Principal Planning Engineer - Water Treatment

Watercare Services Limited; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts

Job summary

Watercare is seeking a senior engineer to lead asset planning and investment decisions for headworks and water treatment facilities in Auckland. You will drive the AMP, provide technical leadership, and influence strategic outcomes across the organisation to deliver reliable, sustainable water services.

The role requires an engineering degree, 15+ years in asset management and water operations, and Chartered Engineer status or international equivalent.

Qualifications

• Degree in relevant engineering field with professional standing.
• 15+ years in infrastructure planning, asset management and investment planning.
• Experience in water operations and treatment design.
• Leadership in headworks and treatment facility planning.
• Master planning or asset management experience.
• Strategic thinker who can influence investments and decisions.
• Chartered Engineer status or international equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of headworks and water treatment facility plans to deliver the Asset Management Plan on schedule.
• Guide complex investigations and studies to build the AMP with confidence.
• Manage pre-feasibility phases of project lifecycle planning to keep activities on track.
• Provide governance through feasibility phases of projects.
• Ensure infrastructure delivery meets business, community and regulatory expectations.
• Act as technical authority for water treatment planning and strategic investment advice.
• Mentor engineers across levels and promote best-practice planning.

Skills

15+ years experience

Water operations

Headworks & water/wastewater design

Master planning/asset management

Strategic/analytical thinker

Water treatment technologies

Regulatory/interface experience

Education

Engineering degree (chemical, civil/environmental, mechanical or process)

Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or international 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 There's never been a better time to join Watercare. We're delivering a $15.2 billion, 10-year capital investment programme, the largest in our history, creating opportunities to work on transformative infrastructure, sustainability and digital projects that will shape Auckland's future. With more than $4 million invested every day, you'll be part of work that makes a lasting difference to our communities and environment.

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role

Are you looking for a role where you feel you have a truly positive impact on the community? At Watercare, you will be involved in contributing to the future of Auckland's infrastructure and making a real difference! Reporting to the Team Lead - Water Treatment Planning, the focus of this role is to drive and develop the Asset Management Plan (AMP) based on the expectations of our servicing strategies, water treatment and networks performance, anticipating and responding to change, providing technical leadership across the organisation.

This will involve:

• Leading the development of our headworks and water treatment facility plans, supporting and helping to drive the delivery of the AMP to schedule
• Leading complex technical investigations and studies, to build the AMP with confidence
• Delivering the pre-feasibility phases of our project lifecycle planning activities and ensuring we are running to schedule
• Providing technical leadership and governance through the feasibility phases of the project lifecycle
• Ensuring we are delivering infrastructure/service delivery outcomes that meet our business, community, mana whenua, stakeholder and operational expectations
• Acting as a recognised technical authority for water treatment planning, influencing strategic investment decisions and representing Watercare with key stakeholders, consultants, regulators and industry groups
• Mentoring and developing engineers at all levels while shaping best-practice planning approaches

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you

To be successful in this role, you will have a strong work ethic, enjoy working in a team environment, and have strong technical capability. You are an excellent communicator, who enjoys a challenge. Your skills and background also include:

• Degree qualified (likely chemical, civil/environmental, mechanical or process engineering)
• 15+ years relevant experience, including experience in infrastructure planning, strategic asset management and investment planning
• Water operations experience
• Headworks and water/wastewater treatment design experience
• A working knowledge of water treatment technologies
• Master planning or asset management experience
• A strategic and analytical thinker who can challenge conventional approaches, influence decision-making and provide leadership in complex and ambiguous environments
• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng or CEng) or international equivalent

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