New Zealand’s largest water utility, supplying water and wastewater services to 1.7 million people in Auckland, Watercare is a Council Controlled Organisation. Wholly owned by Auckland Council, Watercare provides safe drinking water to 484,000 homes and businesses, and collects, treats, and discharges its customers’ wastewater in an environmentally responsible way.
Employing approximately 1300 FTE, with revenues of $1bn+ and assets of over $16bnin value, Watercare’s 10-year capital works programme will require an annual spend of$1bn+. Headquartered in Newmarket, Watercare has operational sites throughout Auckland from the top of the Waikato, up to Wellsford. In response to the need to deliver high quality and resilient water services and accommodate growth, Watercare has embarked on a journey to undertake one of the largest capital raisings in NZ’s corporate history. This capital raise is accompanied by commencement of operations in a new environment of economic regulation. One of the critical aspects of this transition is the debt transfer from Auckland Council to Watercare.
Watercare’s Board of Directors seek to appoint a Chief Executive Officer who will provide stability and meet the challenges ahead, whilst continuing to evolve the unified organisational culture. The CEO is responsible for developing and leading Watercare’s strategic pathway and will play a leadership role in contributing to the future of the water sector in New Zealand. Alongside steadfast leadership, the CEO will ensure operational stability and enable employees to successfully navigate the implementation of upcoming changes.
The incoming CEO will have experience leading large, complex organisations, and will likely bring an infrastructure/network background. The successful candidate will be a skilled relationship builder, able to develop partnerships with key stakeholders such as elected officials (local and central government), Auckland Council employees, iwi groups, and customers. They will understand the complexities of working in a highly regulated environment.
The new CEO will be comfortable with oversight of the $1billion + per year, capital works programme and driving a substantial efficiency gain in operations. Training and development are critical to maintaining water and wastewater standards and financial performance into the future. The successful candidate will be an authentic leader with high levels of integrity, who demonstrates a humble and open style, role modelling Watercare’s core values.
For more information or to apply, please contact Maia Stewart at Hobson Leavy Executive Search: maia@hobsonleavy.com. Applications close 5pm Tuesday 14th January 2025.
