Head of Environmental Engineering & Consenting

WM New Zealand is looking for a senior leader to steer environmental engineering and consenting across its Auckland operations. The company describes its work as more than waste management, it's about people, place and purpose, solving problems and supporting communities. This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to shape sustainable infrastructure and lead a technical team in a real-world setting.

The position is based onsite in Redvale, Auckland, and is a full-time, strategic leadership post that interacts with regulators, local authorities and project teams. It suits someone who thrives on turning complex regulatory challenges into practical, compliant solutions and who enjoys cross-functional collaboration to drive outcomes that matter for the environment and communities.

If you’re comfortable operating at the intersection of engineering, policy and delivery, this role offers a chance to have a tangible impact on NZ’s waste and land-use landscape while guiding a skilled group of environmental professionals.

Steering the environmental engineering program on the ground

In this role, you’ll lead a capable mix of environmental engineers and consenting specialists, building a culture that prizes professional excellence, inventive thinking and ongoing growth. You’ll champion strategic initiatives that lift our environmental engineering capabilities and put best-practice consenting processes in place.

You’ll oversee the environmental aspects of landfill and waste disposal operations, making sure applicable environmental and technical requirements are clearly understood and properly applied. You’ll direct the preparation and submission of resource consent applications, drawing on your knowledge of the RMA and local planning rules, and ensure existing consents are managed to support ongoing operations.

Beyond the paperwork, you’ll review and update resource consents as needed to keep them fit for purpose and aligned with business needs. Your technical leadership will help translate data from environmental assessments into strategic recommendations and clear regulatory pathways, while you build trusted relationships with regulators, local authorities and project teams. You’ll also oversee environmental impact assessments and management plans, set quality standards for engineering work and consenting documentation, and stay ahead of regulatory changes to keep compliance front and centre across the organisation.

What you’ll need and what would help you stand out

To be successful, you’ll bring solid NZ-grounded experience in environmental engineering, consenting, landfilling or related fields, with hands-on knowledge of how resource consents are obtained, interpreted and managed over a facility’s life. You should understand landfill engineering principles and waste disposal operations, and be comfortable with environmental impact assessment methodologies and their regulatory framework. A track record of keeping operations within consent conditions, plus extensive stakeholder management with regulators and local authorities, is essential. Leadership experience, proven ability to develop technical teams and guide them through complex projects, is a must, along with strong analytical and problem-solving skills that help you translate complex environmental data into actionable insights.

Preferred extras include experience with P&L management and strategic business planning, change management or organisational development, and professional registration or membership with relevant environmental or engineering bodies.

• Solid track record in New Zealand environments, with exposure to environmental engineering, consenting, landfilling or waste disposal
• Hands-on know-how of RMA processes and resource consent applications in NZ
• Strong grasp of NZ environmental legislation and planning frameworks
• Demonstrated ability to obtain, interpret and monitor resource consents across their life cycle
• Clear understanding of landfill engineering principles and waste disposal operations
• Familiarity with environmental impact assessment methodologies and regulatory expectations
• Proven ability to manage environmental compliance and ensure operations stay within consent conditions
• Extensive stakeholder management with regulators and local authorities
• Proven leadership of technical teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• P&L management and strategic business planning experience is a plus
• Change management and organisational development experience is a plus
• Professional registration or membership with relevant environmental or engineering bodies is a plus

• P&L management and strategic business planning experience (preferred)
• Change management and organisational development experience (preferred)
• Professional registration or membership with relevant environmental or engineering bodies (preferred)

Pay, benefits and practical details

The role sits in Auckland, on a full-time, onsite basis, with a path for ongoing training and clear opportunities for career advancement within WM New Zealand. The company highlights a valid and rewarding career path and ongoing training as part of the package.

WM New Zealand emphasises equal opportunity and maintains a drug- and alcohol-free workplace. Applicants must be in New Zealand and hold a current work visa or residency, or NZ citizenship, to be considered for this role.

Advice for applicants

Make the most of your application by leading with NZ-specific environmental engineering and consenting experience. Put concrete examples of projects at landfills or waste-disposal sites where you navigated RMA processes and managed resources across the life of the facility, and show how you delivered compliant outcomes on time and within budget.

When you describe your background, link your leadership to tangible results. Include scenarios where you built, mentored or restructured technical teams, managed budgets, and collaborated with regulators to resolve issues or secure approvals.

Be prepared to discuss how you translate complex data from environmental assessments into strategic recommendations and practical regulatory pathways. Have a few crisp case studies ready that show you identified regulatory risks, defined the path forward, and achieved successful outcomes.

Think of a thoughtful question to close with, such as how WM New Zealand measures environmental performance for this leadership role, or how the head of environmental engineering collaborates with project teams and regulatory bodies to integrate environmental considerations into planning and delivery.

Getting the process started

To apply, click 'I'm interested'. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis, so applying early helps. WM New Zealand is an equal opportunity employer and promotes drug- and alcohol-free workplaces. Applicants must be in New Zealand and hold a current work visa/residency or NZ citizenship.