Technical Principal - Water Engineering

WSP USA; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP is seeking a Senior Technical Principal in Water to lead civil and water infrastructure projects in Hamilton, the Waikato region and across New Zealand. You will shape design delivery, review studies and provide technical leadership on large pipelines, pump stations and treatment facilities.

You'll mentor teams, manage budgets and contracts while working with clients to deliver practical, value-adding solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Civil Engineering or closely related discipline.
• 15+ years of professional experience in civil and/or water infrastructure with NZ standards and practices.
• Registration as CPEng or actively working towards.
• Strong commercial awareness with budgets, risk and contracts.
• Design delivery and construction/supervision experience in water supply and wastewater infra.
• Preferably 10+ years in a design delivery discipline.
• Preferably 5+ years in a technical or engineering leadership position.
• Current, clean full driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Prepare or technically review studies, plans and reports.
• Act as technical lead in water/wastewater infrastruture, incl. large pipelines and pump stations.
• Lead technical reviews for complex projects and ensure quality outcomes.
• Undertake technical reviews from inception to completion with practical solutions.
• Lead design delivery through technical guidance and verification.
• Provide commercial leadership including contract and cash flow management.

Skills

Leadership

Client focus

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Team mentoring

Communication

Education

Bachelor of Civil Engineering

CPEng registration or progress towards

Job description

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives enabling you to do the best work of your life. You can experience a world of opportunities to shape a career as unique as you.

WSP is one of the world’s top professional services firms, bringing together some of the brightest engineers, advisors and scientists from across the globe. We exist to shape communities to advance humanity. We see the world through a Future Ready® lens, fuelled by a shared commitment to making a positive impact—one project and community at a time.

Technical Principal – Water

We're looking for a senior technical leader to join our national Water team, providing leadership on water and wastewater projects across Hamilton, the Waikato region and throughout New Zealand.

You’ll be a recognised expert in your field, helping shape significant infrastructure projects from planning through to construction.

This is an opportunity to influence project outcomes through technical excellence, practical problem solving and genuine value add for our clients and communities.

You’ll also enjoy helping others succeed, sharing your knowledge, developing capability within the team and seeing great ideas become real-world solutions that leave a lasting impact on the region.

With a strong pipeline of work and flexibility around how this role is structured, there's also the opportunity to include people leadership responsibilities if that's part of your career aspirations. Whether you're taking your first step into leadership or are experienced in building and developing high-performing teams, we’d love to hear from you.

Though no two days will look the same, your average day-to-day will include:

• Preparing and/or technically reviewing studies, plans and reports.
• Acting as a technical lead in water and wastewater infrastructure, with particular expertise in large pipelines, trenchless installation, pump stations and underground structures.
• Leading the technical review and verification process for complex water infrastructure projects, bringing together multidisciplinary inputs and ensuring quality outcomes.
• Undertaking technical reviews on water and wastewater projects from inception through to completion, ensuring solutions are robust, practical and add value.
• Leading design delivery through technical guidance, design verification and review, providing future-ready solutions that meet client and community needs.
• Providing commercial leadership, including management of contracts, risk, variations, cash flow and sub-consultancy arrangements.

About you:

You're a respected engineering professional with a strong reputation for technical excellence, leadership and client-focused delivery. You're comfortable operating at both strategic and hands‑on levels and enjoy solving complex challenges while supporting others to grow.

• A Bachelor of Civil Engineering (or closely related discipline)
• 15+ years' professional experience in civil and/or water infrastructure, with strong knowledge of New Zealand engineering standards, legislation and best practice
• Registration as CPEng or equivalent (or actively working towards)
• Strong commercial awareness and experience managing budgets, risk and contracts
• Design and construction/supervision experience in water supply and wastewater infrastructure, including pipelines, pump stations and treatment facilities
• Preferably 10+ years' experience in a design delivery discipline
• Preferably 5+ years' experience in a technical or engineering leadership position
• A current, clean full driver's licence

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

We are proud to have the blueprint of Aotearoa New Zealand in our DNA and our 2,000+ expert professionals in 24 offices are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 75,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

#NZHamiltonJobs #NZWater