Senior Climate Transition lead

Watercare; Auckland; On-site; NZD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development opportunities

Life and income protection insurance

Generous parental leave

Employee discounts

Job summary

Watercare is seeking a strategic Climate Transition Lead to guide the organisation toward a low-emission, climate-resilient future. You will partner with sustainability and cross-functional teams to turn ambitious goals into practical programmes with measurable outcomes.

Bring a degree in Engineering, Science or related field with at least 5 years in climate transition planning, decarbonisation, or adaptation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Science, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years' experience developing or implementing climate transition plans or decarbonisation programmes.
• Strong knowledge of greenhouse gas accounting and emissions reduction planning.
• Experience assessing climate risks, resilience challenges and adaptation opportunities.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information to senior leaders and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work across multidisciplinary teams and influence stakeholders.
• Track record of delivering strategic outcomes through structured programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and evolution of Watercare's Climate Transition Plan.
• Translate strategy into practical implementation pathways, milestones and reporting.
• Drive decarbonisation and resource efficiency across operations and asset lifecycle.
• Support climate risk assessments, resilience planning, and adaptation initiatives.
• Embed climate transition requirements into business planning and investment decisions.
• Coordinate executive and Board reporting and climate disclosures.
• Build organisational capability and influence stakeholders to drive action.
• Manage specialist consultants and delivery of key sustainability projects.

Skills

Climate strategy

Stakeholder management

Project leadership

Written communication

Presentation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering, Science degree or related

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 16th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

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!

This is a strategic and influential role where you'll help lead Watercare's transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient future. Working closely with the sustainability team and stakeholders across the business, you'll develop and implement climate transition initiatives that deliver meaningful and measurable outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the development and ongoing evolution of Watercare's Climate Transition Plan
• Translating strategy into practical implementation pathways, delivery plans, milestones and reporting frameworks
• Driving decarbonisation and resource efficiency initiatives across Watercare's operations and asset lifecycle activities
• Supporting climate risk assessments, resilience planning and adaptation initiatives across critical infrastructure and business activities
• Embedding climate transition requirements into business planning, investment decisions and asset management processes
• Coordinating executive and Board reporting, climate disclosures and sustainability performance reporting
• Building organisational capability and influencing stakeholders to drive climate action across the business
• Managing specialist consultants and supporting delivery of key sustainability projects and programmes.

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence long-term sustainability outcomes!

We're looking for a strategic thinker who can navigate complexity, influence diverse stakeholders and turn ambitious climate goals into achievable programmes of work.

You will bring:

• A degree in Engineering, Science or a related discipline
• At least 5 years' experience developing or implementing climate transition plans, decarbonisation roadmaps, adaptation strategies or similar programmes
• Strong knowledge of greenhouse gas accounting, emissions reduction planning and climate-related disclosures
• Experience assessing climate risks, resilience challenges and adaptation opportunities
• The ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to senior leaders and non-technical audiences
• Proven experience working across multidisciplinary teams and building strong stakeholder relationships
• Strong project leadership skills and a track record of delivering strategic outcomes
• Excellent written communication, reporting and presentation skills

Ideally, you'll also bring experience within infrastructure, utilities, water, wastewater, environmental management or other complex asset-intensive environments. Experience working with climate disclosures, climate modelling, sustainable finance, or Te Tiriti-based approaches would be highly regarded.

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