Executive Manager Water Services and Business Development at Overberg Water Board

The successful candidate will lead the Waterworks System, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer responsible for water services supply and infrastructure.  He/she will be required to strategically lead and manage the following Core Technical Areas:

• Master Planning: Ability to develop and review a Water Infrastructure Master Plan that aligns regional demand projections with resource availability over a 25-year horizon.
• Bulk Potable Water Provision: Expert oversight of high-volume abstraction, treatment, and transmission, ensuring 100% compliance with SANS 241 water quality standards.
• Reliability & Resilience: Implementing preventative and predictive maintenance strategies to ensure 99.9% reliability of supply and minimizing unplanned downtime in critical bulk pipelines.
• Industrial Reticulation: Technical knowledge of specialized water requirements for industrial zones, including high-pressure systems and recycled water (greywater) integration.
• Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Mitigation: Mastery of the IWA Water Balance framework to identify and reduce apparent and real losses (leaks, theft, and metering inaccuracies).
• Smart Meter Management: Overseeing the rollout and management of automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to ensure billing accuracy.
• Asset Lifecycle Management: Moving beyond "break-fix" to a sophisticated O&M strategy utilizing ISO 55000 standards.
• SCADA & Telemetry: Leveraging real-time data to monitor reservoir levels, flow rates, and pump station health across a vast geographic footprint.
• Implementing Agent Excellence: Experience acting as an Implementing Agent, managing the full project lifecycle for National Water Infrastructure projects, including grant funding compliance (RBIG/WSIG) and becoming an implementing agent of choice by other entities such as municipalities and other public sector in general.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• BSc Engineering or Engineering degree, preferably in a relevant engineering area/water, with a recognized ECSA professional registration as a Professional Engineer
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in systems and team management within Water / Municipal / Processing / Production environment/water resource management, and minimum 5 years in a senior management role.
• A track record of reducing Non-Revenue Water percentages in a Municipal, Water Board or Public Entity environment.
• Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of the Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) and the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998).
• Excellent negotiation skills, program & project management, analysis skills, report writing, presentation and personal mastery.
• MSc Civil Engineering will be an added advantage.

As the Executive, you will oversee a multi-million Rand portfolio. We require:

• Contract Management: Proficiency in FIDIC, NEC3/4, and JBCC contract suites specifically within the context of civil engineering and water works.
• Financial Probity: Deep understanding of the PFMA (Public Finance Management Act and/or MFMA principles) and CIDB regulations to ensure transparent and audit-clean procurement.
• Risk Mitigation: Identifying geological, environmental, and socio-political risks that impact pipeline servitude and construction timelines.
• Strategic Leadership: Advise the CEO on the evaluation and feasibility of new business strategies. Appraises the Entity’s operational performance and position.