Ko wai mātou | About us   

As a gentailer, Contact Energy plays a crucial role in New Zealand's energy landscape. We generate and retail electricity, ensuring that our customers have access to reliable and sustainable energy solutions. Our diverse portfolio includes hydro, geothermal, and thermal power plants, and we're actively developing renewable energy projects like wind and solar farms. This commitment to sustainability is reflected in our innovative energy plans, such as the "Good Weekends" plan, which offers free power on weekends. We're dedicated to supporting New Zealand's transition to a low-carbon future while providing customer-centric solutions.

At our Stratford site in Taranaki, we operate the Stratford Power Station, a significant part of our operations. This facility includes a 577 MW power station with a 377 MW combined cycle unit and two open cycle gas turbine units for peaking power. 

Our Stratford team are now on the look out for a Systems (Controls and Instrumentation) Tech to help keep the plant in top shape and ensure the demand is met at crucial times. 

Kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role

System Technicians look after maintenance of process control and instrumentation systems to ensure we keep our workplace safe and the lights on for Contact customers.

Focused on Electrical and Instrumentation with automation working on PLCs and some HV, this is a trade role, but more specialised than you might be used to. Part of a supportive team of 13, you’ll report to our Maintenance Supervisor and get stuck into everything from plant electrical, control and instrumentation devices and machine protection systems to plant alarm, indication systems and statistical metering equipment along with HV testing, calibration of field instrumentation, control valves and electrical equipment, and maintenance of critical control systems like AVR and Governor.

With 35 people in total at Stratford, this is a small team with lots on the go, making for some awesome learning opportunities. It’s a given that you’ll bring a certain level of expertise to be able to help us from day dot, but we’ll help you, too. You’ll be buddied up with some of the best to learn from and over time gain exposure to a range of mahi and technical challenges that mean you grow as you go. 

Ko wai koe | About you

You'll need to have a dual trade in Instrumentation and Electrical, with good working knowledge of PLC and automation. The key skills we’re looking for are in control system maintenance and optimisation, and maintenance of field devices, protection systems and electrical, and C&I plant and equipment.

Working in power generation can throw up all sorts of curly challenges you might not have come across elsewhere, so it’s essential to have good initiative and problem-solving skills along with clear communication and a generally keen, positive attitude. There’s a fair bit of admin required to keep processes and reporting up to date, so you’ll need to have a good eye for detail and be comfy with computers and record-keeping, too.

Bonus points if you have contract and project management experience.

This is a permanent full-time role, working 7:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday one week, Monday to Friday the next, although if you’d prefer a standard working week (8 hrs per day, Mon-Fri) we’re open to that too. There will be the odd bit of overtime (paid at your normal hourly rate) if a breakdown comes in or we have a shutdown or outage.

There are a bunch of perks to being a permanent Contact kaimahi. Along with great leadership, teammates, development, and growth and progression opportunities, you’ll enjoy flexible working, free health insurance cover, better-than-your-average leave, access to Contact Shares, a ‘Good to be Home’ annual payment toward your home set up & wellbeing, a trail-blazing parental leave policy, discounts on Contact Energy products, and more.

We’re keen to welcome a new System Tech ASAP so if this sounds like a bit of you, apply now!

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

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. We're not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don't meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We'd love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.