Digital Portfolio Lead | Digital Business Transformation

Davidson has partnered with Barwon Water to appoint a Digital Portfolio Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of one of regional Victoria’s most ambitious transformation programs.

Barwon Water delivers water, sewerage and recycled water services to more than 330,000 people across the Geelong region and surrounding communities. With population growth, increasing customer expectations, emerging technologies and the impacts of climate change reshaping the sector, Barwon Water is investing in a new Digital Business Transformation operating model designed to support the organisation’s next 10-15 years of growth and innovation.

About the Transformation

Barwon Water is fundamentally changing how transformation happens across the organisation.

Moving away from traditional project-based delivery, the newly established Digital Business Transformation (DBT) function is building a capability-led operating model that connects strategy, investment, architecture, design, delivery and change into a persistent transformation engine. The objective isn’t simply to deliver projects - it’s to build the organisational capability that enables transformation to become part of how Barwon Water operates every day.

As part of this journey, Barwon Water is delivering several enterprise-wide initiatives including the implementation of a new Works & Asset Management (WAM) platform using IBM Maximo, alongside a broader portfolio of digital, operational and AI-enabled transformation initiatives.

About the Role

As Digital Portfolio Lead, you will connect strategy to execution across Barwon Water’s transformation portfolio. Leading both the delivery capability and major initiatives directly, you will ensure investment decisions translate into meaningful business outcomes while building the delivery practices, governance and culture that will underpin transformation for years to come.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Barwon Water’s digital delivery capability, frameworks and portfolio governance practices.
• Own and facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning, ensuring delivery commitments align to strategic priorities and investment outcomes.
• Provide portfolio-wide oversight of delivery performance, risks, dependencies, resource utilisation and commercial outcomes.
• Govern the Delivery as a Service supplier panel and make portfolio-level sourcing and delivery decisions.
• Lead complex digital and business transformation initiatives while championing a culture of continuous improvement and AI-enabled delivery.

About You

You are an experienced transformation and delivery leader who understands how to connect investment strategy, business outcomes and execution. Equally comfortable operating at portfolio level and leading initiatives directly, you bring a pragmatic, hands-on approach and thrive in complex, fast-moving environments.

Must-Haves

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale digital portfolios, programs or enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Strong expertise across agile, hybrid and traditional delivery methodologies, including ownership of portfolio planning processes such as PI Planning.
• Experience governing external suppliers, commercial arrangements and delivery partners within complex or regulated environments.

Nice to Have

• Experience within utilities, infrastructure, government or other asset-intensive industries.
• Demonstrated application of AI-enabled delivery practices, tools or operating models.

Why Barwon Water

This is a rare opportunity to help build a transformation function from the ground up. You’ll join a values-led organisation with a bold vision for regional prosperity, strong executive sponsorship and a genuine commitment to innovation, sustainability and community outcomes.

Working alongside a newly established leadership team, you’ll help define how Barwon Water invests, delivers and transforms over the next decade while contributing to major strategic initiatives that will shape the future of the organisation and the region.

Apply Now

To be considered for this opportunity, click Apply Now or contact the Davidson Technology team for a confidential discussion.

Gideon Donaldson - gideon.donaldson@davidsonwp.com
Cherry Harris - cherry.harris@davidsonwp.com

Davidson acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to building diverse and inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Reference JN -062026-43629. Want to know more about Davidson? Visit us at www.davidsonwp.com