Manager - Water Production

Watercare Services Limited; Auckland; On-site; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Watercare Services Limited is seeking a Water Production Manager to lead water production operations across the southern Auckland region. You will oversee treatment plants, drive health and safety, water quality, regulatory compliance and asset management while delivering reliable services for a growing city.

You will lead a team of professionals, manage budgets, forecasts and contractor performance, and ensure resources and maintenance programmes meet future needs and maintain resilience in

Qualifications

• Proven operational leader with experience in asset-intensive environments.
• Experience in water, utilities, infrastructure or manufacturing.
• Strong leadership and commercial acumen.
• Ability to manage multi-site operations.
• Knowledge of health, safety and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to build capability and empower teams.

Responsibilities

• Build and develop high-performing teams with a culture of safety and continuous improvement.
• Drive asset management, maintenance planning and resource optimisation.
• Ensure compliance with drinking water standards and regulatory requirements.
• Manage budgets, forecasts and financial performance.
• Oversee contractor performance and stakeholder relationships.
• Manage operational risk and deliver reliable service across the region.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Budget management

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Education

Engineering qualification (tertiary)

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

As Water Production Manager, you will lead water production operations across the southern Auckland region, ensuring the delivery of safe, sustainable drinking water services. Reporting to the Head of Water, you’ll oversee the efficient operation of treatment plants, driving performance across health and safety, water quality, regulatory compliance, asset management and customer outcomes.

Leading a team of operational and technical professionals, you’ll ensure resources, assets, contractors and maintenance programmes are effectively managed to deliver reliable services and support the future needs of a growing region.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building and developing high-performing teams while fostering a strong culture of safety, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Driving operational effectiveness through asset management, maintenance planning and resource optimisation.
• Ensuring compliance with drinking water standards, resource consents, environmental requirements and dam safety obligations.
• Managing budgets, forecasting and financial performance to deliver cost-effective outcomes.
• Overseeing contractor performance and maintaining strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Managing operational risk and ensuring resilient, reliable service delivery across the region.

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you

You’re a proven operational leader with experience managing complex, asset-intensive environments and leading teams to deliver strong operational outcomes. Whether your background is in water, utilities, infrastructure, manufacturing or a similar industry, you’ll bring strong leadership capability and commercial acumen to this important role.

You’ll bring:

• A tertiary qualification in engineering or a related discipline.
• Significant experience leading multi-site operations in water, utilities, infrastructure, manufacturing or another complex operational environment.
• Proven success leading and developing teams in high-risk, 24/7 operational settings.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budget management, forecasting and business planning.
• Sound knowledge of health, safety, environmental and regulatory requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence outcomes.
• The ability to make sound decisions, solve complex problems and deliver results in a dynamic environment.

Most importantly, you’ll be a people-focused leader who builds capability and empowers teams to perform at their best.

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