Portfolio Lead

About the Role

As the Portfolio Lead at Napier City Council, you will oversee the delivery of the council’s capital works programme focused on water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. This portfolio ranges in value from $30 million to $100 million annually. Your responsibilities will include managing projects from start to finish, collaborating with internal technical teams, contractors, and consultants to define project scopes, evaluate options, and ensure projects meet established quality, safety, and performance benchmarks.

You will thrive in a busy, fast-paced environment requiring excellent organization and proactive management of complex infrastructure projects. Your role includes influencing investment decisions, driving strategic outcomes, and engaging with diverse stakeholders such as community groups, iwi, and regulatory bodies to ensure the projects provide real benefits to the city and its residents.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and coordinate a defined portfolio of projects, guiding them from early planning and scoping through procurement, delivery, and completion stages.
• Develop project scopes and assess delivery options to support informed decision-making.
• Manage financial budgets, scheduling, resource allocation, risk management, and overall project performance monitoring.
• Manage consultants and contractors through established panel agreements while ensuring contractual compliance, quality standards, and delivery expectations are met.
• Facilitate communication and engagement with iwi, communities, and other stakeholders throughout project lifecycles.
• Provide transparent progress reports including financial performance, risk status, and any emerging concerns.

Candidate Profile

• You possess a relevant qualification in engineering, project management, or a related field.
• You bring at least seven years of experience delivering capital programmes or portfolios, preferably within infrastructure sectors or local government.
• You have demonstrated expertise managing complex projects via external delivery models.
• You have strong knowledge and experience in tendering, contract administration, and managing consultants or contractors.
• You are confident handling programme budgets, financial reporting, timelines, and mitigating delivery risks.
• Strong communication and organizational abilities that enable results in fast-paced environments.
• Experience with collaborative delivery frameworks, infrastructure funding, business cases, or long-term planning is advantageous.

Benefits and Work Conditions

• Five weeks of annual leave after two years of service.
• Discounted health insurance with a work scheme and eye test subsidy.
• Retail discounts, study support, and birthday vouchers.
• Employee Assistance Program support.
• Quarterly awards recognizing company values and social club activities.
• Annual free flu vaccinations.
• Cultural initiatives including Ka Awatea Cultural Wānanga, NCC Kapa Haka, and Te Reo Māori classes.
• Flexible work arrangements.

This is a permanent full-time role based in Napier, working 40 hours weekly from Monday to Friday. The annual remuneration ranges from $115,239 to $128,796 inclusive of KiwiSaver, with the final salary commensurate with experience and skills.

Additional Information

Napier City Council is transitioning towards a joint regional water entity under the Local Water Done Well reform, which may impact governance, organizational structure, reporting relationships, and collaborative regional management of water services. Candidates should be adaptable and comfortable with evolving roles within this dynamic environment.

Napier City Council fosters an inclusive work culture valuing diversity and equal opportunity. Support and accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process upon request. Successful candidates will be subject to pre-employment screening including criminal, health, and substance testing where applicable. Employees may also be involved in Civil Defence emergency responses as needed.