Origin Energy is cutting 650 Queensland jobs, primarily from its head office in Brisbane.

Staff have been emailed about the cuts aimed at employees in middle and people manager roles.

The company says it is maintaining its presence in the regions and at operational plant sites.

The gas company currently employs about 1,600 people across Queensland.

Origin CEO Frank Calabria says sackings are “never a decision taken lightly”.

“We are putting considerable effort into completing this process as quickly as we can so we can provide certainty to our people,” he said.

“Extensive planning and careful consideration has been given to making sure we can implement these changes in a way that maintains business performance and Origin's very high operating standards around the safety of our people, communities and the environment.

“We firmly believe these changes are both necessary and sustainable, in the best interests of Origin and our project partners, and put us in a strong position to achieve our objective of becoming a globally competitive, low-cost gas producer.”