Groundwater Scientist & Senior Groundwater Scientist

Te Whakapakari Tahi I Tō tātau Taiao – Enhancing our environment together.

Our vision is a healthy environment and a resilient and prosperous community.

About the Opportunity| Ko te āheinga:

Join us at the Hawkes Bay Regional Council where you can apply your groundwater science skills whilst experiencing one of New Zealand’s warmest and driest regions. We are looking for a Senior Groundwater Scientist and a Groundwater Scientist to join the Environmental Science team. These roles are responsible for developing Council’s groundwater programs and providing strategic direction to the management of water resources in Hawke’s Bay. If you are passionate about Groundwater Science and want to make a positive difference, this could be your opportunity!  

In this role you will | I tenei mahi ka mahi koe:

• Develop and manage groundwater programs to assist with understanding the impacts caused by resource development.
• Undertake research and field investigations to assist with characterising groundwater systems, reducing uncertainty and assisting with the development of resource management plans.
• Produce technical reports, present findings, and provide advice to a range of audiences, including, when required providing expert evidence in relation to hearings and enforcement proceedings.
• Procure contractors, manage budgets and, co-ordinate and mentor staff.

About you| E pā ana ki a koe:

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• An understanding of the principles of groundwater flow and transport mechanics, including interactions with surface water and the various methods available to investigate resulting physical and chemical changes. 
• Experience designing regional groundwater monitoring networks to meet multi-objective problems such as supporting surface water and groundwater models, characterising groundwater systems and reporting on the state of the environment.
• Experience assessing potential and actual effects from a range of activities (groundwater pumping, point-source, and diffuse discharges.
• An understanding and application of statistical methods used in water resources such as hypothesis and trend tests.

Senior Groundwater Scientist will also have:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a similar role/relevant industry.
• An understanding of the fate and transport of contaminants in groundwater with particular focus on phosphorus, nitrogen and E. coli, and the risk these pose to drinking water supplies and surface water environments.
• Advanced understanding of flow mechanics.
• Proven experience modelling groundwater flow and contaminant transport will be highly regarded.

Candidates for both positions will ideally demonstrate (but not essential):

• Recognised tertiary qualification in an environmental science or engineering discipline, with a specific hydrogeology post-graduate qualification.
• Knowledge of the recent developments in NZ water resource management, including the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and the limit-setting process. 
• Proven experience with programming languages such as, but not limited to, R, Python, and FORTRAN for data manipulation, analysis and statistical computing will be highly regarded.
• Experience using GIS software such as ESRI or QGIS.

 All applicants must have existing rights to work in New Zealand.

What we offer | Nga huanga mōu:

The salary range for the Groundwater Scientist role is between $87,480 to $97,200 and for the Senior Groundwater role is between $102,870-114,300. This will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. Other benefits of working for our team include a supportive and encouraging working environment, flu vaccinations, and other well-being initiatives. HBRC also has a strong commitment to developing and upskilling people within a flexible and supportive working environment. To see a full list of our benefits please visit our website. 

How to apply | I pēhea ki te whakauru:

For more information about the roles please check out the job descriptions - Groundwater Scientist & Senior Groundwater Scientist.

If you are interested in either of these roles, please send your CV and cover letter to recruitment@hbrc.govt.nz (don't forget to specify which role you are applying for).

About us | E pā ki a mātou:

At Hawke’s Bay Regional Council our purpose is to work with our community to protect and manage the region’s precious taonga of rivers, lakes, soils, air, coast and biodiversity for health, wellbeing and connectivity. Our organisation is diverse, and our work is varied. Our structure comprises of six key business units; Corporate Services, Integrated Catchment Management, Asset Management, Māori Partnerships, Policy & Regulation, and the Executive Advisory Group which also consists of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

We focus on prioritising:

Te kounga o te wai, te haumarutanga me te mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi o te whakamarutanga | Water quality, safety and climate-resilient security.  

Kia koi, kia toitū hoki te whakamahinga o te whenua | Climate-smart and sustainable land use. 

Kia ora, kia āhei, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki te rerenga rauropi | Healthy, functioning and climate-resilient biodiversity. 

Kia toitū, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki ngā ratonga me ngā hanganga ā-whare | Sustainable and climate-resilient services and infrastructure. 

20 July 2023

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