Design Lead Facilities

New Zealand Government; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 117,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Wellbeing programme

Professional development opportunities

Five weeks annual leave

Job summary

Tiaki Wai is seeking a dedicated Facilities Design Team Leader to shape quality designs and lead technical delivery across Wellington's water services. This full-time role offers the chance to manage a high-performing team while ensuring that projects meet quality, safety, and budget requirements.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor of Engineering or equivalent, and extensive experience in water infrastructure.

Qualifications

• 10+ years post-qualification experience in water infrastructure design and delivery engineering.
• Chartered Professional Engineer status is highly desired.
• Strong technical knowledge of three waters facilities design.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing Facilities Design team.
• Provide technical advice and design assurance for significant facilities projects.
• Drive continuous improvement of facilities design standards.

Skills

Team leadership

Technical assurance

Project management

Communication skills

Coaching and mentoring

Commercial acumen

Education

Bachelor of Engineering or Diploma in Engineering

Job description

Use your expertise to shape quality designs, lead technical delivery while coaching and developing engineering capability, influence design standards and outcomes across Wellington's water services.

This is a full-time position of 40 hours per week. The remuneration range for this role is $117,099 - $165,316 (including KiwiSaver) depending on skills and experience.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity to combine people leadership with senior technical expertise, leading Tiaki Wai's Facilities Design team and helping shape the quality and delivery of critical water infrastructure. You'll lead and develop a team, while providing technical direction and assurance across internally and externally delivered facilities projects. From challenging design assumptions and supporting design risk workshops to influencing technical standards, commissioning and handover, you'll have the opportunity to make a real impact across the project lifecycle. Working across Capital Delivery, Operations and Strategy and Planning, as well as with consultants and contractors, you'll help ensure facilities designs are practical, safe, technically sound and deliver the right outcomes for Wellington's water services.

You will:

• lead and develop a high-performing Facilities Design team, providing clear direction, coaching, mentoring and technical leadership
• provide technical advice and design assurance across significant facilities projects, challenging assumptions and managing technical risks
• drive the development and continuous improvement of facilities design and construction standards
• manage internally delivered facilities projects, ensuring quality solutions are delivered safely, on programme and within budget.

About you

• a Bachelor of Engineering or Diploma in Engineering, preferably in civil, process or mechanical engineering
• Chartered Professional Engineer status is highly desired
• extensive (10+) years post-qualification experience in water infrastructure design and delivery engineering
• strong technical knowledge of three waters facilities design, including detailed facilities design experience
• proven experience leading functional or project teams, with strong coaching, mentoring and people development capability
• sound project management knowledge across contract documentation, scheduling, budget management and stakeholder engagement
• strong commercial acumen and experience working collaboratively with internal teams, consultants, contractors and suppliers
• excellent communication, relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and achieve practical outcomes.

Benefits

• flexible working arrangements including up to two days working from home
• comprehensive wellbeing programme, including one paid wellbeing day annually
• formal and informal professional development opportunities
• five weeks annual leave accrual will be available following two years of continual service.

About us

Tiaki Wai is a council-owned organisation responsible for managing the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wellington. We manage public-owned extensive water infrastructure and oversee the delivery of safe and reliable services for our communities. We focus on long-term investment, asset management, maintenance, and delivering major infrastructure projects that support public health, environmental protection and regional growth. Water is a precious taonga. At Tiaki Wai, we put care into every drop and are guided by our values of Integrity, Care, and Leadership. We work directly with water consumers and in partnership with councils and mana whenua to deliver better water outcomes for current and future generations.

Applications close: Thursday, 3 September 2026.

Applicants for safety-sensitive roles will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing prior to commencing employment with Tiaki Wai. You must also be legally entitled to work long-term in New Zealand or eligible to obtain a working visa.