Are you practical, organised, good with people and keen to learn something new?

Whangārei District Council is looking for a Distribution Technician to join our Water Services team on a fixed-term basis to provide parental leave cover.

You don't necessarily need previous experience in water to be successful in this role. We're looking for someone who is switched on, enjoys solving problems, is confident dealing with people and can learn new systems and technical information.

This could be a great opportunity for someone with practical construction or infrastructure experience who would like to move into a more technical and office-based role. Equally, you may come from customer service, administration, project coordination or another background where you have developed strong organisational and problem-solving skills.

Key responsibilities include:

• Responding to customer enquiries relating to water supply, water consumption, water metering and billing.
• Investigating unusual drinking water use, water meter readings, leaks and other customer-related water issues.
• Processing applications for new connections to Council's public water supply system.
• Liaising with customers, plumbers, developers and contractors throughout the connection process.
• Monitoring connection works and carrying out site inspections to ensure installations meet Council standards and specifications.
• Checking documentation and records associated with new water connections and ensuring the required information is received and recorded.
• Coordinating Council's residential water meter replacement programme.
• Maintaining accurate records and helping with reporting and other day-to-day activities within the Water Distribution team.

The role is predominantly office-based and customer-focused, with occasional site visits to inspect new connections and resolve issues where required.

Because this is a fixed-term cover position, we are particularly interested in someone who can quickly become familiar with our systems and processes, is comfortable managing their own workload and is happy to ask questions and learn along the way.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone practical, capable and willing to learn.

Previous experience in water would certainly be useful, but it is not essential. We can teach the right person the water-specific aspects of the role.

You may have experience in construction, plumbing, infrastructure, engineering, customer service, administration or another practical environment. What matters most is that you can communicate well, think through problems and are comfortable learning new things.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• A practical approach to problem solving and plenty of common sense.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage several things at once.
• Confidence dealing with customers, contractors and other professionals.
• Good computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel, and the ability to learn new systems.
• Good written communication and attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently while knowing when to ask for help or technical advice.
• An interest in learning how a public water supply network works.
• Reliability, initiative and a willingness to follow things through.

A relevant technical qualification or previous experience in water, plumbing, construction or infrastructure would be an advantage, but it is not essential. We are equally interested in applicants with strong transferable skills and the right attitude to learn.

Why join us?

You'll be joining a small, experienced Water Distribution team where people genuinely work together and help each other out. We have a great team environment and enjoy what we do. There is always someone around to bounce an idea off, ask a question or lend a hand when things get busy.

At the same time, the work we do matters. The team is responsible for helping keep Whangārei's drinking water network operating safely and reliably and supporting the thousands of customers who depend on it every day.

For someone new to the water industry, this role is also a great opportunity to learn how a public water supply network works and develop practical knowledge that is transferable across the wider infrastructure and water sector.

Our organisational tikanga are:

• Whanaungatanga - fostering strong relationships and connections.
• Manaakitanga - showing respect, care and support for others.
• Kotahitanga - working together towards shared outcomes.
• Atawhaitanga - acting as trusted stewards for our community and future generations.

Apply now

If you are practical, organised, enjoy dealing with people and like figuring things out, we'd like to hear from you - even if you have never worked in water before.

Bring us your experience, common sense and willingness to learn, and we'll teach you the water-specific knowledge you need.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the People & Capability team on (09) 430 4200 or 0800 932 463. We look forward to hearing from you.