Three Waters Asset Management Consultant

Aurecon; Auckland; On-site; NZD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm in Auckland is seeking a Water Asset Management Consultant to shape water infrastructure management across New Zealand. This role involves leading asset management projects, developing client relationships, and mentoring team members. The ideal candidate will have 8-12 years of experience in asset management within the water sector and strong communication skills to translate technical concepts for clients. The role offers opportunities for professional development and a flexible working environment.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Access to technical training and conferences

Qualifications

• Experience leading asset management projects within the water sector.
• Strong understanding of asset management principles in real-world settings.
• Ability to translate analysis into clear insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead asset management projects from scoping through to delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with clients at multiple levels.
• Contribute to business development and market insights.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to work with complex datasets

Commercial acumen

Education

8-12 years of experience in consulting-based role

Experience in water infrastructure asset management

Tools

ISO 55000 knowledge

Job description

Three Waters Asset Management Consultant

As a Water Asset Management Consultant (Manager), ideally based in our Auckland office, you'll help shape how water infrastructure is planned, managed, and delivered across Aotearoa. Working alongside advisory specialists and water engineers, you'll tackle the complex challenges facing the sector while building a thriving practice that responds to one of New Zealand's most pressing infrastructure needs.

The mahi | The opportunity

The water sector is at a turning point. Ageing infrastructure, climate adaptation, regulatory reform, funding constraints. Councils and water utilities are grappling with decisions that will shape communities for decades. There's never been more demand for smart asset management thinking, and that creates a genuine opportunity to grow something meaningful here.

You’ll lead projects across strategic asset management, condition assessment and renewals planning, infrastructure planning and modelling, and operational performance improvement. But this role is as much about building our practice as delivering projects. That means developing client relationships, spotting opportunities, mentoring team members, and helping position our water asset management capability in a rapidly evolving market.

Your work will span everything from 30-year infrastructure strategies and financial planning through to demand management, condition assessments, compliance programming, and operational improvements. You’ll work with councils, Water CCOs, and utilities navigating reform, dealing with data gaps, and making difficult trade-offs between service, risk, and affordability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead asset management projects from scoping through to delivery, managing timelines, budgets, and client expectations while bringing your technical depth to solve real problems.
• Work with water engineering specialists, data scientists, and other advisors to develop integrated solutions that reflect both the technical realities and the strategic context.
• Build trusted relationships with clients at multiple levels, understanding their business drivers and translating asset management concepts into language that resonates with their needs.
• Develop asset management plans, investment strategies, and business cases that balance service levels, risk, and affordability in ways that stand up to scrutiny.
• Coach and mentor team members, sharing your knowledge and helping others develop their asset management capabilities.
• Navigate messy, ambiguous problems with limited data, bringing clarity and pragmatic recommendations even when perfect answers don’t exist.
• Contribute to business development, whether that’s spotting opportunities with existing clients, supporting proposals, or helping shape our thinking on where the market is heading.

What we're looking for

• 8-12 years of experience in a consulting‑based role with experience in water infrastructure asset management.
• Demonstrated experience leading asset management projects or programmes, ideally within the water sector.
• Strong understanding of asset management principles, ISO 55000, and how they apply in real‑world settings.
• Experience with investment planning, risk assessment, and performance analysis for infrastructure assets.
• Ability to work with complex datasets and translate analysis into clear insights and recommendations.
• Solid communication skills. You can explain technical concepts to non‑technical audiences and write reports that people actually want to read.
• Commercial acumen to manage project budgets and scope.

Growing with us

We’re serious about investing in your development. Whether you’re working toward professional certifications, want to deepen your technical expertise in specific areas, or are building your leadership and commercial capabilities, we’ll back you. You’ll have access to technical development and training, conference attendance, and professional memberships that keep you connected to leading practice. More importantly, you’ll work alongside specialists across water engineering, data science, and advisory who’ll challenge your thinking and expand your toolkit. This role is a genuine pathway to senior leadership - we’re building this practice for the long term and want to grow leaders from within who can shape both our business and the wider water sector.

What's in it for me?

We’ve built a working environment that balances flexibility with genuine connection. While we do ask you to be in the office several days a week - building relationships, mentoring the team, and collaborating face‑to‑face matters at this level - how and when you work is genuinely flexible. Need to start late for school drop‑off, finish early for study commitments, or work from home to focus on a complex deliverable? That’s all part of how we work. You’ll also have the opportunity to work onsite with clients around the country, which brings variety and helps build the trusted relationships that make advisory work meaningful. We trust you to manage your time in a way that delivers great outcomes for clients and supports your life outside work.

You really can bring your whole self to work and be confident that your voice will be heard. Our best ideas come from vigorous debate, diverse perspectives, and people feeling safe enough to challenge assumptions - including our own. You’ll work in a team where your lived experience matters as much as your technical expertise, and where speaking up is valued over staying quiet.

This isn’t just aspiration - 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.

In May 2023 we were the first engineering company in Aotearoa to receive the Gender Tick, led by our people for our people.

Our Māori strategy (He Rautaki Māori) won two Good Design awards in 2022 for its outstanding contribution in bringing Te Āo Māori and digital innovation into operations and decision‑making processes.

Ready to bring ideas to life?

Then please apply now! We are an equitable‑opportunity employer that values diverse perspectives and the contribution that every one of our people makes to our culture. Put simply, we want you to bring your whole self! We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every criterion—your potential and the way you bring ideas to life matter most. We value your unique background and needs, and we’re committed to a fair and inclusive process, so please let us know if you require any adjustments or support.

Whakahā ngā whakaaro / Breathing life into our ideas, thoughts, views

Kia māia, kia kaha, mahi tahi / Be bold, be strong, work as one

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