Infrastructure Delivery Manager

Antarctica New Zealand; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Antarctica New Zealand seeks a high‑output leader to drive infrastructure delivery for the Scott Base redevelopment. You will turn asset plans into safe, reliable maintenance, renewals and capital works, reporting to the GM of Antarctic Infrastructure.

You will lead multiple engineering teams, manage life‑critical services, and travel regularly to Antarctica to oversee on‑ice work, ensuring readiness for science and operations in one of the world’s most challenging environments.

Qualifications

• Leading operational engineering and maintenance teams in remote, critical infrastructure.
• Delivery of capital works, renewals and maintenance programmes with budget control.
• Strong contract management and contractor performance experience.
• Health and safety, risk management and incident response knowledge.
• Experience implementing asset management systems and lifecycle asset management.

Responsibilities

• Lead four Asset Engineers and Scott Base Engineering Supervisor.
• Maintain life support systems at a high standard.
• Own delivery of planned and reactive maintenance and capital works within budget.
• Drive health and safety, risk management, and compliance.
• Manage contractors and engineering governance; build capability and succession.

Skills

Leadership

Contract management

Health and safety

Asset management

Budget forecasting

Communication

Engineering risk management

Team development

Education

Engineering degree

Chartered engineer

Tools

Asset management systems

Job description

• Christchurch based - with seasonal time as Scott Base
• Ownership of asset management and maintenance
• Be part of a legacy project in an iconic NZ institution

About the role

Antarctica New Zealand supports world-class science and environmental protection in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Scott Base is our home in Antarctica that enables our goals, and we have commenced a four-year project for the redevelopment of the Base.

Antarctica NZ is establishing new roles to meet the demands of the redevelopment. This is one of them. As Manager, Infrastructure Delivery, you'll lead the operational and delivery arm of Antarctic Infrastructure, turning approved asset plans into safe, reliable maintenance, renewals and capital works. You'll report to the General Manager, Antarctic Infrastructure.

The challenge

• Managing life-critical services, complex engineering, tightly constrained logistics in one of the world’s most hostile environments.
• Working with the Base redevelopment team through construction, commissioning and handover.
• Helping ensure the new assets are ready to operate, maintain and support science.
• Keeping the existing base running safely and reliably.
• Embedding new asset planning and management disciplines and new ways of working
• Lifting both the technical and the management capability of the team

What you'll do

• Lead four Asset Engineers (Buildings and Services; Water and Wastewater; Energy and Controls; Fleet and Mobile Plant) and the Scott Base Engineering Supervisor
• Keep Scott Base's life support systems maintained and operating to a high standard
• Own delivery of planned and reactive maintenance, renewals and the capital works programme within budget and delegated authority
• Drive operational health and safety, engineering risk management, statutory compliance and emergency preparedness
• Manage contractor and service-delivery performance, and lead engineering assurance and technical governance
• Build crew capability, succession and year-round engineering leadership, including winter cover
• Travel regularly to Antarctica to lead work on the ice

About you

You're a high-output leader who raises the bar on both technical standards and team performance. You manage assets cost-effectively, spot efficiencies, question the way things have always been done, and drive change constructively. You're comfortable with automation and new ways of working. Public or private sector experience is equally relevant, but the expectation is the same; high delivery levels, proven team interaction and challenging the status quo.

• A relevant engineering degree, advanced trade qualification, or demonstrably equivalent senior operational experience
• Significant experience leading operational engineering and maintenance teams, ideally in a remote, critical infrastructure or utilities environment
• Proven delivery of capital works, renewals and maintenance programmes, including financial control, forecasting and change management
• Strong contract management and contractor performance experience
• Solid grounding in health and safety, statutory compliance, risk management and incident response
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary technical and trade teams
• Excellent communication, planning and organisational skills
• Ability to obtain medical clearance for travel to Antarctica
• Professional registration or certification (chartered engineer)
• Experience implementing asset management systems and lifecycle asset management

Why Antarctica New Zealand?

These are career-defining opportunities to work with an organisation at a pivotal point in the 70-year history of Scott Base.