Pursuits Lead North Island

Downer Group; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Career development

Health benefits & wellness

Retail discounts

Industry-leading employer

Job summary

Downer Group is seeking an experienced Pursuits Lead – Water North Island to identify, shape and lead priority growth opportunities across the North Island water market. The role partners with operational leaders, bid teams and specialists to translate market insights into winning pursuit strategies and long-term client value.

You will drive relationships with councils, CCOs and consultants, overseeing capture planning and governance while ensuring alignment with delivery capability and client

Qualifications

• Five+ years in business development, pursuits, bid leadership or growth roles.
• Experience in water, infrastructure, consulting, or Tier 1/2 contracting.
• Proven ability to translate insights into growth strategies.
• Strong account and pursuit planning experience.
• Good understanding of NZ water sector and procurement pathways.
• Strong commercial acumen and opportunity assessment.
• Experience with CRM, pipeline reporting and governance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable with senior stakeholders.
• Strong planning and coordination skills.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a prioritized North Island water opportunity pipeline.
• Lead capture planning, pursuit strategies, and early positioning activities.
• Build and strengthen relationships with councils, CCOs, iwi partners and consultants.
• Interpret market, client, and competitor intelligence for growth priorities.
• Coordinate pursuit governance, bid/no-bid decisions, and approvals.
• Support compelling client submissions and relationship plans.
• Align pursuits with delivery capability and client expectations.
• Drive continuous improvement in BD processes and reporting.
• Support adherence to Downer Opportunity & Bid Management standards.

Skills

Business development

Pursuit leadership

Relationship management

Account planning

Capture planning

Client presentations

CRM systems

Stakeholder management

Water sector knowledge

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

At Downer, we plan, create and sustain the infrastructure that supports communities across New Zealand. We are seeking an experienced Pursuits Lead – Water North Island to identify, shape and lead priority growth opportunities across the North Island water market.

In this influential role, you will work closely with operational leaders, bid teams, technical specialists and the wider growth function to position Downer for future success. You will convert market intelligence and client insights into winning pursuit strategies, strengthen strategic client relationships, and help drive sustainable growth across operations, maintenance, renewals and capital projects.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of water infrastructure delivery across Aotearoa.

You are a commercially astute relationship builder with a passion for developing opportunities and creating long-term value for clients. You thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy working across multiple stakeholders to influence outcomes and drive growth.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• A minimum of five years' experience in business development, pursuits, bid leadership, client relationship management or growth-related roles.
• Experience within water, infrastructure, consulting, or Tier 1/Tier 2 contracting environments.
• Demonstrated success developing trusted client relationships and translating insights into practical growth strategies.
• Strong experience developing account plans, capture plans, pursuit strategies, win themes and client-facing presentations.
• A solid understanding of the New Zealand water sector, including councils, CCOs, consultants, delivery partners and procurement pathways.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to assess opportunity attractiveness, risks and strategic alignment.
• Experience working with CRM systems, pipeline reporting and opportunity governance processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging senior leaders and clients.
• Strong planning, coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• A bachelor's degree is preferred.

Te mahi | The Role

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining a prioritised North Island Water opportunity pipeline aligned with Downer's growth strategy.
• Leading capture planning, pursuit strategies and early positioning activities across targeted opportunities.
• Building and strengthening relationships with councils, CCOs, iwi partners, consultants and other key stakeholders.
• Gathering and interpreting market, client and competitor intelligence to inform growth priorities and pursuit decisions.
• Coordinating pursuit governance activities, including bid/no-bid recommendations and approval processes.
• Supporting the development of compelling client submissions, presentations and relationship plans.
• Working closely with operational, technical and commercial teams to align pursuits with delivery capability and client expectations.
• Driving continuous improvement across business development processes, systems and reporting.
• Supporting adherence to the Downer Opportunity & Bid Management Standard and related governance requirements.

Ngā Painga o te Mahi ki Downer | Benefits of working with Downer

• Competitive remuneration with a significant ASX-listed company
• Structured career paths with the opportunity to work in different areas of the Utilities business, supported by a robust Commercial Operating Model
• A suite of health and wellness benefits and initiatives, including EAP Beyond Blue
• Retail discounts with major retailers, Dell, Good Guys, Samsung, Specsavers & ANZ
• We are a Tier 1 ASX listed company with in-house capabilities that far exceed traditional contractor environments

Downer's Energy & Utilities business unit is an integrated trans-Tasman team, providing services and solutions that connect communities to essential networks and infrastructure. We design, build, operate and maintain today's critical assets and networks, delivering complete services across the water, electricity, telecommunications, industrial and power generation sectors. Our expertise spans in-house technical smarts, specialist engineering, integrated OEM partners, and dedicated crews of qualified tradespeople.

Downer Group is an employer that acknowledges and embraces the importance of our people's diverse experiences, talents, and cultures. As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from everyone.

We are committed to a safe working environment for everyone. Successful applicants will be required to complete pre employment screening, including a medical, drug and alcohol test and Ministry of Justice check.

Downer does not accept unsolicited resumes, fees, or costs from recruitment agencies, search firms, or third parties. Candidates are welcome to submit their applications via the advertisement.