General Manager Commercial

Watercare Services Limited; Auckland; On-site; NZD 300,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development opportunities

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts

Job summary

Watercare Services Limited in Auckland is seeking a General Manager Commercial to shape the commercial direction of Watercare's multi-billion dollar capital programme. This executive role reports to the Chief Programme Delivery Officer and leads a team of Commercial Managers and schedulers embedded across major programmes.

You will set governance, risk management and commercial outcomes, drive performance and stakeholder engagement, and ensure robust frameworks across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Extensive senior commercial leadership experience within major infrastructure or construction environments.
• Proven experience developing and executing commercial strategies across large portfolios or programmes.
• Strong expertise in procurement, governance, contract management, scheduling, cost control and risk.
• Significant experience leading complex negotiations, claims management and dispute resolution.
• Demonstrated success building, leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience across major infrastructure delivery programmes and complex delivery models will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Lead Watercare's commercial strategy across a multi-billion-dollar capital investment portfolio.
• Provide executive advice on governance, procurement, risk allocation and investment decisions.
• Shape market engagement strategies to support delivery capacity and long-term outcomes.
• Establish commercial frameworks, assurance processes and governance standards.
• Lead complex negotiations, claims management and dispute resolution.
• Drive forecasting accuracy, cost discipline and overall commercial performance.
• Build and lead a high-performing commercial function focused on capability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Senior commercial leadership

Procurement governance

Contract management

Scheduling

Cost control

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

People leadership

Job description

He kōrero mō mātou | About Watercare Ki te ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata

When the water is healthy, the land and the people are healthy. Now is an exciting time to join Watercare, we're planning to spend $14 billion over the next 10 years to ensure we can continue to support our growing city in a climate-resilient way. When you average that out, that's an investment of $3.8 million every day!

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role

This is an exceptional opportunity to join Watercare's Programme Delivery leadership team in a strategically critical executive role, shaping the commercial direction of one of NewZealand's largest infrastructure investment portfolios. Reporting to the Chief Programme Delivery Officer, the General Manager Commercial is responsible for overseeing commercial strategy across a multi-billion-dollar capital programme. As Watercare's principal commercial authority for major infrastructure investments, you will set the direction for the portfolio, ensuring robust governance, effective risk management and strong commercial outcomes. You will lead a team of Commercial Managers and schedulers embedded across major infrastructure programmes, driving capability, consistency and excellence across the portfolio.

• Leading Watercare's commercial strategy across a multi-billion-dollar capital investment portfolio.
• Providing executive advice on commercial governance, procurement, risk allocation and investment decision‑making.
• Shaping market engagement strategies to support sustainable delivery capacity and long‑term infrastructure outcomes.
• Establishing commercial frameworks, assurance processes and governance standards across programmes.
• Leading complex commercial negotiations, claims management and dispute resolution.
• Driving forecasting accuracy, cost discipline and commercial performance across the capital portfolio.
• Building and leading a high‑performing commercial function focused on capability, succession and continuous improvement.

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you

You are an accomplished commercial leader with extensive experience in large-scale infrastructure, construction or capital delivery environments. You bring the strategic insight, commercial judgement and leadership capability required to influence major investment decisions and drive performance across a substantial infrastructure portfolio. You have experience operating within complex delivery environments (preferably within a contracting organisation), including Alliance, Design & Construct (D&C) and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) models, and understand the commercial drivers, risks and opportunities associated with these approaches. A collaborative and influential leader, you thrive in complex stakeholder environments and have a proven ability to build high‑performing teams while balancing commercial outcomes, delivery confidence and risk. You bring a pragmatic, commercially focused approach to decision‑making and relationship management.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Extensive senior commercial leadership experience within major infrastructure or construction environments.
• Proven experience developing and executing commercial strategies across large, complex portfolios or programmes.
• Strong expertise in procurement, commercial governance, contract management, scheduling, cost control and commercial risk.
• Significant experience leading complex negotiations, claims management and dispute resolution.
• Demonstrated success building, leading and developing high‑performing teams.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience across major infrastructure delivery programmes, complex delivery models and the management of large contractor and supplier ecosystems will be highly regarded, as will relevant commercial, business or related professional qualifications.

This role offers a unique opportunity to help deliver the infrastructure that will support the future growth, resilience and prosperity of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ngā hua mōu | What's in it for you

We offer a competitive salary and staff benefits package including:

• Training and development opportunities
• Life and income protection insurance plans
• Generous parental leave
• Employee discounts at a range of large retailers