Geothermal Operations Supervisor at Contact Energy · Taupō

Company Description

Whakatakoto te tūāpapa – Laying the foundation

At Contact Energy, we’re proud to power Aotearoa with a diverse portfolio of renewable generation, with geothermal at the heart of what we do. Our Taupō assets, including Wairakei and surrounding plants, are some of the most significant geothermal operations in the country, delivering reliable, sustainable energy to homes and businesses across New Zealand. With a strong focus on kaitiakitanga, we work closely with local communities and iwi to ensure our operations are responsible, future focused, and built to last.

Our geothermal teams are passionate, skilled, and deeply connected to the assets they operate. From maintaining complex infrastructure to driving continuous improvement, they play a critical role in supporting New Zealand’s energy transition. It’s a fast paced, high impact environment where safety, innovation, and performance go hand in hand, and where people are empowered to grow their careers while making a real difference.

Job Description

Te āhua o te tūranga | The nature of the role

As Operations Supervisor, you’ll step into a pivotal leadership role where your day starts with a clear purpose, keeping our geothermal plant running safely, efficiently, and reliably. You’ll lead a capable team on the ground, guiding them through daily operations while keeping a close eye on plant performance, anticipating issues before they arise, and responding with confidence when the unexpected happens. You’ll also work alongside Electricity Trading and other key stakeholders to optimise production outcomes, balancing commercial performance with safety and operational excellence.

This is a hands on leadership role where no two days are the same. One moment you might be coordinating planned maintenance or managing a plant event, the next you’re mentoring your team or driving improvements that lift performance across the site. You’ll play a key part in embedding a strong health and safety culture, ensuring everything we do aligns with regulatory requirements, environmental consents, and our own high standards, while continuously looking for smarter, better ways of working.

Qualifications

Ko wai koe | About you

You’re someone who thrives in an operational environment, you enjoy leading people, solving problems, and making things run better than they did yesterday. You bring a strong technical foundation and a genuine passion for developing others, creating a team culture where people feel supported, challenged, and motivated to perform at their best.

We’re ideally looking for:

• Experience in power generation operations and maintenance, ideally within geothermal or similar environments
• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to guide, coach, and influence a team

It would also be great if you bring:

• Knowledge of control and protection systems and plant monitoring
• Experience working with contractors, stakeholders, and complex operational environments
• Exposure to industry certifications such as mechanical/electrical/geothermal competency frameworks

Just as important as your experience is who you are. You bring integrity, sound judgement, and a calm approach under pressure. You’re a natural communicator who can build strong relationships and navigate challenges with confidence. If you’re someone who enjoys finding practical solutions, lifting team performance, and being part of something meaningful, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t tick every box.

Additional Information

There are a bunch of perks to being a permanent Contact kaimahi. Along with great leadership, teammates, development, and growth and progression opportunities, free health insurance cover, better-than-your-average leave, access to Contact Shares, a ‘Good to be Home’ annual payment toward your home set up & wellbeing, a trail-blazing parental leave policy, bi-annual payments towards Contact Energy products, and more!

Applications close 9am Monday the 8th of June.

Here at Contact Energy (Te Mata Hiko), we know our strength lies in developing a sense of belonging - one that helps us attract and retain people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers and communities to help build a better Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have a rich community of talented people that we support to thrive at Contact.

Our inclusive hiring process is designed to embrace the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring a wide range of perspectives are included in our decision-making and helping reduce bias along the way.

The wellbeing of our kaimahi is super important to us.

We use employee insights to offer a range of initiatives and resources to support physical, mental, financial and emotional wellbeing – including flexible working arrangements, employee network groups and a market-leading parental leave policy.

At Te Mata Hiko, we want everyone to thrive. We welcome applicants far and wide - of every age, stage, background, and pride. Join us and be part of a team that values your passion and attitude just as much as your experience and skills.

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. We're not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don't meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We'd love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.