Principal Planning Engineer - Water Treatment

Watercare; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development opportunities

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts at large retailers

Job summary

Watercare is seeking a Principal Planning Engineer for Water Treatment in Central Auckland. You will lead the development of the Asset Management Plan for water treatment facilities, drive technical investigations and pre-feasibility studies, and guide lifecycle planning from concept to delivery.

You will influence strategic decisions, mentor engineers, and ensure outcomes meet community and regulatory expectations.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant experience in infrastructure planning and asset management.
• Headworks and water/wastewater treatment design experience.
• Master planning or asset management experience.
• Working knowledge of water treatment technologies and project lifecycle planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of the Asset Management Plan for water treatment facilities.
• Drive complex technical investigations and studies to build the AMP.
• Deliver pre-feasibility phases and ensure schedule adherence.
• Provide technical leadership and governance through feasibility phases.
• Mentor and develop engineers while shaping planning approaches.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical mindset

Leadership

Team collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical/Civil/Environmental/Mechanical/Process Engineering

Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or international equivalent

Job description

## Principal Planning Engineer - Water TreatmentApplylocations: Central Aucklandtime type: Full timeposted on: Posted 2 Days Agotime left to apply: End Date: August 3, 2026 (23 days left to apply)job requisition id: JR101042**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**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**Me pēhea te tono mai | How to Apply**Come and join our team! If you are looking for an exciting career opportunity with a fantastic team then please apply online today - careers.watercare.co.nz.