- Once-in-a-generation reconsenting + $40-50M capital works delivery
- Senior leadership role with strategic influence
- Shape Waitaki water infrastructure across 50,000+ hectares
- Oamaru based + competitive package + relocation support
About the Company:
Established in 2024 by North Otago Irrigation Company (NOIC) and Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company (LWIC), Aqus Ltd manages irrigation schemes drawing water from the Waitaki River. Aqus also manages the Kurow-Duntroon and Maerewhenua schemes under contract, and together these schemes deliver reliable water to more than 50,000 hectares of irrigated farmland and over 450 farmer-shareholders.
With more than $250M of infrastructure assets in its care, an Oamaru-based management team and field crews across the district, Aqus is lean, practical and closely connected to the farming community it serves. Its purpose is simple but significant: giving farmers the confidence to grow their businesses, supporting the economic and social wellbeing of the Waitaki for generations to come.
About The Role:
Irrigation schemes operate on 30–35 year consent cycles, and for most of that time it’s business as usual. For Aqus, the defining moment is now. Three of the schemes it manages require new water-take consents by 2030 and, alongside this, sits a $40–50M programme of new capital works – storage ponds, pipelines and pumping infrastructure – that will shape water supply in the region for decades.
Reporting to the CEO and a member of the executive team, the General Manager Consenting and Infrastructure will own this programme end to end. Leading a largely external delivery team of planners, engineers, ecologists and project managers the role will build the multi-year Capital Works Plan, develop business cases, manage budgets and risk, engage contractors and lead the delivery of capital projects.
The capital programme will run well beyond 2030 and, as effectively second-in-command to the CEO, the role will have genuine scope to influence the direction of the business.
Skills & Experience:
Aqus is looking for a seasoned, commercially astute general manager who has the experience and judgement that only comes from leading complex work through to delivery. You will bring:
- Substantial senior leadership experience across programme leadership, project delivery and risk management
- A background in infrastructure, utilities, water or the primary sector - whether in a large infrastructure organisation, consultancy or scheme
- Strong financial and commercial acumen, including business cases, budgets and contractor management
- Enough operational understanding to work alongside the operations team
- Outstanding relationship skills, with the credibility to earn the trust of boards, farmer-shareholders, regulators, consultants and contractors
- A visible commitment to health and safety leadership
Technical expertise in hydrology or engineering is not required; sound judgement, delivery discipline and the ability to bring people with you matter most.
The role is based in the Aqus office in Oamaru, so you will live in, or be ready to relocate to, the Waitaki district. Oamaru is a characterful coastal town with an affordable, unhurried lifestyle and easy access to the lakes, rivers and high country of the Waitaki.