Native & Heritage Lead

The Opportunity

At APA, our purpose is to secure Australia’s energy future. We’re not doing it alone. We’re doing it with our customers and communities as Australia’s energy infrastructure partner, a role our unique experience and expertise positions us to play.

Reporting to the Manager Native Title and Heritage, we have an opportunity available for a Native Title and Heritage Lead to join our Access & Approvals team in Perth, where you will lead and manage the delivery of heritage approvals and Traditional Owner negotiations to help enable the successful delivery of APA Group projects.

Working closely with Traditional Owners, internal project teams, government agencies and specialist consultants, you’ll play an important role in navigating Native Title and heritage requirements while balancing project outcomes, cost, schedule and delivery risk.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop Native Title and heritage approval strategies and pathways for projects, considering options, critical path, schedule and delivery risks.

• Build and maintain strong, respectful relationships with Traditional Owners, internal teams, government agencies and other key stakeholders to support project delivery.

• Coordinate cultural heritage surveys and consultation activities and lead or support agreement negotiations and meetings with Traditional Owners.

• Manage Native Title and heritage approval risks, costs and schedules, integrating these into broader project planning and risk management.

• Appoint and manage specialist consultants and ensure approvals activities meet statutory obligations, internal policies and project commitments.

Your Background

• You will have a tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline such as Archaeology, Planning, Environmental Science, Law, Sustainability, Construction or a related field.

• You will bring extensive experience in First Nations engagement, relationship management and agreement negotiations, ideally within infrastructure, renewables, civil construction or power projects.

• You have strong knowledge of Native Title, cultural heritage and associated statutory approval requirements, with experience applying these within a project environment.

• You are a confident communicator and negotiator who can build effective relationships with Traditional Owners, government agencies, internal stakeholders and specialist consultants.

• You can manage competing project priorities, work effectively across cross-functional teams and travel to local and remote project sites when required.

About the Team

The Access, Approvals and Geospatial Solutions; Infrastructure Delivery West team is committed to building strong relationships, securing land access and project approvals and fostering positive community outcomes across all stages of project development.

We support the delivery of energy infrastructure projects within Western Australia by providing expert services in land access, regulatory planning and approvals.

We provide end-to-end land access, environmental, and planning support for all new development projects. Our services span across gas transmission, gas-fired power generation, future fuels, renewable energy, and power transmission infrastructure.

Working at APA

At APA, we’re committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where you can achieve your best.

We offer targeted career development programs designed to accelerate your career, competitive remuneration, employee benefits, flexible working arrangements, and wellbeing initiatives are all part of what we’ll offer you. Our inclusive parental leave policy offers 18 weeks of leave, including superannuation, to support parents at work and in life.

We employ around 2,000 people across Australia and are committed to building a high-performing, customer-focused organisation where everyone feels safe, valued, and trusted to perform at their best.

We are APA

At APA, we’re taking on one of Australia’s greatest challenges:​ the energy transition.​ We’re not doing it alone. We’re doing it as Australia’s energy infrastructure partner, a role our unique experience and expertise positions us to play.​

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We proudly own, operate and manage a diverse $20 billion portfolio of assets which deliver essential services to communities and customers across Australia. And we own more than 15,000 kilometres of gas pipelines which deliver energy to households and businesses across every corner of Australia.

As the partner of choice in delivering infrastructure solutions for the energy transition, we’re focused on bundled remote grid energy solutions, electricity and gas transmission, and future energy, including hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.

Our customer focused approach means we understand our customers and offer them reliable, innovative, and cost-effective energy solutions that support their decarbonisation ambitions.

We are committed to securing Australia’s energy future by delivering infrastructure solutions for Australia’s energy transition and supporting the decarbonisation ambitions of our customers and communities.

Join our team and be part of securing Australia’s energy future. We’d love to hear from you.

APA is an equal opportunity employer. The safety, health and wellbeing our people, community and environment a priority. We embrace diversity in our people to ensure our workforce is representative of the communities that we operate in.

Applicants must be eligible to work in Australia to be considered.

This vacancy works with critical APA data, systems or infrastructure and candidates are subject to background vetting (including Police checks) before & during employment.

Role closes on Thursday, 26 November 2026. Role Reference Number: JR5321

APA Group will not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies.

We will contact successful candidates after the closing date.