Head of Technical Capability

About the Role

As the Head of Technical Capability, you will assume a pivotal leadership role in one of New Zealand's key energy centers—Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch. This position involves leading and developing the standards, tools, and governance frameworks that enhance the quality of delivery at scale, directly shaping the technical capacity underpinning New Zealand's national electricity grid.

Our mission is to support New Zealand's transition to a net-zero carbon future while maintaining a reliable and secure electricity system. Against a backdrop of a significantly expanding and complex work program, this role supports evolving ways of working and the establishment of vital infrastructure for decades to come.

Context and Responsibilities

Grid Development directs the future of the country’s transmission network by integrating network strategy, planning, investment management, project engineering, and technical expertise to satisfy customer, system, and long-term energy requirements.

Your leadership will encompass management of key areas: Asset & System Information, Cost Engineering, Digital Engineering, and Engineering Standards. You'll bolster technical decision-making governance processes and help ensure consistent delivery of quality outcomes.

You will collaborate broadly within Transpower to empower specialist groups and technical disciplines to grow and mature, providing clarity in complex matters, establishing effective escalation procedures, and delivering key information, methods, and tools for efficient work execution.

The key leadership domains include:

• Developing and directing strategies and frameworks for professional practice that support scalable and effective delivery.
• Overseeing technical governance processes, including facilitation of the Technical Engineering Authority, ensuring transparent review, escalation, and decision-making pathways.
• Advancing digital engineering, cost engineering, and asset/system information management to boost usability, dependability, and accessibility.
• Driving continuous improvements and innovation informed by insights, performance data, and industry best practices.
• Fostering leadership and operational model maturity by guiding specialist teams, clarifying responsibilities, and nurturing collaboration across the Grid Development function and the wider organization.

Leadership Profile and Expectations

Ideal candidates are leaders who build capability through people, processes, and practice. Experience managing specialist, engineering, infrastructure, asset, technical, standards, governance, or center-of-excellence teams is valuable. The role demands the ability to set strategic direction, influence diverse professional disciplines, and simplify complex challenges into actionable plans.

Key competencies sought include sound judgement, effective stakeholder engagement, and adeptness at leading change. Ability to build consensus in the face of differing priorities and perspectives is essential. Prior experience in electricity transmission or asset-intensive infrastructure is advantageous but not mandatory.

Candidate Qualifications

• Demonstrable strategic expertise in capability development, professional practice leadership, and organizational capability systems.
• Proven success in leading specialist technical, professional, or center-of-excellence teams.
• Experience navigating complexity, ambiguity, and competing business priorities.
• Skill in aligning technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively.
• Capacity to leverage data and insights to enhance maturity and improve decision quality.
• History of leading organizational change initiatives focused on capability enhancement or practice transformation.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.

Additional Information

This senior leadership position involves high visibility and demands excellent communication and connectivity. You will contribute to creating clarity and cohesion while steering through organizational complexity to deliver infrastructure initiatives vital to national interests. Transpower values intellectual stimulation, continuous learning, and offers a comprehensive package of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits.

The role can be based in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch, with consideration for other office locations for exceptional candidates.

Applications are reviewed as received; early conversations may occur before the closing date, which is Monday, 28 September.