Waikato Waters is a brand-new, publicly owned water utility bringing together water and wastewater services across the Waikato region built from the ground up to deliver for communities today and for generations to come. Everything we do is guided by our kaupapa - Te Mana o Te Wai, Te Mana o Te Tangata - healthy water, healthy people. Our vision is simple - local voices, local delivery, local care, done well for the Waikato.
Te tūranga | The role
Ensure infrastructure is ready before it reaches construction. As a Design Assurance Engineer, you’ll provide technical assurance across infrastructure designs - ensuring assets are safe, compliant, constructable, and fit for operational handover.
Reporting to the Design and Consenting Manager, you’ll review and challenge externally designed works, assess servicing and network capacity requirements, and ensure designs align with Waikato Waters’ engineering standards and long-term asset strategies. You’ll work closely with consultants, developers, and internal teams to identify risks early and ensure infrastructure projects are technically sound and delivery-ready from the outset.
Ō mahi | What you’ll do
- Provide technical assurance across externally designed infrastructure projects.
- Review and challenge consultant and developer design outputs to ensure quality, constructability, and operational fit.
- Undertake servicing and capacity assessments for developments and complex applications.
- Identify infrastructure constraints, upgrade requirements, and key delivery risks.
- Ensure designs consider environmental, consenting, and operational impacts before construction.
- Work closely with Asset Management, Strategic Consenting, Project Delivery, and Operations teams to resolve design issues.
- Support consistent application of engineering standards and assurance processes.
- Identify, document, and escalate material design risks or departures from standards.
- Contribute to improving technical governance and assurance across the infrastructure portfolio.
Ō pūkenga | What you’ll bring
You’re a technically strong engineer with a sharp eye for detail and the confidence to challenge designs when needed. You know what good infrastructure looks like in practice - and you’re motivated by ensuring projects are safe, practical, and fit for long-term operation.
- Engineering qualification in civil, structural, mechanical, or related infrastructure discipline.
- Experience in infrastructure design assurance or technical review of water and wastewater designs.
- Strong understanding of engineering standards relevant to water and wastewater infrastructure.
- Experience assessing servicing and capacity requirements for developments.
- Ability to identify and manage technical risks before construction.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively across consultants, developers, and operational teams.
- Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or working toward it (desirable).
- Experience in water, wastewater, local government, or infrastructure delivery environments (desirable).
Waikato Waters is being built once, and you’d be part of that. He waka eke noa - we are all in this together. The work is real, the impact is visible, and the team we’re assembling is genuinely exceptional. We offer competitive remuneration, health insurance, and hybrid working where the role allows. To learn more about Waikato Waters visit: www.waikatowaters.co.nz
Me pēhea te tono | How to apply
To apply, visit https://www.alexanderjames.co.nz/job-results#/ . For a full position description or for a confidential chat contact Cameron Zukor | cameron@alexanderjames.co.nz.
Applications close 12/06/2026.