Senior Project Engineer at Wellington Water, Wellington - Wairarapa

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Deliver projects that strengthen the resilience and performance of critical water infrastructure
• Combine hands-on project delivery with senior technical leadership and mentoring responsibilities
• Influence engineering decisions that create lasting benefits for communities and the environment
• Provide technical leadership, mentor Project Engineers, and influence best-practice engineering outcomes

The remuneration midpoint for this role is $127,816 (including KiwiSaver), depending on skills and experience.

This is a full-time position of 40 hours per week, located in Petone.

The opportunity

As a Senior Project Engineer, you will lead the delivery of capital renewal and improvement projects across Wellington's three waters network. You will manage projects from planning through to construction and handover, provide senior technical leadership and assurance, and work closely with contractors, consultants, councils, and operational teams to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure outcomes. You'll play a key role in shaping forward works programmes, improving network performance, and mentoring the next generation of engineers.

Responsibilities include:

• leading the delivery of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects from concept through to commissioning and handover
• managing consultants, contractors, budgets, programmes, and project risks to achieve successful delivery outcomes
• providing technical leadership and engineering assurance across design, constructability, asset performance, and operational readiness
• developing forward work programmes and identifying opportunities to improve network resilience, reliability, and performance
• mentoring Project Engineers and fostering strong relationships with stakeholders, councils, regulators, and delivery partners.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• a tertiary qualification in Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical Engineering
• a full New Zealand driver's licence and the ability to travel across the Wellington region as required
• eight or more years' experience delivering water, wastewater, stormwater, or other infrastructure renewal and improvement projects
• proven capability in managing projects through planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover
• strong technical expertise in asset management, network performance, constructability, and engineering assurance
• demonstrated success managing consultants, contractors, budgets, risks, and project programmes to achieve quality outcomes
• excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with councils, contractors, regulators, customers, and operational teams
• a collaborative leadership style, with the ability to mentor engineers, solve complex problems, and drive continuous improvement.

Benefits

At Tiaki Wai, our purpose extends beyond delivering great water services for the region; we foster a thriving community, support a diverse workforce, and offer supportive development opportunities. We genuinely care about your safety and wellbeing.

Our benefits include:

• flexible working arrangements including up to two days working from home
• comprehensive wellbeing programme, including one paid wellbeing day annually
• formal and informal professional development opportunities
• five weeks annual leave accrual will be available following two years of continual service.

For a full list of our employee benefits, click here.

About us

Tiaki Wai is a council-owned organisation responsible for managing the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wellington.

We manage public-owned extensive water infrastructure and oversee the delivery of safe and reliable services for our communities. We focus on long-term investment, asset management, maintenance, and delivering major infrastructure projects that support public health, environmental protection, and regional growth.

Water is a precious taonga. At Tiaki Wai, we put care into every drop and are guided by our values of Integrity, Care, and Leadership. We work directly with water consumers and in partnership with councils and mana whenua to deliver better water outcomes for current and future generations.

Applications close: Sunday, 26 July 2026.

How to apply

To view a copy of the position description, click here.

To apply, click on the "apply" button or visit the Wellington Water Careers site, please note if you are a Wellington Water employee please apply using your work email.

For further information, email: JoinUs@wellingtonwater.co.nz

Applicants for safety sensitive roles will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing prior to commencing employment with Wellington Water. You must also be legally entitled to work long-term in New Zealand or eligible to obtain a working visa.