Senior Environmental Scientist

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role  

Join Watercare and play a key role in protecting and improving Auckland’s environment. As a Senior Environmental Scientist, you’ll work on some of our most complex and high‑impact consents, including Māngere and Rosedale, where your expertise will directly influence environmental outcomes for our communities.  
 

This is an opportunity to step into a role where you’ll lead meaningful work, deepen your technical capability, and help shape how we deliver sustainable water services for the future.  
 

In this role, you will:  

• Take ownership of resource consent compliance for complex operations, proactively identifying risks and helping ensure we consistently meet regulatory requirements  
• Lead environmental monitoring and reporting programmes, giving you visibility of environmental performance and the opportunity to influence decision-making  
• Investigate non-compliances, getting to the root cause and developing practical, long-term solutions that reduce environmental impact  
• Respond to environmental incidents, leading investigations and working with stakeholders to deliver effective and transparent outcomes.
• Use your scientific expertise to strengthen capability across Watercare, contributing to research, innovation, and improved environmental understanding 
• Lead or contribute to environmental improvement initiatives that support sustainability and operational excellence  
• Engage with local communities, helping build trust through clear communication about environmental performance  
• Act as a trusted advisor across the business, sharing your expertise and mentoring others  

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you  
 

You’re an experienced environmental professional who enjoys solving complex problems and making a tangible difference. You bring both technical expertise and the ability to connect with people—whether that’s influencing stakeholders, presenting to communities, or working collaboratively across teams.  

To set you up for success, you’ll bring:  

• A relevant honours degree (or higher) in environmental science, environmental engineering, or a related field 
• Around 6+ years’ experience in environmental science or management (we’re open to a range of backgrounds and experiences)  
• Strong knowledge of environmental monitoring, compliance frameworks, and data analysis  
• The ability to break down complex environmental issues and turn them into practical, actionable solutions  
• Confidence engaging, influencing, and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting and writing technical reports  
• Apply and share technical expertise in environmental data analysis, including statistical tools (e.g. R)  
• Support restoration and environmental enhancement initiatives, including through the application of restoration ecology principles.