Water, wastewater & catchment infrastructure
Supporting the systems that deliver, protect, and manage water.
We work with organisations responsible for the planning, operation, and delivery of critical water infrastructure supporting workforce, leadership, and recruitment needs across the full water cycle.
The environment
Water infrastructure underpins public health, environmental outcomes, and economic activity. It operates under constant scrutiny, regulatory oversight, and community expectation.
Our work spans organisations responsible for:
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Potable water networks and treatment
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Wastewater networks and treatment
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Flood and stormwater infrastructure
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Dams, bulk water assets, and storage systems
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Hydro assets and water-related generation
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Irrigation networks and schemes
These systems are asset-intensive, long-life, and highly regulated. Workforce decisions in this sector carry operational, safety, and community consequences.
Understanding the challenges
Organisations operating across water and catchment infrastructure face a unique set of pressures, including:
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Skills shortages in technical and operational roles
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Ageing assets and long-term capital programs
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Regulatory and environmental compliance
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Regional and remote workforce attraction
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Succession risk in specialist and leadership roles
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The need to balance operational continuity with transformation
Recruitment and workforce decisions in this environment require care, planning, and an understanding of how systems actually operate not just how roles are described.
How Telos Co supports the sector
We support water and catchment infrastructure organisations across recruitment, workforce advisory, and leadership decision-making.
This may include:
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Permanent, executive, and board appointments
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Temporary and contract recruitment
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RPO and project recruitment for capital programs
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Workforce and succession planning support
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Leadership and transition support during change
Our work is designed to help organisations make people decisions with confidence, aligned to asset lifecycles, delivery obligations, and long-term stewardship.
Roles we commonly support
While every organisation is different, we regularly support roles such as:
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Engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical, process, asset)
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Operations and maintenance leaders
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Project and program managers
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Asset and capital planning specialists
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Environmental and compliance professionals
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Executive and senior leadership appointments
- HR & HSE and WHS
This spans utility operators, bulk water authorities, irrigation schemes, councils, and asset owners.
Regional & catchment capability
Many water and catchment assets operate outside major metropolitan centres.
We regularly work with organisations managing regional, remote, and distributed assets where workforce attraction, community impact, and continuity are critical considerations.
Our approach reflects these realities, supporting organisations to attract and retain capability in locations where traditional recruitment models often fall short.
A considered partnership
Water and catchment infrastructure is not a sector weā€™ve added recently itā€™s where our work began.
Telos grew out of long-standing relationships across water utilities, bulk water authorities, irrigation schemes, councils, and supporting consultancies. This depth means we are not a generalist recruitment agency applying a broad-brush approach. We work within a defined ecosystem and understand how capability, leadership, and succession decisions affect operations, communities, and long-term asset stewardship.
Our network across the water sector has been built over time through delivery, site engagement, and ongoing industry connection not through volume marketing or transactional hiring. This allows us to engage talent thoughtfully and represent opportunities with credibility.
Engagements may stand alone or form part of broader workforce planning, advisory, or transition support. In each case, the focus is on alignment, clarity, and outcomes that hold up over time.
If youā€™re responsible for water, wastewater, or catchment infrastructure and want to work with a partner who knows the sector deeply, we welcome a considered conversation.