Senior Water Engineer / Project Manager

Aurecon; Wellington; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Aurecon is expanding its water portfolio and is seeking an experienced Project Manager based in Wellington to lead multiple water supply and wastewater renewal projects. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental or Water Engineering, with strong project management skills and extensive experience in the water sector. This role will involve client engagement, overseeing project delivery, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to ensure successful project outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering complex water infrastructure projects.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Ability to effectively manage scope, risk, quality and constructability.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of capital works and renewals projects.
• Manage project scope, programme, budget, risk and quality.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams to achieve delivery outcomes.

Skills

Project management

Client engagement

Risk management

Engineering judgement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental or Water Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Office

Project management tools

Job description

We’re expanding our water portfolio in Wellington and Auckland and need a Wellington based project manager with experience delivering in the water sector to manage multiple water supply and wastewater renewal projects.

This role sits within a technically strong Land & Water team that delivers a variety of growth-related and renewal projects across Wellington for a variety of clients. You will combine technical experience with project management accountability, leading multidisciplinary teams to plan, design and deliver water infrastructure projects across the region. The role requires strong client engagement, sound engineering judgement, and the ability to lead projects from concept through to construction support.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the delivery of capital works and renewals projects within the Wellington region
• Manage project scope, programme, budget, risk and quality across multiple concurrent work packages
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and inputs to achieve agreed delivery outcomes and milestones
• Take ownership of assigned projects or packages, with accountability for planning, execution and reporting
• Act as the primary day‑to‑day interface with our water clients, supporting clear communication and issue resolution
• Oversee the production of design and project documentation to meet client, regulatory and programme requirements
• Drive delivery performance through proactive risk management, change control and programme optimisation
• Support construction‑phase activities, including technical queries, programme updates and stakeholder coordination

What You’ll Bring

• Senior project leader operating at Lead Engineer / Project Manager level, with proven experience delivering complex water infrastructure projects and managing multiple concurrent workstreams
• Strong water sector experience, including work with public sector or local authority clients and an understanding of regulated environments and long‑term asset programmes
• Brings sufficient engineering depth to effectively manage scope, risk, quality and constructability, and to challenge technical inputs in support of delivery outcomes
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental or Water Engineering (or equivalent), with CPEng status or progress toward chartership, and eligibility to work in New Zealand
• Proficient in project management and programme controls tools, with strong capability across reporting, document management and Microsoft Office in a major programme environment

Ready to bring ideas to life?

You really can bring your whole self to work and be confident that your voice will be heard. We don’t just claim that we’re inclusive and innovative, it's proven by the independent awards and accreditations we have gained, and we’re always seeking new ways to prove (and improve!) our commitment to diversity.

We’re committed to a fair, inclusive recruitment process. If you need adjustments or support to make it more accessible, please let us know.

Whakahāngāwhakaaro/ Breathing life into our ideas, thoughts, views

Kiamāia, kia kaha, mahitahi/ Be bold, be strong, work as one