Practice Lead - Roading Infrastructure

New Zealand Transport Agency; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) in Auckland is seeking a Practice Lead - Project Management to lead a national team delivering New Zealand's largest transport infrastructure investments. You will embed standards, provide sponsorship oversight, coach project managers, and shape governance across a broad portfolio.

Travel may be required; you will work from the office at least three days per week to foster collaboration and leadership. This is a senior infrastructure leadership role.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading project management teams delivering large-scale transport and capital infrastructure.
• Strong governance, sponsorship, and assurance capabilities.
• Ability to build capability and develop high-performing teams.
• Deep knowledge of risk, schedule, cost and change management.
• Experience navigating complex stakeholder and commercial environments.
• Collaborative leadership with ability to influence at senior levels.
• Extensive practical experience across construction, engineering, commercial, and contracts.
• Shape and lead national project management practice across a portfolio.
• Influence delivery of transport investments connecting communities.
• Lead, coach and develop the next generation of project leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead project management across New Zealand's largest transport infrastructure investments.
• Embed best-practice frameworks and standards and provide sponsorship oversight.
• Build capability, coaching and mentoring project managers.
• Strengthen governance, assurance and delivery outcomes across the portfolio.
• Act as Project Sponsor for assigned projects with strategic oversight.
• Travel may be required; work a minimum of three days each week from the office.
• Lead professionals delivering major transport, civil, roading, rail or other capital infrastructure projects.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Governance

Sponsorship

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Delivery excellence

Job description

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New Zealand Transport Agency – Auckland, North Island

• Permanent
• Full Time
• Auckland

Lead project management across New Zealand's largest transport infrastructure investments.

We're delivering some of New Zealand's most significant transport infrastructure investments. To do that, we need exceptional infrastructure leaders who can build capability, strengthen delivery confidence, and drive excellence across our project management profession.

As Practice Lead - Project Management, you'll play a pivotal leadership role within Infrastructure Development & Delivery. You'll lead a national team of project management professionals, embed best-practice frameworks and standards, and provide sponsorship oversight for small projects/programmes delivering benefits for communities across New Zealand.

This is a unique opportunity to combine people leadership, professional practice leadership, and project sponsorship.

You'll be responsible for building capability, coaching and mentoring project managers, embedding consistent project management standards, and strengthening governance, assurance, and delivery outcomes across the portfolio. You'll also act as Project Sponsor for assigned projects, providing strategic oversight and decision-making within delegated authority.

Travel may be required to connect with teams and stakeholders across the motu, and you'll work a minimum of three days each week from the office to support collaboration, coaching and team leadership.

This role is best suited to professionals who have built their careers delivering major transport, civil, roading, rail, or other physical infrastructure projects. We are seeking someone with significant experience leading the delivery and governance of capital infrastructure investments rather than digital, IT, software, or business transformation programmes.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience leading project management teams responsible for the delivery of large-scale transport, roading, civil, rail, or other capital infrastructure projects
• Strong project sponsorship, governance and assurance capability
• Demonstrated success building capability and developing high-performing teams
• Deep knowledge of project delivery disciplines including risk, schedule, cost and change management
• Experience working within complex stakeholder and commercial environments
• A collaborative leadership style, coupled with the ability to provide constructive challenge and influence at senior levels
• Extensive practical experience in infrastructure project delivery, including construction, engineering, commercial, contractual, and stakeholder management environments.
• Shape and lead project management practice across a nationally significant infrastructure portfolio
• Influence the successful delivery of transport investments that connect communities and drive economic growth
• Lead, coach and develop the next generation of project leaders.

You can view a copy of the position description here

For further information, email: *******@nzta.govt.nz

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

NZTA| Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.