What it does: Supplies drinking water, recycled water, and sewerage services to residents and businesses in south-east Queensland.
Best known for: Serving 1.5 million customers as one of the largest water distributor-retailers in Australia. The company has a history that dates back to the 1860s. Each year, Urban Utilities supplies more than 136,000 ml of water and treats around 124,600 ml of sewage in south-east Queensland.
Staff stats: 1,200 employees - and growing!
The good bits: Flexible-first working arrangements, additional five days of personal / carer’s leave per annum + access to others, a proud Equal Opportunity Employer
On 1 July 2010, Urban Utilities was established as a statutory body under the South-East Queensland Water Act 2009, as well as a service provider under the Water Supply Act 2008.
This restructuring merged three South East Queensland bulk water entities: Linkwater, Seqwater, and SEQ Water Grid Manager into one bulk water supplier named Seqwater. This newly formed entity was tasked with selling water to Urban Utilities, while Urban Utilities is responsible for delivering drinking, recycled, and other types of water to customers, charging for water and sewerage services, as well as collecting and treating sewage.
They service the councils of Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Brisbane, Somerset, and Lockyer Valley. Urban Utilities also operates the SAS Laboratory, which provides sampling services and microbiological and chemical analysis to a range of industries.
Since their inception, they have been making an impact that's essential, always. Some forget they're there. You see, that's the thing about water - it's easy to take for granted until it's gone, contaminated, or out of control. They show up anyway, day after day, treating and protecting this vital resource that keeps people alive, prevents disease, and enhances quality of life. But when the storm comes, they're ready. They stand, they walk towards, and they stay. Until the job's done. Until the sky's clear. Until life's restored and sustained. Then they stand back, smile, and get ready for tomorrow.
Urban Utilities' two-year UrbanGrad Program is open to Data Science, Applied Science, Finance, Human Resources, Safety, Communications, and Legal graduates. Their program will see you rotating around four areas in the business. Here, graduates are provided real opportunities to work on different projects, make new connections, and overcome various challenges that their business faces every day.
Areas graduates may work in include Finance, Digital and Analytics, People, Environment, Planning, and Laboratories. They see their UrbanGrad’s as the future of their business, which is why they put a premium on graduates who are flexible, digitally savvy, willing to challenge the status quo, and have a strong customer and community focus.
Urban Utilities recognizes the crucial role of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging, in achieving its mission to provide world class services to their community. At Urban Utilities, every individual's unique cultural background, ideas, skills, and knowledge are highly valued and encouraged.
To ensure that everyone feels welcomed and empowered, Urban Utilities has developed a comprehensive Diversity Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging Strategy. This strategy includes a wide range of programs designed to promote diversity and inclusion, such as providing support to employees with disabilities, creating safe spaces for indigenous employees, and cultivating a culture of mutual respect and gender equality.
Urban Utilities understand that diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords but a crucial component of a successful organization. By embracing diversity, Urban Utilities aims to create an environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Together, they can build a better, more inclusive future for all.
Urban Utilities' social impact is expressed in a variety of ways. In 2023, they launched their ‘Benefits to suit U’ Program. On top of an extra five days of personal leave per annum, you are now able to use some of these days as ‘Care Days’ to take time out to do something proactive about your wellbeing or the wellbeing of those you care about, such as having health check-up, undertaking activities to ‘reset’ or volunteering in your community.
Urban Utilities also has a Social Value Framework: a way to measure, identify, and guide its activities that have economic, social, and environmental benefits. These activities include supporting customers in hardship, managing its impact on land and waterways, and supporting initiatives that improve social wellbeing.
Other ways they contributes to social and environmental wellbeing include assisting its financially vulnerable customers through various programs, progressing trade waste initiatives, and turning waste into valuable resources.
Urban Utilities offers job opportunities in the categories of administration and support, corporate governance, customer experience, customer service and community engagement, engineering, human resources, information technology, project management, and science.
The recruitment process stages will allow you to express who you are and why you are interested in joining Urban Utilities as their next UrbanGrad!
As a guide, their process typically includes three stages;
Graduates should be prepared for either technical or behavioural interviews, and it's highly recommended you delve into Urban Utilities' ethos, mission, vision, and values to better understand the company's culture. Keep in mind that the hiring process may span up to a month, but for those who share their passion and commitment to making a positive impact in the world, it's worth the wait!
Because you support so many, they support you with a range of benefits that will help you thrive. These benefits include:
With us, you gain all the benefits of being part of a growing culture where creativity and contributions are highly valued plus the added benefits of being part of their larger water network.
Their people have access to a range of further incredible benefits to support health and wellbeing.
These added benefits include: