Track Maintenance Superintendent

KiwiRail Freight; Wellington; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4% KiwiSaver employer contribution

25 annual leave days

NZ Rail Staff Welfare Trust benefits

Discounts and travel benefits

Job summary

KiwiRail is seeking a Track Maintenance Superintendent to provide senior leadership and technical oversight of track and corridor maintenance across the Wellington Metro KiwiRail network. The role ensures rails, sleepers, ballast, turnouts, and corridor infrastructure are safe, reliable and compliant for 24/7 operations.

You will lead safety culture, manage budgets, develop maintenance strategies, and collaborate with operations, engineering and asset management to optimise lifecycle value while

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in track maintenance, rail infrastructure, or civil asset maintenance.
• Leadership experience in safety-critical, operational environments.
• Strong understanding of rail track standards, maintenance practices, and safety management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and embed a strong safety culture across all track and corridor maintenance activities.
• Own planning and control of track maintenance expenditure within budgets.
• Shape and implement improved track maintenance methods and standards.
• Ensure track assets remain code compliant through planned maintenance regimes.
• Collaborate with Track Asset Engineering for compliance and performance reporting.
• Oversee maintenance safety-critical work, fault response, and investigations.
• Ensure on-time execution of programmed track maintenance activities.

Skills

Safety leadership

Communication

Operational judgement

Team leadership

Education

Civil engineering / rail qualification

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

• Day-to-day duties for systems, network and installations
• Permanent, Wellington based

At KiwiRail, we connect New Zealanders sustainably, powering economic growth and ensuring vital freight and passenger services run smoothly. Our mission, "Stronger Connections, Better New Zealand," highlights our dedication to sustainability and community well-being.

Our people make KiwiRail exceptional. By fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace, we empower everyone to contribute their best. If you’re passionate about innovation and safety, we’d love to welcome you aboard.

The Track Maintenance Superintendent provides senior leadership and technical oversight of track and corridor maintenance activities across the Wellington Metro KiwiRail network. The role is accountable for ensuring track assets — including rails, sleepers, ballast, turnouts, formation, and associated corridor infrastructure — are maintained in a safe, reliable, and compliant condition to support 24/7 rail operations. This role sets the maintenance strategy, manages risk and performance while working closely with operations, engineering, and asset management stakeholders.

Track field crews are line-managed through a separate Network Workforce function. The Track Maintenance Superintendent works in close partnership with the Track Workforce Manager to ensure the right capability is available, deployed safely, and utilised effectively.

You will:

• Lead and embed a strong safety culture across all track and corridor maintenance activities, ensuring compliance with rail safety legislation, standards, and KiwiRail procedures.
• Own the planning and control of track maintenance expenditure, delivering work within allocated budgets by actively managing productivity, material usage, and access efficiency, and escalating emerging cost pressures or opportunities early.
• Shape and implement improved track maintenance methods and standards that optimise value for money and whole-of-life cost, balancing intervention timing, asset condition, and disruption to rail services.
• Ensure track assets remain code compliant through effective planned and programmed maintenance regimes.
• Working collaboratively with the Track Asset Engineering team to ensure compliance, condition, and performance reporting is accurate, complete, and maintained in a timely manner and to develop and implement preventative, corrective, and predictive track maintenance strategies that optimise asset lifecycle value.
• Accountability for the maintenance, reliability, and performance of track infrastructure across the network.
• Oversee safety‑critical work, fault response, incident investigations, and the implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Own the on-time execution of programmed track maintenance activities while maintaining strong focus on quality, safety, and efficiency.
• Manage maintenance activities, possession planning, and resource requirements to ensure on-time delivery of work programmes, utilising the Maximo Asset Management system.
• Working closely with the Track Inspector teams to conduct quality assurance reviews of track maintenance activities to ensure compliance with standards, work instructions, and engineering requirements.
• Drive effective planning, prioritisation, and delivery of track maintenance works in coordination with the Network Planning and Integrity team.
• Maintenance technical leadership for track maintenance and provide advanced expert advice to internal stakeholders.
• Support Track asset management plans, renewals programmes, and capital delivery projects with track maintenance expertise.
• Drive continuous improvement, standardisation, and adoption of modern track maintenance practices, plant, and technologies.

Knowledge and experience

• Extensive experience in track maintenance, rail infrastructure, or civil asset maintenance.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in safety‑critical, operational environments.
• Strong understanding of rail track standards, maintenance practices, and safety management systems.
• Proven experience managing incidents, defects, and operational risk.

Ways of working / Work-related qualities

• Strong safety leadership and sound operational judgement.
• Clear communicator across technical and operational audiences.
• Ability to prioritise conflicting demands.
• Practical, resilient, and decisive in dynamic environments.
• Collaborative and values‑driven leader.

Other Requirements

• Ability to obtain and maintain required rail safety competencies.
• Willingness to participate in on‑call and emergency response arrangements.
• Current and valid New Zealand driver licence.
• Ability to meet KiwiRail drug and alcohol testing requirements.

Qualifications

You need:

• A relevant qualification in civil engineering, rail infrastructure, or a related discipline, or significant equivalent industry experience in track maintenance or rail infrastructure operations.
• Relevant Rail industry certifications and safety critical competencies.

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you:

• Competitive salary plus 4% KiwiSaver employer contribution
• 25 annual leave days
• Access to join NZ Rail Staff Welfare Trust where you will enjoy a range of benefits including access to holiday homes across New Zealand, as well as support for optometry, physiotherapy, GP services and prescription costs
• A wide range of discounts at retailers and on scenic trains and Interislander
• Be part of a diverse and inclusive workplace dedicated to innovation, sustainability and community impact

Kua rite, kia rite | Ready to Make a Difference?