Head of Technical Capability

About the Role

Take ownership of a senior leadership position based in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch overseeing technical standards, tools, and governance that raise quality in large-scale delivery. This role drives the development and application of technical capabilities critical to New Zealand’s national electricity grid.

Our Purpose and Context

Our mission is to enable a net-zero carbon economy and a secure, reliable energy system for New Zealand’s future. As our work scales and grows more complex, we are evolving how we operate and building infrastructure that will serve the country for decades.

The Grid Development team shapes the future transmission network by integrating strategy, planning, investment, project engineering, and technical expertise to meet long-term energy needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the function responsible for implementing capability frameworks, standards, tools, and practices that enable confident delivery within Grid Development.
• Manage four specialist teams: Asset & System Information, Cost Engineering, Digital Engineering, and Engineering Standards.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality technical outcomes through effective governance, decision-making, and escalation processes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to mature specialist and technical professions and support scalable delivery.
• Drive strategy and frameworks for professional practice that underpin scalable project delivery.
• Facilitate the Technical Engineering Authority process to maintain clear technical governance and review pathways.
• Advance digital engineering, cost engineering, and asset information tools to improve usability and reliability.
• Promote continuous improvement and innovation using insights, performance data, and industry best practices.
• Lead and refine specialist teams, clarifying roles and enhancing collaboration across Grid Development and the broader organisation.

Candidate Profile

We seek a leader adept at growing capability through people, systems, and professional practices. Ideal candidates will have experience leading specialist or technical functions in engineering, infrastructure, assets, or governance.

You should demonstrate strong judgement, stakeholder engagement skills, and be capable of uniting diverse priorities and viewpoints. Experience in electricity transmission or complex asset-intensive sectors is advantageous but not mandatory.

Qualifications and Experience Sought

• Deep strategic insight into capability development, professional practice leadership, and organisational capability frameworks.
• A proven track record of heading specialist technical or centre-of-excellence teams.
• Experience managing complexity, ambiguity, and diverse organisational demands.
• Ability to build alignment between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Use of evidence and metrics to drive maturity and better decision-making.
• Leadership in organisational change, capability enhancement, or practice transformation initiatives.
• Strong communication skills, with an ability to clearly convey complex technical issues to varied audiences.

Why Join Transpower?

At Transpower, our people are united by a shared mission to empower New Zealand’s energy future. We value diverse perspectives, complex problem-solving, and impact-driven work aimed at generations to come.

This high-profile leadership role demands excellent communication and connection skills to navigate complexity and deliver infrastructure projects of national importance.

We offer intellectually engaging work environments, continuous learning opportunities, and a comprehensive range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits.

Additional Information

The position may be located in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch, with other office locations considered for exceptional candidates.

The application review process is ongoing, with candidates potentially contacted for preliminary discussions before the closing date on Monday 28 September.