General Manager Operations

Taituarā; Waitaki Bridge; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Central South Island Water seeks a General Manager Operations to unite operational teams and lead in safety, service and continuous improvement.

Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will join an executive team delivering drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services across Timaru and Mackenzie districts, with a focus on a safe transition and dependable service from day one.

Qualifications

• Senior operational leadership experience across multidisciplinary teams and infrastructure.
• Record of strengthening engagement, developing leaders and building a culture of performance.
• Strong judgement across safety, compliance, operational risk and incident leadership.
• Commercial capability in maintenance, contracting and resource allocation, supported by confident use of performance data.

Responsibilities

• Leading operational readiness while maintaining safe, reliable and compliant services.
• Building leadership capability, engagement and accountability across both districts.
• Reviewing maintenance and contracting arrangements to strengthen service quality and value.
• Using performance data, staff insights and customer feedback to improve processes and guide decisions.

Skills

Operational leadership

People development

Safety & compliance

Contracting & procurement

Performance data

Stakeholder management

Job description

Thank you for your interest in this position.

General Manager Operations

• Unite operational teams through visibleleadership and fresh thinking
• Build a culture of safety, service andcontinuous improvement
• Join a collaborative executive team with sharedresponsibility for success

Central South IslandWater | Help shape what comes next

Central South Island Water has been established to deliver drinkingwater and wastewater services across the Timaru and Mackenzie districts,alongside stormwater services for both councils. Preparing to commenceoperations on 1 July 2027, the organisation has a clear ambition: reliableservices, decisions grounded in evidence and a genuine focus on customers andthe communities it serves.

The new role of GM Operations is an opportunity to bring peopletogether, strengthen leadership and shape how essential services are delivered- building on local expertise while creating consistent expectations and betterways of working. Sound like you?

About the opportunity |Establish, Build, Shape

Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will join three other newGeneral Managers who will collectively build and lead Central South IslandWater. Your contribution will extend across the organisation, helping theexecutive team make sound decisions, navigate competing priorities and delivershared outcomes.

You will lead drinking water, wastewater and network operations,together with stormwater services delivered to the councils. Your immediatefocus will be preparing teams, contracts and operational systems for a safetransition and dependable service from day one.

People leadership will be central to your success. You will developyour leaders, strengthen engagement and create a culture where expectations areclear, people take ownership and career development matters. Successionplanning and knowledge transfer will help retain the expertise on which theseservices depend.

Alongside this, you will bring strategic oversight to maintenanceand service delivery arrangements, using operational evidence to assessperformance, challenge established practices and inform investment. Workingclosely with fellow executives, you will connect operational decisions withcustomer needs, affordability and long-term asset performance.

Your priorities will include:

• Leading operational readinesswhile maintaining safe, reliable and compliant services.
• Building leadership capability,engagement and accountability across both districts.
• Reviewing maintenance andcontracting arrangements to strengthen service quality and value.
• Using performance data, staffinsights and customer feedback to improve processes and guide decisions.

About you | Freshthinking, New ideas

You are an operational leader who brings clear direction, soundjudgement and the ability to get the best from people. You can lead throughexperienced specialists, ask searching questions and turn strategy intopractical improvements.

Your background could be in water, utilities, infrastructure oranother regulated, asset-intensive environment and we welcome transferablecapability and fresh thinking from beyond water and local government.

You will bring:

• Senior operational leadershipexperience across multidisciplinary teams and infrastructure.
• A record of strengtheningengagement, developing leaders and building a culture of performance.
• Strong judgement across safety,compliance, operational risk and incident leadership.
• Commercial capability inmaintenance, contracting and resource allocation, supported by confident use ofperformance data.
• The ability to contribute toexecutive decisions and build effective relationships with staff, providers andcouncils.
  

You will be comfortable with ambiguity, willing to challengeestablished approaches and committed to working as one executive team. Aboveall, you will connect strong people leadership with safe operations anddependable customer service.

Help establish an organisation, develop its people andlift the performance of essential services.