Design Engineer

Northpower; Howick; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company vehicle

Flexible leave

KiwiSaver contributions

Life insurance

Health initiatives

Job summary

Northpower in New Zealand is seeking a Design Engineer to join the Customer Projects team. You will design overhead and underground distribution networks, produce CAD drawings, prepare pricing and tenders, and support project delivery from concept to construction.

Collaborate with project managers, customers, contractors and authorities to ensure designs meet safety, regulatory and quality standards while enabling efficient deployment and asset upgrades.

Qualifications

• BE Electrical or an Electrical Diploma or equivalent industry experience.
• Full New Zealand Driver Licence and experience with distribution networks.
• CAD experience and ability to produce technical drawings.

Responsibilities

• Design overhead and underground electricity distribution infrastructure.
• Prepare pricing estimates, tenders and contractual documentation.
• Produce CAD construction and as-built drawings.
• Plan project delivery and support handovers.
• Support customer-initiated works and network upgrades.

Skills

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Project delivery

Customer focus

Communication

Team player

Education

BE Electrical

Electrical Diploma

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

About the Role

We're looking for a Design Engineer to join our Customer Projects team. In this role, you'll provide design, planning, pricing, and tendering services for a range of electricity distribution projects, helping deliver practical, cost-effective solutions that meet customer, regulatory, and safety requirements. Working closely with Project Managers, Operational Teams, customers, contractors, consultants, and local authorities, you'll be involved in projects from concept through to construction, ensuring designs are accurate, compliant, and ready for successful delivery.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Designing overhead and underground electricity distribution infrastructure
• Preparing pricing estimates, tenders, and contractual documentation
• Producing CAD construction and as-built drawings
• Planning project delivery and supporting project handovers
• Supporting customer-initiated works, network upgrades, asset relocations, and new subdivisions
• Managing stakeholder relationships across customers, contractors, consultants, and internal teams
• Ensuring compliance with customer, regulatory, quality, and safety requirements
• Identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and operational excellence
• This is an excellent opportunity to work on essential infrastructure projects that help power communities across Aotearoa while developing your technical and commercial expertise.

About You

You're a proactive and customer-focused engineering professional who enjoys solving problems, building relationships, and delivering practical outcomes. Whether you're an experienced Design Engineer or bringing relevant industry experience from a related field, you're motivated by seeing projects progress from design through to delivery.

You’ll bring:

• A BE Electrical, Electrical Diploma, or equivalent industry experience
• A full New Zealand Driver Licence
• Experience or exposure to electricity distribution networks and infrastructure
• Knowledge of overhead and underground network design principles
• Experience preparing estimates, pricing, tenders, and project documentation
• CAD experience and the ability to produce accurate technical drawings
• Strong planning, organisation, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities
• A strong commitment to health, safety, quality, and environmental standards
• A customer-focused approach and the ability to work collaboratively across teams
• Experience with substations, transformers, network reinforcements, asset relocations, subdivisions, or utility infrastructure projects would be highly advantageous.
• Most importantly, you're a team player who takes pride in delivering high-quality work, building strong relationships, and helping create infrastructure that keeps communities connected and powered.

What’s in it for you?

Make real impact across Aotearoa in a stable and future-focused sector. At Northpower, you’ll do work that matters and powers our communities while growing your career in an organisation that genuinely cares for its people.

You’ll benefit from:

• A people-first culture built on safety, inclusion, and deep care, where contributions are recognised and wellbeing is supported through EAP and our award-winning peer support network
• Fair and market competitive pay with a full private use Northpower vehicle
• The flexibility to tailor through additional leave and increased employer KiwiSaver contributions
• Life insurance and preventative health initiatives
• Discounted group medical cover and health and fitness programmes
• Discounted fuel rates plus a range of retail discounts
• Ongoing learning and development, with clear career pathways to help you grow, specialise, or progress
• A welcoming, family-friendly workplace where people are encouraged to be themselves and feel valued

About Northpower – Powering communities across Aotearoa

Northpower is an organisation with deep regional roots and national reach. We own and operate the electricity and fibre networks across Whangārei and Kaipara, delivering essential infrastructure to more than 60,000 connected customers, while also operating one of New Zealand’s largest multi-utility contracting businesses.
From keeping the lights on today to building the infrastructure that will power tomorrow, our work spans electricity, fibre, renewables, transmission, and energy services.
With more than 1,400 people across 16 locations, we act as one to support our communities, customers, clients, and critical national infrastructure across Aotearoa.
What connects all of this work is real impact you can see in your community. The work you do at Northpower matters – it is seen, felt, and relied on every day.