Network Access & Training Manager

Orion; Christchurch; Hybrid; NZD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Multiple office locations

Additional leave days

Wellbeing allowance and holiday house

Job summary

Orion is seeking an experienced electricity industry professional to lead the Network Access & Training function. You will guide a specialist team, shaping how people work safely on and around our network, reporting to the Head of QHS.

You will interpret industry standards, develop training and competency frameworks, and collaborate with engineers, field teams and contractors to improve safety and performance across Canterbury.

Qualifications

• Significant technical experience in electricity networks (distribution or transmission).
• Electrical trade or engineering qualification with NZ registration and practising licence.
• Proven leadership and people development ability.
• Strong safety and compliance knowledge for network operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead a specialist team for network access, training, and competency.
• Oversee access procedures, standards, and competency frameworks.
• Develop and deliver training and coaching aligned with industry requirements.
• Collaborate with engineering and operations to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
• Implement and align with the Industries Common Competency Framework.

Skills

Leadership

Electrical knowledge

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching

Education

Electrical trade or engineering qualification

Job description

We're looking for an experienced electricity industry professional to lead our Network Access & Training function. This is an opportunity to bring your technical knowledge, operational understanding and leadership experience into a role that directly influences how people work safely on and around our electricity network. Reporting to our Head of QHS, you'll lead a specialist team responsible for network access, operational competency standards, training and coaching. Your role is about much more than delivering training programmes. It's about ensuring the people working on our network have the right knowledge, skills and competency to carry out their work safely and effectively. You'll need to understand the realities of working in an electricity network environment, be confident interpreting industry standards and operating requirements, and have the credibility to engage with technical specialists, field teams, contractors and leaders across the business.

About us

About us Passionate, curious and innovative are a few words that describe our people. We are powering the future, connecting communities and igniting innovation. Orion owns and operates the electricity distribution network that provides power to central Canterbury. As the third largest electricity distribution network in New Zealand, we cover remote rural areas, regional towns and the city of Christchurch. We are an essential service and take our responsibilities seriously. We are community owned and working here means a career with meaning and purpose that makes a difference in your very own neighbourhood.

Your role

• Lead, coach and develop a specialist team responsible for network access, operational training and competency
• Oversee network access procedures, operating standards and competency frameworks, ensuring they remain current, practical and compliant
• Develop and deliver training, assessment and coaching programmes that reflect industry requirements, strengthen technical capability and support safe working practices
• Work closely with engineering, network operations, QHS teams and service delivery partners to identify competency needs and operational risks
• Lead Orion's implementation of the Industries Common Competency Framework (CCF), including supporting Orion's contractors with the transition
• Build and strengthen existing relationships with EDB peers to support a collaborative approach for maintaining consistency with the CCF
• Use insights from audits, assessments and operational feedback to identify gaps and drive continuous improvement

About you

• Significant technical experience within the electricity industry, ideally distribution or transmission networks, with a strong understanding of network operations
• A relevant electrical trade or engineering qualification, or equivalent practical experience, along with NZ electrical registration and a current practising licence
• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to coach, develop and get the best out of a technically capable team
• Strong knowledge of electrical industry health and safety, network access requirements, operating standards and safe working practices
• The technical credibility, communication skills and confidence to influence field teams, contractors, specialists and senior leaders
• A collaborative, naturally curious and improvement-focused approach, with sound judgement and the confidence to challenge how things are done

We offer

• Flexible working arrangements, and flexible locations with our Head office in Burnside and satellite offices in Rolleston and Ferrymead
• Five extra days of leave a year - three days of “My Days” leave and two “Orion Days” between Christmas and New Year
• A broad range of workplace benefits, from a wellbeing allowance to our holiday house in Hanmer!

We are truly committed to diversity, inclusion and lifting our cultural capability. You don't need to be knowledgeable in these areas, but you do need to be on board with learning.

You must have the right to live and work in New Zealand to apply for this job. Pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.