Field Technician

About SA Water

SA Water is a large, contemporary water utility owned by the Government of South Australia. The organisation employs more than 1,700 people across many specialties and manages infrastructure valued at over $14 billion to provide essential water and sewerage services to more than 1.8 million South Australians.

Its service footprint spans a wide and varied region, from Ceduna to Port Augusta, the APY Lands, across the Riverland and down to Mount Gambier, with many communities in between. With more than 165 years of history, SA Water has built deep expertise in delivering efficient, sustainable, and reliable water services.

The organisation is guided by values that focus on its people, meaningful work, practical action, impact, and future thinking. These values underpin its commitment to delivering positive outcomes for South Australians.

About the Role

As a Field Technician based in Port Augusta and supporting the surrounding region, you will be responsible for hands-on operation and maintenance of water and wastewater networks. The role is central to keeping critical infrastructure reliable and functioning safely.

You will carry out repairs, respond to faults, and complete preventative maintenance across varied environments, including confined spaces, trenches, and outdoor conditions in all weather. The work also includes civil construction, excavation, and system repair activities, along with regular interaction with customers and the wider community as a representative of SA Water.

This is a varied field-based position where each day can bring different challenges, practical problem-solving, and opportunities to build technical capability.

Key Duties

• Run and service water and wastewater networks, including urgent repairs and scheduled maintenance tasks.
• Carry out excavation, trenching, and land management work as needed.
• Attend breakdowns, faults, and customer service requests in a timely manner.
• Work safely in confined spaces and at height while following required procedures.
• Represent SA Water professionally during community and customer interactions.
• Take part in rostered on-call duties and overtime when required.

About You

The ideal candidate will be practical, comfortable with hands-on work, and have experience in civil construction, plumbing, irrigation, or a similar technical field. A strong mechanical approach to problem-solving and a clear commitment to safe work practices are important.

You should be able to work independently as well as contribute positively in a team environment. A customer-first mindset is essential, along with the ability to represent the business in a professional and approachable way.

Skills and Experience

• Experience in a technical, trades, or field-based role, or an equivalent combination of qualifications and experience.
• Good working knowledge of workplace health and safety practices in field environments.
• Understanding of water industry operations and services, ideally including SA Water systems.
• Strong communication skills for explaining technical matters clearly.
• Good time management and planning skills to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Mechanical aptitude with practical experience in plumbing, fitting, or irrigation preferred.
• Confidence working around plant and heavy machinery with safe operating awareness.

Licences and Other Requirements

• HC truck, excavator, backhoe, vacuum truck, and front-end loader licences are highly regarded.
• HR or HC licence, along with front-end loader and excavator licences, is desirable.
• Ability to work in on-call arrangements and perform overtime when needed.
• Willingness to complete tasks across varied conditions, including confined spaces and trenches.

Working Hours

Standard working hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Overtime rates apply when overtime is worked.

Application Information

Applicants are asked to complete the online application form and upload a cover letter and current resume. For questions or to request a copy of the position description, contact Alex Petherick from the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Applications close at 3:00pm on Monday, 6 July 2026.

Inclusion

SA Water welcomes applications from a broad range of people and encourages candidates of all ages, people living with disability, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply.

Additional Information

Recruitment agencies are requested not to submit candidates for this role, as agency submissions will not be accepted.

The organisation also highlights the wider opportunities available within the water industry and encourages interested people to learn more about careers in this sector.