Site Engineer - Lower North Island

Seipp; Wellington; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Seipp in New Zealand is seeking a Site Engineer for its Lower North Island team. You’ll be on site across Carterton and RNZAF Base Ohakea, coordinating construction activities and learning from experienced professionals.

This role offers exposure to civil and mechanical infrastructure, regular travel, and opportunities to develop technical and commercial leadership as projects expand. You’ll work closely with Project Managers and foremen to deliver safe, quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• Civil or Mechanical Engineering qualification, or another relevant tertiary qualification.
• Some experience in construction or infrastructure.
• Willingness to travel across the Lower North Island.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate upcoming works
• Interpret drawings into practical construction plans
• Work through technical and buildability challenges
• Develop methodologies and planning for work delivery
• Track quantities, costs, programme and progress
• Procurement and subcontractor coordination
• Quality assurance and project documentation
• Collaborate with clients, consultants and subcontractors
• Identify issues early and propose practical solutions

Skills

On-site work

Travel readiness

Engineering qualification

Education

Civil or Mechanical Engineering degree

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.

Build the experience that will grow your engineering career

The projects you work on shape the engineer you become.At Seipp, you’ll build experience across a wide range of civil infrastructure, construction methods and technical challenges.

You’ll be hands-on, close to the work and learning alongside experienced people. Each project will give you something different to add to your skill set, building the breadth, technical capability and judgement you’ll need to take on bigger and more complex projects as your career progresses.

We’re looking for a Site Engineer to join our growing Lower North Island team.This is a regional role. You’ll initially work across projects in Carterton and at RNZAF Base Ohakea before moving onto other projects across the wider Wellington and Lower North Island region. Regular travel between project sites will be required, so you’ll need to be comfortable working where our projects take us.

Work on infrastructure that matters

Your initial project exposure will include two significant infrastructure projects:

• The Carterton Wastewater Treatment Plant Headworks Upgrade, delivering critical wastewater infrastructure for the Carterton community
• Fire water infrastructure and deluge-system upgrades within the operational RNZAF Base Ohakea environment

Both projects involve a strong mix of civil and mechanical work, including structures, pipework, tanks, pumps, mechanical equipment and the interfaces between disciplines.

You’ll work through complex construction challenges in live operational environments, coordinating with clients, consultants, subcontractors and key stakeholders.

Beyond these projects, you’ll have the opportunity to work across Seipp’s growing Lower North Island pipeline as we continue building our presence in the region.

Build breadth, not just years of experience

We don’t do a lot of rinse and repeat.Our work spans water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, pump stations, pipelines, structures, marine works, trenchless construction and other technically challenging civil projects.

One project might expose you to complex pipework and mechanical interfaces. The next could involve structures, deep excavations, live operational environments or a construction methodology you haven’t worked with before.Different projects bring different problems to solve.

That’s important because career development isn’t just about how many years you’ve been an engineer. It’s about what you’ve been exposed to, the problems you’ve solved and the responsibility you’ve taken on.Each project should add something new to your capability.

Be close to the work

We believe good engineers need to understand how things actually get built.As a Site Engineer, you’ll be out on site working alongside Project Managers, Project Engineers, Supervisors and our construction teams.

You’ll get involved in:

• Planning and coordinating upcoming works
• Understanding drawings and turning them into practical construction plans
• Working through technical and buildability challenges
• Developing methodologies and planning how work will be delivered
• Tracking quantities, costs, programme and progress
• Procurement and subcontractor coordination
• Quality assurance and project documentation
• Working with clients, consultants and subcontractors
• Identifying issues early and helping find practical solutions

You’ll see the impact of engineering decisions first-hand and learn from the people delivering the work.As your capability grows, we’ll expect you to take on more.

Bring your ideas

We don’t expect our engineers to simply follow a process.We want you to understand why we’re doing something, ask questions and contribute ideas.Sometimes the obvious solution won’t be the best one.

You’ll work with experienced people to solve technical and construction challenges, test different approaches and find better ways of delivering the work.You don’t need to arrive knowing all the answers.You do need to be curious enough to look for them.

What we’re looking for

You’ll have a Civil or Mechanical Engineering qualification, or another relevant tertiary qualification, and ideally some experience in construction or infrastructure.

We welcome applications from civil engineers, as well as mechanical engineers who are interested in working across combined civil and mechanical infrastructure projects.

You’ll also be someone who:

• Wants to be on site and involved in the work
• Is willing and able to travel regulary across the Lower North Island
• Is comfortable working from different project locations as our regional programme develops
• Is curious about how things are designed and built
• Enjoys solving problems
• Takes responsibility for their work
• Wants to keep developing technically and commercially
• Is willing to ask questions and learn from experienced people
• Looks for opportunities to improve how things are done
• Takes safety and quality seriously

A full New Zealand driver licence will be required.

Where can it take you?

Our engineering career pathway progresses from Site Engineer to Project Engineer, Project Manager and Senior Project Manager.

Progression isn’t simply about doing your time.It’s about developing the technical, commercial and leadership capability to take on greater responsibility and increasingly complex work.We’re big enough to deliver serious infrastructure projects, but small enough for your contribution to be seen.You’ll work directly with experienced people, gain exposure to how projects are run and have opportunities to demonstrate what you’re capable of.

If you’re ready for more, we want to give you the opportunity to take it on.

What you’ll get

Alongside the experience you’ll build on our projects, we provide:

• A clear engineering career pathway
• Varied and technically challenging infrastructure work
• Hands-on site experience
• Professional development and training
• Support towards professional accreditation
• Professional membership fees
• UniMed private health insurance
• Annual health monitoring