Leading Hand Formwork Carpenter,
Civil Construction and Maintenance
Your skills. Your crew. Your community.
At Wollongong City Council, we continuously strive to create an Extraordinary Wollongong. We focus on the delivery of exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community.
Wollongong is a great place to work, live and play! Together, our responsibility is to create an inclusive community where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. Our strength is the diversity of our people.
We lead with courage, openness and curiosity and believe our employees are the key to our success. Learn more about us here.
The Opportunity
Lead a skilled crew in delivering civil construction and maintenance works across our bridges, drainage structures, culverts, footpaths and other civil assets as the Leading Hand Formwork Carpenter - Civil Construction and Maintenance.
With your hands‑on experience leading crews in civil trades and construction, you bring a natural ability to guide others, shape safe work practices and enhance the community's critical assets. You'll collaborate closely with project supervisors, engineers, contractors, utilities and the community to ensure every job is delivered safely, efficiently and to a high standard.
Play a key role in day‑to‑day planning, problem‑solving, supporting and helping your team operate as a confident, coordinated unit. Your leadership will directly contribute to safer public spaces, stronger assets, and a positive team culture.
This is an active, hands‑on leadership role where you'll be outdoors, physically capable of manual tasks, and available for overtime, weekend work or call‑outs as operationally required.
This is a permanent full time position. Salary from: $87,142 up to $96,259 per plus superannuation (Salary package will be assessed based on skills, experience and qualifications).
What you will be doing
In this role, you will:
- Lead a civil works crew delivering Formwork Carpentry, bridge repairs, and general civil asset maintenance.
- Coordinate daily operations including labour, plant, materials, traffic setups and site logistics, ensuring safe and efficient workflows.
- Plan and prioritise tasks, prepare site documentation, and support work programming for upcoming projects.
- Estimate resources, track costs and productivity, and manage variations.
- Implement WHS systems on site, including toolbox talks, SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement), risk assessments and compliance, hazard management and incident response.
- Coach and support apprentices, trainees and team members.
- Liaise with the public, utilities, contractors and other internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues and keep projects moving.
- Deliver scheduled works and civil asset improvement aligned with Council's maintenance and capital plans.
About you
You hold a Certificate III in Formwork/Falsework OR Certificate III in Carpentry with relevant workplace experience OR Equivalent industry recognised trades qualification with relevant workplace experience
in civil maintenance and construction. You bring:
- Strong field leadership experience with the ability to supervise, coach and support crews.
- Advanced planning and organisation skills, able to adapt when conditions change.
- Civil construction capability, including temporary works, safe access, traffic setups, environmental controls and working in live public environments.
- Confidence in estimating and cost tracking, with a practical understanding of plant, materials and productivity.
- WHS leadership, ensuring safe systems of work, strong risk-based decisions.
- Clear communication and stakeholder skills across contractors, utilities, the public and internal and external stakeholders.
- A White Card and Class C driver licence (required Day 1), with willingness to obtain Confined Spaces - Enter and Work - Provide First Aid - Work Safely in the Vicinity of - Traffic Control Plans Implement - Traffic Controller L1.
You take pride in quality workmanship, operate with integrity, support those around you, and want to help deliver assets that your community can rely on every day.
Why you'll love working at Wollongong City Council!
- True work-life balance
We know you work hard, and we make sure that effort is rewarded with real flexibility. Our hybrid work options, flex-time, and rostered days off mean you can maintain balance while delivering great outcomes.
- Great working conditions
Enjoy a 35-hour work week or a 9-day fortnight with a regular rostered day off (RDO).
- Career growth and recognition
We are committed to supporting your personal and professional development. Our initiatives include a reward and recognition program, corporate learning opportunities, study assistance, and leadership development programs to help you grow and succeed.
- Generous leave provisions
Benefit from five weeks of annual leave per year (pro rata) and access long service leave after just five years.
- Health, safety, and wellbeing
We prioritise a safe workplace for everyone, every day, everywhere. Our wellbeing programs support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our people to be at their best and include an Employee Assistance Program, skin and hearing checks, vaccinations, and discounted gym memberships.
- A vibrant social culture
Join our Social Club for monthly activities, an annual trivia night, and fantastic Christmas events!
Participate and engage in meaningful work, and contribute to our extraordinary community, where together we make a difference.
For more information, click on 'Apply' to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's job vacancy page.
Applications close 11:59pm, Monday 9 March 2026.
Internally this position is known as Leading Hand - Civil Works (Engineering Carpentry)
We invite everyone to apply no matter your identity, you'll be welcome. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability and veterans.
Wollongong Council adheres to the principles of a child safe organisation and is committed to the care and protection of all children and young people in the community.
Applicants are required to undergo a rigorous employment screening process which will include Reference, Identity and Medical History Checks, and may also include a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check and Working with Children Check. Employment is subject to clearance of all these checks.
