Graduate Irrigation Sales/Design Engineer

Rainer; Ashburton; On-site; NZD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Structured pathway

Field experience

Ongoing training

Projects exposure

Supportive team

Career progression

Remuneration package

Job summary

Rainer in New Zealand is offering a Graduate Irrigation Sales/Design Engineer position that blends hands-on field work with design and sales training. You’ll rotate through irrigation installation, pumping systems, centre pivots and more, building practical skills from day one.

After the summer, you’ll join the Irrigation Sales/Design team with structured mentoring, developing into a professional capable of designing systems, producing hydraulic calculations and client-facing quotations.

Qualifications

• Graduate with relevant engineering background.
• Attitude and ability to learn prioritized over irrigation experience.
• NZ driver’s license and right to work in NZ.

Responsibilities

• Design irrigation systems and perform hydraulic calculations.
• Select equipment and develop system solutions.
• Learn and use Irricad and other design software.
• Collaborate with customers to capture requirements.
• Support sales and build customer relationships.
• Prepare quotations and technical proposals.
• Visit farms and project sites to gather data.
• Assist with project planning and system commissioning.
• Develop knowledge across irrigation, pumping and water management.

Skills

Technically minded

Problem solving

Practical thinker

Confident communicator

Self-motivated

Team player

Education

Agricultural Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Agricultural Science

Other relevant eng./agri deg

Tools

Irricad

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.

Graduate Irrigation Sales/Design Engineer

Rather than going straight from university into a desk-based engineering role, you'll spend your first summer getting hands-on, in-field experience across different areas of our business.

You'll work alongside our experienced teams and get exposure to:

• Irrigation installation and servicing
• Pumping systems and hydraulics
• Centre pivots and travelling irrigators
• Effluent systems
• Mainline and pipeline installation
• Workshop and engineering operations
• Irrigation system commissioning and troubleshooting

This experience will give you a practical understanding of the equipment and systems you'll eventually be designing and selling.

Following the summer, you'll transition into our Irrigation Sales/Design team, where you'll receive structured training and mentoring as you develop into an Irrigation Sales/Design Engineer.

As you develop into the role, your responsibilities will include:

• Designing irrigation systems and producing hydraulic calculations
• Selecting irrigation equipment and developing system solutions
• Learning and using irrigation design software such as Irricad
• Working with customers to understand their requirements
• Supporting the sales team and developing customer relationships
• Preparing quotations and technical proposals
• Visiting farms and project sites
• Assisting with project planning and system commissioning
• Developing your technical knowledge of irrigation, pumping and water management

You won't be expected to know everything from day one. We're looking for someone with the right attitude, technical ability and willingness to learn.

What We're Looking For

We're particularly interested in graduates from backgrounds such as:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Agricultural Science
• Other relevant engineering or agricultural degrees

You don't need previous irrigation experience. A background in hydraulics or water systems would be an advantage, but your attitude and ability to learn are more important.

We're looking for someone who is:

• Technically minded and enjoys solving problems
• Practical and interested in how things work
• Confident communicating with people
• Self-motivated and willing to get stuck in
• Comfortable working both in the field and in the office
• Interested in developing both technical and sales skills
• A team player who wants to build a long-term career

A valid New Zealand driver's licence and the right to work in New Zealand are required.

Why Rainer?

Rainer is an established Canterbury-based company with over 70 employees working across irrigation, pumping, effluent management, engineering and agricultural water solutions.

You'll work alongside experienced people who can teach you the practical side of the industry while developing your engineering and commercial skills.

We offer:

• A structured pathway from graduate to Irrigation Sales/Design Engineer
• Hands-on field experience across multiple departments
• Ongoing technical training and mentoring
• Exposure to real agricultural projects and customers
• A supportive and experienced team
• Career progression opportunities
• A competitive remuneration package