Operations Engineer

Watercare; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development opportunities

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts at retailers

Job summary

Watercare is seeking an engineering professional to join its Water Networks team in Newmarket, Auckland. This hands-on role focuses on reliability, safety and performance of essential water infrastructure, with opportunity to contribute across planning, operations, maintenance and capital delivery.

You will collaborate with internal teams and contractors to solve problems, improve systems and deliver practical solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in Engineering, or equivalent relevant industry experience.
• Experience in project coordination, project management, or infrastructure delivery.
• Knowledge of water or wastewater networks, civil infrastructure, or utility operations.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions, and deliver results under pressure.
• A current full driver's licence.

Responsibilities

• Analyse fault and performance data to improve network reliability and operational performance
• Support capital renewal programmes and forward works planning
• Monitor and review critical infrastructure works delivered by internal teams and external contractors
• Respond to and manage network incidents and operational issues
• Ensure infrastructure complies with current design standards and operational requirements
• Support environmental compliance obligations and customer service performance targets
• Participate in a shared after-hours on-call roster as required

Skills

Strong communication skills

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

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

Make a real impact on Auckland's essential water services. Based in Newmarket, join our Water Networks team and play a hands‑on role in protecting the health of our communities and the environment. This is a dynamic engineering role where your work directly contributes to the reliability, safety, and performance of Auckland's critical water infrastructure. Working alongside a collaborative team of experienced water professionals, you'll gain exposure to network planning, operations, maintenance, and capital delivery activities across Auckland's water network. If you're passionate about problem‑solving, continuous improvement, and delivering outcomes that matter, this role offers both challenge and purpose. You'll support the performance, reliability, and compliance of the water network while partnering with internal teams and external contractors to deliver practical solutions. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a meaningful impact, giving you the chance to apply your technical expertise across a wide range of projects and operational activities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Analyse fault and performance data to improve network reliability and operational performance
• Support capital renewal programmes and forward works planning
• Monitor and review critical infrastructure works delivered by internal teams and external contractors
• Respond to and manage network incidents and operational issues
• Ensure infrastructure complies with current design standards and operational requirements
• Support environmental compliance obligations and customer service performance targets
• Participate in a shared after‑hours on‑call roster as required

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you

You're a proactive and solutions‑focused engineer who enjoys working collaboratively and remains calm and effective in a fast‑paced operational environment. To be successful in this role, you'll bring:

• A tertiary qualification in Engineering, or equivalent relevant industry experience
• Experience in project coordination, project management, or infrastructure delivery
• Knowledge of water or wastewater networks, civil infrastructure, or utility operations
• An understanding of network operations, maintenance, hydraulics, and flow behaviour
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions, and deliver results under pressure
• A current full driver's licence

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