Ko wai mātou | About us   

Our purpose is to put our energy where it matters, to decarbonise the New Zealand energy sector and promote #changematters.    

We are committed to delivering market leading performance to shareholders and value to our customers. We will add value to the resources that we are stewards of in turn ensuring the sustainability of our business.  We work closely with iwi, our neighbours, contractors and our local communities to develop projects that deliver wider benefits beyond the obvious.  

To support these aspirations, we are excited to be one of few energy companies in the world embarking on a new geothermal project. Tauhara Geothermal Station will be a 150 MW geothermal plant, New Zealand’s most significant renewable investment. This is only the first part of a broader pipeline of geothermal projects which include ensuring ongoing generation from the Wairakei Geothermal Field and further investments on the Tauhara field, so we are not short of market leading renewable projects for you to get involved in.   

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity 

As the Senior Projects Engineer (Civil) for Tauhara you’ll be working on the construction phase of the Tauhara geothermal power station project.  You’ll be involved in design reviews, constructability reviews, and monitoring onsite construction of piles, foundations and buildings.  As senior project engineer you will;

• Support the construction of site works as part of the overall power station project in accordance with the project mandate.
• Actively lead, along with the wider project team, and contractors to achieve industry best practice safety outcomes across the project.
• Oversee piling, civil and foundation works, and buildings, for the power station, the steamfield and the various process facilities.
• Oversee and review design of civil and foundation works, and buildings for suitability for long term operation and constructability.
• Be aware of all identified project risks, and support the mitigation and/or management of these risks. 
• Support the Project Managers in the management of the contracts including contractual claims and variations to deliver the works on time, to the required quality, and to budget.
• Provide regular reporting against key milestones, costs and risk issues as required.
• Identify and create opportunities for community and hapu participation in the project.

Ko wai koe | About you 

You will be a natural influencer. You will be famous for your communication style and ability to take people on a journey – even if it gets rocky from time to time. We have made a conscious decision to align our project principles with a universal approach to all roles across the programme. 

• You’ll be a supportive part of a team that takes true pride in delivery. Self-starting, highly motivated and outcome driven - you’ll ensure quality delivery, on time, to budget and with an eye on the overall life of the plant. 
• You’ll be an effective communicator - with high pressure projects, communication is everything.  You’ll be calm, concise, connect the dots and provide context always.  Keeping people in the loop is your mode of operation be that in a meeting, with a coffee or cheese scone, or a general site chat. Any avenue of communication will be your forte. 
• You’ll understand that projects are more than just an individual, they require a village of committed and skilled people. You’ll be a team player, always willing to lend a hand, quick with praise, considerate with feedback, respectful of those around you and the contribution they make in their own capacity.  
• You’ll recognise that the project will leave a lasting legacy for Contact, the community and for New Zealand. You’ll maintain a view on the bigger picture and work within your sphere to deliver wider benefits where available. 

Like any opportunity, there are some key attributes that we would like to add to our bench strength. You will have plenty of examples where you have been involved in: 

• Relevant degree in engineering or equivalent qualifications and appropriate professional registration.
• Large scale, extensive contract and/or project management experience in a complex environment, preferably in the power generation and ideally geothermal sector.
• Experience in EPC and Design Build contracting frameworks as a Client Side Project Engineer.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including strengths in influencing, conflict management and negotiation.
• Renowned communicator with the ability to clearly convey complex information to a variety of audiences both verbally and written.
• Skilled at identifying and recommending cost effective solutions and in the effective resolution of complex issues and problems.
• Curiosity and comfort in working ‘in the grey’.
• Willingness to canvas diversity of thought.
• Strength in influencing, conflict management and negotiation.
• Comfort in an agile environment and keeping key people across key changes.
• High energy and ability to motivate others and keep things on track especially in what will be, at times, a pressured environment.

How to get involved?  

Finally, we are after like-minded individuals to join our Tauhara team who will buy into our team principles: 

• We are a cohesive team - authentic, collaborative and inclusive 
• We take pride in our work and want to enjoy the project journey  
• We will create enduring value for Contact and New Zealand 

If you have read this far, you don't need us to tell you this kind of opportunity won't stay in the market for long - hit the apply now button! 

If working for a progressive company is for you, apply now. Thanks and looking forward to the korero.  

Contact Energy is committed to being an inclusive employer. We want people to be themselves, after all, they can't be anyone else!

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.