Asset Engineer, Buildings and Services

Technical Recruitment Solutions Ltd.; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Antarctica New Zealand, Christchurch, is seeking an Asset Engineer, Buildings and Services, to own the lifecycle of our buildings, systems and fuel infrastructure as part of the Scott Base redevelopment. You’ll set standards, assess conditions and drive renewals while coordinating specialists.

You’ll deploy to Scott Base for four to eight weeks each season and require medical clearance for travel. The role demands experience in remote environments and strong technical leadership across building

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or equivalent in mechanical/building services or related discipline.
• 5+ years with buildings, structures or building-services systems (HVAC, refrigeration, fire & life-safety).
• Understanding of asset lifecycle management.
• Experience analysing complex problems and evaluating options.
• Knowledge of compliance requirements for buildings and building-services assets, including fire & life-safety, gas monitoring and relevant codes & standards.
• Experience providing technical input to procurement and contract processes.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to varied stakeholders.
• Operational experience in remote and challenging environments.
• Ability to obtain medical clearance for travel to Antarctica.
• Relevant professional registration or certification.

Responsibilities

• Own buildings and structures, heating and ventilation, boilers, refrigeration, fire and alarm systems, gas monitoring and remote site assets.
• Own bulk fuel storage, receipt, transfer and distribution infrastructure, and heating fuel systems for buildings.
• Set technical standards, specifications and SOPs; develop lifecycle, maintenance and renewal strategies.
• Monitor condition, performance and criticality; run assessments and root-cause investigations.
• Define technical and statutory requirements including fire, life-safety and gas monitoring; ensure risk controls are effective.
• Provide specialist technical advice and incident support to the Engineering Supervisor and Scott Base maintenance crew.
• Commission and coordinate external specialists where needed; ensure technical acceptance of assets during redevelopment.
• Be the contact for building-services input during design, construction and cutover; support Scott Base Redevelopment delivery.
• Deploy to Scott Base for around four to eight weeks each season; obtain medical clearance.

Skills

Asset management

Building services

Lifecycle ownership

Education

Engineering degree

Trade qualification in mechanical/building services

Job description

• Christchurch based – with seasonal time at Scott Base
• Ownership of asset management and maintenance
• Be part of a legacy project in an iconic NZ institution

About the role

Antarctica New Zealand supports world-class science and environmental protection in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Scott Base is our home in Antarctica that enables our goals, and we have commenced a four-year project for the redevelopment of the Base.

Antarctica NZ is establishing a new roles to meet the demands of the redevelopment. This is one of them. As Asset Engineer, Buildings and Services, you’ll be the technical authority and lifecycle owner for our buildings, structures and building-services infrastructure, within the Infrastructure Delivery function of the Antarctic Infrastructure team. You’ll report to the Manager, Infrastructure Delivery.

What you’ll do

• Own buildings and structures, heating and ventilation, boilers, refrigeration, fire and alarm systems, gas monitoring and remote site assets
• Own the common bulk fuel storage, receipt, transfer and distribution infrastructure, and the buildings and heating fuel systems
• Set technical standards, specifications and Standard Operating Procedures, and develop lifecycle, maintenance and renewal strategies
• Monitor condition, performance and criticality, run condition assessments and investigate significant failures and root causes
• Define technical and statutory requirements, including fire and life-safety and gas monitoring, and ensure critical risk controls are effective
• Provide specialist technical advice and incident support to the Engineering Supervisor and Scott Base maintenance crew
• Commission and coordinate structural, fire and other specialists where work falls outside your competence
• Provide technical acceptance of buildings and building-services assets delivered through the Scott Base Redevelopment, and be the consistent point of contact for building-services input during design, construction and cutover
• Deploy to Scott Base for around four to eight weeks each season to keep first‑hand knowledge of the systems, with medical clearance required

About you

You’re an experienced engineer who owns outcomes, not just advice. You’re patient with complex, slow‑resolving problems, know where your expertise ends and when to bring in specialists, and want to build in‑house knowledge rather than rely on contracted‑out assessments.

Essential experience

• An engineering degree (or equivalent) or trade qualification in mechanical, building services or a related discipline, or demonstrably equivalent senior technical experience
• At least 10 years’ relevant engineering experience, including at least 5 years with buildings, structures or building-services systems (e.g. HVAC, refrigeration, fire and life‑safety)
• Understanding of asset lifecycle management
• Experience analysing complex problems and developing and evaluating options
• Knowledge of compliance requirements for buildings and building-services assets, including fire and life‑safety, gas monitoring and relevant codes and standards
• Experience providing technical input to procurement and contract processes
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to a range of stakeholders
• Operational experience in remote and challenging environments
• Ability to obtain medical clearance for travel to Antarctica
• Relevant professional registration or certification

Why Antarctica New Zealand?

These are career-defining opportunities to work with an organisation at a pivotal point in the 70‑year history of Scott Base.