Senior Surface Water Scientist

About the opportunity| Ko te āheinga:

Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC) is offering an exciting opportunity for a Senior Surface Water Scientist to join our Environmental Science section within the Integrated Catchment Management Group. In this role, you will be responsible for developing the Council’s surface water programs and providing strategic direction to surface water management in Hawke’s Bay. You will have the opportunity to engage in a diverse array of projects aimed at the sustainable management of the region's valuable water resources, collaborating with a skilled team of professionals. HBRC offers a supportive work environment, opportunities for professional development, and a competitive salary package.

About you| E pā ana ki a koe:

The ideal candidate will have a postgraduate qualification in water engineering, hydrology, or a related field, along with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in water resource management. Proficiency in statistical analysis, data management, and GIS software is essential. You will also possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences. Knowledge of legislation relevant to New Zealand, including an awareness of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the ability to incorporate Māori perspectives into water management is highly valued.

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Experience with the design of surface water flow programs to assist with setting environmental flows.
• A thorough understanding of the broad suite of hydrological statistics and experience deriving these metrics
• Undertaking desktop and field investigations to assist with understanding the impacts caused by resource use.
• The ability to critically assess the impacts of various stresses on instream values such as aquatic life, flow variability, and stream morphology.
• An understanding of the complex interactions with surface water and groundwater, and the methods available to quantify and investigate the resulting physical and chemical changes. 
• 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 with the design and use of rainfall-runoff/catchment models such as SWAT or SOURCE will also be considered advantageous.

What we offer | Nga huanga mōu

HBRC offers a supportive and collaborative work environment where your contributions will make a significant impact on our region’s future. We provide competitive remuneration, professional development opportunities, and the chance to be part of a dedicated team committed to making a difference.

The salary range for this role is between $89,640 to $117,200 depending on your level of qualification and experience. If you believe you're an excellent candidate for this role but have reservations about the offered salary, we encourage you to reach out to us. We value open and transparent communication and are willing to discuss compensation further to ensure we find a mutually beneficial arrangement for the right individual. Our priority is to attract and retain top talent, and we're open to exploring options that align with your experience and expectations. Please don't hesitate to contact us for a friendly and confidential conversation about how we can make this opportunity work for you.

Other benefits of working for our team include:

• Flexible working options to support work/life balance
• 5 weeks annual leave after 3 years
• 4% superannuation after 3 years
• Life insurance and income protection
• Subsidised eye tests and lenses, flu vaccinations, and other well-being initiatives
• Strong commitment to developing and upskilling people within a supportive working environment.

See a full list of our staff benefits here .

 As an equal-opportunity employer, we are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. We recognise that collaborative and innovative organisations depend on having a workforce made up from a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. We're all about excellence, and we encourage open communication – if you need any specific support, just let us know! Our main goal is to empower each person to share their unique talents to contribute to the outcomes for our community. This commitment ensures that our workplace is a dynamic and progressive space where everyone can flourish.

HBRC is responsible for Civil Defence emergencies and as such, all staff may be called upon to support the response.

How to apply | I pēhea ki te whakauru:

If you are passionate about sustainable water management and want to contribute to the protection of Hawke's Bay's environment, we encourage you to apply.

Applications close on 20 May 2024, however, we will be shortlisting and interviewing appropriate candidates as applications are received. If you are interested in this position, please do not wait to apply as we may close the ad earlier than advertised.

View the full job description here.

Please apply via Seek. If you have any questions about the role, please contact: recruitment@hbrc.govt.nz.

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. 

19 April 2024

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