia and New Zealand. Embrace the opportunity to be part of our dynamic team creating the future of water for generations to come. Your expertise and dedication will play a pivotal role in our continued success and be a driving force in our journey towards a water-resilient world.

The Opportunity

As the Innovation Manager, you will have a rare opportunity to shape the future of innovation in the water industry. You will lead the end-to-end innovation lifecycle, turning ideas and complex challenges into practical scalable solutions that improve safety, sustainability and long term pipeline performance. Working at the intersection of strategy, technology, and delivery, you will manage a structured innovation funnel, build strong R&D and industry partnerships, and translate emerging technologies into real world outcomes.

With a strong focus on our core innovation themes, you will influence how we work today and how we build capability for tomorrow. This role offers the chance to lead high impact trials, mentor developing teams, engage with senior stakeholders and regulators and embed a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across the business.

This is a hybrid role, with an expectation to work out of our Head Office in Girraween (Western Sydney), Site office in North Head (Northern Beaches) and home.

You will bring:

• A tertiary qualification in Engineering (Mechatronics, Robotics, Mechanical, Automation, Civil, Environmental, Materials) or a related discipline
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in Innovation management portfolios, R&D, or technology delivery in a cross‑functional setting within critical infrastructure or other asset‑intensive, regulated engineering sectors (e.g., water, utilities, transport, resources/mining, manufacturing, aerospace/aviation, defence, or similar).
• Ability to identify and evaluate emerging technologies, market trends, and industry shifts to inform innovation strategy
• Solid understanding of innovation methodologies and lifecycle management (e.g. Stage-Gate, Agile, Lean Startup, ISO 56000/1/2)
• Experience delivering technology/innovation in environments with high reliability, safety, regulatory or operational constraints, and multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong capability in project governance, funding applications, and cross-functional delivery
• Experience designing, embedding, or managing structured innovation frameworks, funnels, or pipelines in a corporate or operational environment

Our Team

At Interflow, we are honest, reliable, competent and respectful. We adopt a safety-first mindset where the health, wellbeing and safety of our people is of top priority. We support each other to learn and be our best every day. We value new ideas and work together to create innovative solutions for our customers. We’re proud of our rich history and are committed to delivering our purpose: improve the lives of the people we work with, the communities we serve and the environment we work in, for generations to come.

How We Support You

We provide excellent career opportunities, professional challenges and highly desirable industry sector experience. By joining our team, you will enjoy:

• Competitive salary package + Bonus
• On the job training and continuous development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements with work from home options available
• Gender neutral parental leave entitlements
• Job security – we are an essential service business with a strong pipeline of work
• A well-established reward and recognition program including monthly awards
• Employee referral program with a generous bonus payment up to $5000
• As a WORK180 endorsed employer, we are recognised globally as an organisation that’s diverse, inclusive and supports women in the workplace.

So, what are you waiting for? Join us in making a meaningful impact. Apply Now and submit your resume for consideration.

We respectfully request no recruitment agency approaches for this role.