Senior Asset Planner - Primary Assets
Transpower New Zealand
Date: 1 week ago
City: Christchurch, Canterbury
Contract type: Full time
At Transpower, we plan, build, operate, and maintain the National Grid — New Zealand's electricity transmission backbone. Our purpose is to empower Aotearoa's energy future, enabling a net-zero carbon economy and a secure, reliable electricity system.
About The Team
The Asset Planning - Primary Assets team manages critical infrastructure across Transpower's High Voltage AC substations, including transformers, circuit breakers, switchgear, cables, and buswork.
We collaborate closely with the Facilities and Secondary Systems teams to prioritise investment, balancing cost and risk to deliver the best outcomes for substations and support Transpower's strategic goals.
As the electricity sector evolves with growing renewable generation, we focus on sustainable, whole-of-life asset management.
The opportunity
Based in Wellington or Christchurch, this new and unique role shapes how we plan and invest in our stations - viewing each site as a whole asset rather than just a collection of components. You'll help develop a practical, repeatable site-level planning approach that improves performance, resilience, and long-term value.
The role is not tightly defined, so you'll need to be comfortable working in the grey, drawing on others' expertise, asking insightful questions, and defining what 'good' looks like. You'll join a high-performing asset management team with access to a strong professional network, including CEATI and the Asset Management Council.
Whether you bring hands-on substation knowledge or a sharp analytical mindset, this is a rare opportunity to define the role and make a lasting impact.
Key Accountabilities
You'll lead the development and implementation of asset management plans, applying sound investment principles and lifecycle costing. Your work will involve:
You're passionate about asset management and skilled at solving complex challenges. While experience in energy or utilities is preferred, we welcome expertise from related industries.
Your CV and cover letter will demonstrate:
Join us at Transpower
Aotearoa is powered by the people who work here. Every home, every marae, every electric vehicle, every hospital relies on the electricity we manage and deliver. This is your opportunity to join us on a mission that affects all New Zealanders, every day, and long into the future.
With over 28 nationalities, our people provide diverse perspectives, knowledge, and deep experience which they love to share. We work in the office or on-site for a minimum of three days each week to build and maintain relationships, support learning, deliver outcomes, and sustain our culture. This approach also offers staff the flexibility they need for both work and personal commitments, with adaptable daily start and finish times.
We prioritise employee wellbeing with a range of health and wellness benefits - check them out here: https://www.transpower.co.nz/about-us/careers-transpower/staff-benefits.
Next steps
To take your place at the heart of the electricity sector and help us achieve the best long-term outcomes for New Zealand, we invite you to review the position description in full and apply without delay.
The role closes on Sunday, 8 June; however, applications will be reviewed as they are received. You may be contacted for an initial phone or coffee chat before the closing date to assist with shortlisting.
Preference will be given to applicants already based in New Zealand with existing eligibility to work.
About The Team
The Asset Planning - Primary Assets team manages critical infrastructure across Transpower's High Voltage AC substations, including transformers, circuit breakers, switchgear, cables, and buswork.
We collaborate closely with the Facilities and Secondary Systems teams to prioritise investment, balancing cost and risk to deliver the best outcomes for substations and support Transpower's strategic goals.
As the electricity sector evolves with growing renewable generation, we focus on sustainable, whole-of-life asset management.
The opportunity
Based in Wellington or Christchurch, this new and unique role shapes how we plan and invest in our stations - viewing each site as a whole asset rather than just a collection of components. You'll help develop a practical, repeatable site-level planning approach that improves performance, resilience, and long-term value.
The role is not tightly defined, so you'll need to be comfortable working in the grey, drawing on others' expertise, asking insightful questions, and defining what 'good' looks like. You'll join a high-performing asset management team with access to a strong professional network, including CEATI and the Asset Management Council.
Whether you bring hands-on substation knowledge or a sharp analytical mindset, this is a rare opportunity to define the role and make a lasting impact.
Key Accountabilities
You'll lead the development and implementation of asset management plans, applying sound investment principles and lifecycle costing. Your work will involve:
- Leading the portfolio to ensure the plan remains robust, reliable and fit for purpose.
- Developing a site-level works plan (outlining how many and which sites are involved), along with a high-level overview of requirements for proposed works in Regulatory Control Period 5 (RCP5)
- Reviewing the Stations Strategy and identifying key objectives for implementation
- Developing asset health models to support planning and risk assessment
- Creating business cases for asset replacement or acquisition based on cost-benefit analysis, identifying opportunities to bundle projects and coordinate joint delivery
- Using lifecycle modelling and asset health forecasting to guide investment decisions
You're passionate about asset management and skilled at solving complex challenges. While experience in energy or utilities is preferred, we welcome expertise from related industries.
Your CV and cover letter will demonstrate:
- A relevant tertiary qualification, ideally in engineering or asset management
- Chartered Engineer status or recognised asset planner accreditation with proven experience
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills, including financial analysis, cost-benefit assessments, and risk management
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical insights into actionable advice for diverse audiences
- A systematic, collaborative approach to problem-solving
- The ability to mentor and support others in their professional development
- Abstract reasoning that considers broader, innovative solutions beyond immediate issues
Join us at Transpower
Aotearoa is powered by the people who work here. Every home, every marae, every electric vehicle, every hospital relies on the electricity we manage and deliver. This is your opportunity to join us on a mission that affects all New Zealanders, every day, and long into the future.
With over 28 nationalities, our people provide diverse perspectives, knowledge, and deep experience which they love to share. We work in the office or on-site for a minimum of three days each week to build and maintain relationships, support learning, deliver outcomes, and sustain our culture. This approach also offers staff the flexibility they need for both work and personal commitments, with adaptable daily start and finish times.
We prioritise employee wellbeing with a range of health and wellness benefits - check them out here: https://www.transpower.co.nz/about-us/careers-transpower/staff-benefits.
Next steps
To take your place at the heart of the electricity sector and help us achieve the best long-term outcomes for New Zealand, we invite you to review the position description in full and apply without delay.
The role closes on Sunday, 8 June; however, applications will be reviewed as they are received. You may be contacted for an initial phone or coffee chat before the closing date to assist with shortlisting.
Preference will be given to applicants already based in New Zealand with existing eligibility to work.
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