Manager - Water Production

Watercare; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training & development

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts

Job summary

Watercare is hiring a Water Production Manager to lead water production operations across the southern Auckland region, ensuring safe, sustainable drinking water services. You will oversee treatment plants, drive health and safety, water quality, regulatory compliance, asset management and customer outcomes.

You will lead a team of professionals, manage resources, assets, contractors and maintenance programmes to deliver reliable services and support a growing region.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in engineering or a related field.
• Significant experience leading multi-site operations in water/utilities or similar.
• Proven track record of leading and developing teams in high-risk 24/7 settings.

Responsibilities

• Build and develop high-performing teams with a safety-first culture.
• Drive operational effectiveness via asset management and maintenance planning.
• Ensure compliance with drinking water standards and regulatory requirements.
• Manage budgets, forecasting and financial performance for cost-effective outcomes.
• Oversee contractor performance and stakeholder relationships.
• Deliver resilient, reliable service across the region.

Skills

People leadership

Asset management

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

SCADA systems

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.

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!

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.
  

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.

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