Hydro Generation Technician (Mechanical / Electrical)

Contact Energy; Otago; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing benefits

Flexible working

Therapy support for you and whānau

Free flu vaccinations

KiwiSaver

Job summary

Contact Energy is seeking a Generation Technician for the Waipori Power Scheme in Otago. You will perform hands-on maintenance, inspections, and fault investigations to keep the plant running safely and efficiently.

You will monitor equipment, support outage planning, and maintain accurate records while upholding health, safety and environmental standards. A strong safety mindset and team collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Trade certificate or equivalent qualification is essential.
• Experience maintaining equipment and systems in a heavy industrial or power generation environment.
• Ability to investigate plant problems with safe working practices and strong problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of mechanical plant, rotating equipment, electrical systems, protection and control would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Perform inspections and routine maintenance on generation assets.
• Investigate plant faults and respond to alarms in a timely manner.
• Plan and deliver outages, coordinating with the team as required.
• Monitor plant condition and identify defects to prevent unplanned downtime.
• Record operations and maintenance activities accurately and support HSE compliance.

Skills

Safety mindset

Troubleshooting

Teamwork

Education

Trade Certificate or equivalent

Job description

• Full-time
• Department: Generation & Trading

Company Description

Whakatakoto te tūāpapa | Laying the foundation

At Contact Energy, we put our energy where it matters. We’re helping build a more sustainable energy future for Aotearoa, and our hydro schemes play an important part in that mahi. We’re proud of the people who keep our generation assets operating safely and reliably, combining hands‑on expertise, smart thinking and genuine care for one another and the communities we serve.

Set among the steep, rocky landscape of Otago, the Waipori Power Scheme has been generating electricity for more than a century. Made up of four power stations along the Waipori River, the scheme offers a unique working environment where engineering history, renewable generation and practical problem solving come together. This is your opportunity to help care for an important part of New Zel​and’s electricity system while building your career in a team that knows its plant, backs each other and takes pride in doing the job well.

Job Description

Te āhua o te tūranga | The nature of the role

As a Generation Technician, Operations, you’ll help keep the Waipori Power Scheme running safely, reliably and efficiently. One day you might be completing inspections and routine maintenance, the next you could be investigating a plant fault, responding to an alarm or helping plan and deliver an outage. You’ll monitor plant condition, identify defects and use your practical judgement to resolve problems or recommend improvements.

This is hands‑on mahi with real responsibility. You’ll operate generation and high‑voltage equipment, provide manual backup to automated systems when required and respond to maintenance issues that could affect plant availability. You’ll also keep accurate operational and maintenance records, support compliance with health, safety and environmental requirements, and contribute ideas that improve plant performance over the long term. During adverse weather or emergencies, you may share responsibility for maintaining an onsite presence, working alongside a capable hydro team that looks out for one another and gets stuck in when it matters.

Qualifications

Ko wai koe | About you

You’re someone who enjoys understanding how plant and equipment work, finding the cause of a problem and helping put things right. Safety is never an afterthought for you, it shapes how you plan, communicate and carry out every task. You’ll bring integrity, sound judgement and a practical mindset, along with the ability to build trusted relationships and explain technical information clearly to colleagues and other stakeholders.

A Trade Certificate or equivalent qualification is a must‑have, along with a trade or operational background and solid experience maintaining equipment and systems. You’ll also need confidence investigating plant problems, applying safe working practices and contributing positively within a team. Experience in power generation or another heavy industrial process environment would be highly valuable, as would expose to condition monitoring, systematic maintenance strategies, plant operations, inventory management or contract supervision. Knowledge of mechanical plant, rotating equipment, electrical systems, protection and control, or relevant plant competency certificates would be welcome, but you do not need to bring everything on day one. If you have the core trade experience, a strong safety mindset and the curiosity to keep learning, tukuna mai tō tono, we’d love to kōrero.

Additional Information

At Contact, it really is good to be home. We support our people with wellbeing benefits that make a genuine difference, including flexible working where possible, strong health and wellbeing support, and access to confidential professional therapy for you and your whānau. You’ll also have access to free flu vaccinations, skin checks, onsite health support and learning through Contact University.

On top of a competitive salary, we offer KiwiSaver contributions, wellbeing payments to support your home setup, help with energy and broadband costs if you’re a Contact customer, plus access to discounts and free financial advice. We’re also proud to give back through community leave and partnerships across Aotearoa, creating a workplace where people feel supported, connected and able to do their best work

Here at Contact Energy (Te Mata Hiko), we know our strength lies in developing a sense of belonging - one that helps us attract and retain people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers and communities to help build a better Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have a rich community of talented people that we support to thrive at Contact.

Our inclusive hiring process is designed to embrace the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring a wide range of perspectives are included in our decision-making and helping reduce bias along the way.
The wellbeing of our kaimahi is super important to us.
We use employee insights to offer a range of initiatives and resources to support physical, mental, financial and emotional wellbeing – including flexible working arrangements, employee network groups and a market‑leading parental leave policy.

At Te Mata Hiko, we want everyone to thrive. We welcome applicants far and wide - of every age, stage, background, and pride. Join us and be part of a team that values your passion and attitude just as much as your experience and skills.

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box.We're not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don't meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We'd love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.

By clicking the link above or any third‑party link within this posting, you are leaving this site and going to a third‑party website where the third‑party website's terms and privacy policy apply