The soon to be rebranded ACTEW Water has launched a recruitment drive for a managing director, offering high six figures and the chance to lead one of Canberra's most prominent companies.
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Current managing director John Knox – on a 12-month appointment – is paid $693,000. He is expected to reapply for the position, heading up the newly named Icon Water from 2015.
Mr Knox was appointed in March.
A lengthy position description says the successful candidate will report to the board chair and work closely with the chief executive, holding responsibility for the day-to-day management and strategic direction of Icon Water and its subsidiaries.
With five staff directly reporting to the managing director, the successful candidate will control expenditure of more than $300 million and oversee a corporate asset base worth $2.8 billion.
The job comes with five board memberships, including Icon Water, Icon Distribution Investments, Icon Retail, ActewAGL and the Water Services Association of Australia.
Qualifications required include tertiary level business achievement or a masters qualification in engineering, plus membership of relevant professional associations.
Applicants must have experience in the "highest standards of professional ethics" and "demonstrated judgement in relation to political issues".
Technical capabilities include commercial acumen, understanding of legal, compliance and regulatory systems, best practice financial management and a broad understanding of the water and utilities industries.
"This role requires an individual with extensive executive experience and strong leadership capabilities," the position description says.
"The need to manage a complex regulatory environment increases the challenges associated with this role, as does the ongoing focus on best practice water services management."
ACTEW has never been far from the headlines, including after it was revealed the $855,000 remuneration package of former boss Mark Sullivan had been overstated by nearly $250,000 in the 2010-11 annual report.
The ensuing controversy led to Mr Sullivan accepting a $140,000 pay cut and the resignation of ACTEW chairman John Mackay. After strong public and political criticism, last year a government-commissioned review of the company recommended a major overhaul of operations.
An ACTEW spokeswoman said a position description for the job, advertised in print media and online, "has been re-worked by the board to take this year's strategic planning work into consideration".
"The last position description of the previous managing director was developed when ACTEW Water still sat within ActewAGL," she said.
"The business is considerably different now with the reintegration of the water and sewerage business occurring in 2012. We expect that Mr Knox will consider applying for this position – a decision for him to make and declare in his own time."
Once in the role, the managing director will be required to ensure Icon operating activities "meet or exceed performance standards".
The job comes with four performance management standards, including targets and key performance indicators, the creation of strategic and operational business objectives and the need to "undertake corrective action" where performance falls below plan.
The rebranding effort, announced last month, comes after years of confusion with ActewAGL and after another $2.5 million rebrand campaign took place in 2012.
The Icon brand is expected to start showing up on customer bills, online and on company property from early next year.
Mr Sullivan left with a payout of $690,000 and $88,000 for long-service leave.
The company paid a series of terminations last financial year, including to deputy chief executive Ian Carmody and chief financial officer Simon Wallace.
