Project Director - Energy and Renewables

Ventia's Energy and Renewables business is in a strong growth phase, playing a key role in New Zealand’s energy transition, supporting renewable generation, network upgrades, and major industrial projects. Revenue has significantly grown in recent years, with continued investment in capability, people, and innovation.

About the Role
Reporting to the General Manager, the Project Director – Northern Region will lead a diverse portfolio with full accountability for operational performance, commercial outcomes, and strategic growth.

Based in Auckland, this role oversees a complex, multi-site business delivering a mix of hard-dollar contracting and long-term client partnerships across the generation, transmission, distribution, and industrial sectors.

You will lead a team of 9 direct reports, and an overall team of 140, driving business performance, capability uplift, and continuous improvement across safety, quality, and workforce development.

Key Responsibilities
- Lead an energy and renwables regional team with full P&L accountability (>$70M revenue)
- Responsible for identifying, securing, and executing growth opportunities
- Accountable for delivery across major HV electrical projects (generation, transmission, distribution, industrial)
- Strengthen relationships with key clients including utilities, infrastructure owners, and developers
- Lead operational excellence across safety, quality, and program performance
- Drive national business improvement initiatives, including workforce capability and systems uplift
- Partner closely with Commercial, Finance, and P&C leaders to deliver sustainable performance
- Lead geographically dispersed teams across multiple sites

About You
You are a seasoned operational leader with a strong track record in electrical contracting or infrastructure services, having held senior roles such as Project Director, General Manager, Operations Manager, or Regional/Area Manager within complex, multi-site environments. You have led large-scale electrical or HV infrastructure programs across geographically dispersed locations and understand the balance between operational delivery, commercial performance, and strategic growth.

Your experience includes full accountability for a substantial business unit, managing revenues in excess of $50M, where you have demonstrated the ability to both win work and deliver it successfully. You bring a strong commercial mindset, with proven success in securing new opportunities, growing existing client relationships, and driving profitable outcomes across a mix of hard-dollar projects and long-term contracting arrangements with utilities, asset owners, and developers.

Ideally, you bring a deep electrical background across high-voltage environments, including generation, transmission, distribution, or industrial sectors. However, consideration will also be given to candidates who have successfully grown a utilities or infrastructure business within the New Zealand market.

You are known for your polished and credible leadership style, with a natural ability to build trust with clients and stakeholders while also driving internal performance. You have led large, diverse teams and are passionate about developing people, strengthening workforce capability, and lifting overall business performance. Above all, you are a commercially driven leader who thrives on identifying opportunities, driving growth, and delivering results in a dynamic, essential services environment.

About Ventia
As a leading services provider, we maintain, operate, and manage the essential infrastructure that makes modern life possible across Australia and New Zealand. With more than 35,000 employees and subcontractors across 400 sites, joining Ventia means becoming part of a team that values its people, supports career growth, and helps everyone go further towards their full potential.  

Our commitment to Fairness, Inclusion and Respect shapes how we lead, collaborate, hire and support one another. We welcome applications from people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, including Māori and Pasifika peoples and people of all genders, identities, sexual orientations, beliefs and caring responsibilities. We are dedicated to providing an accessible recruitment process and encourage you to request adjustments at any stage.

How to apply
Click the Apply Now button to start the journey to find your further with Ventia.

Position Reference Number: 167323