Programme Planner & Project Manager
- Christchurch based – with seasonal time at Scott Base
- Minimum 3 year contract
- Be part of a legacy project in an iconic NZ institution
About the role
Antarctica New Zealand supports world-class science and environmental protection in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Scott Base is our home in Antarctica that enables our goals, and we have commenced a four-year project for the redevelopment of the Base.
Antarctica NZ is establishing a new roles to meet the demands of the redevelopment. This is one of them. As Infrastructure Programme Planner & Project Manager, you’ll be a key member of the Antarctic Infrastructure team, planning the Infrastructure Works Programme and managing end-to-end delivery of defined capital projects at Scott Base. This is an initial fixed-term role (3 years) aligned to the construction period, reporting to the Manager, Asset Strategy and Planning.
What you’ll do
- Consolidate plant operations, maintenance, capital projects and field support into one deliverable annual and seasonal Infrastructure Works Programme
- Plan resources across crew capacity, contractors, logistics, materials, procurement lead times and outages
- Manage delivery of winter and summer capital projects, covering scope, programme, cost, risk, procurement and contractor coordination
- Deliver retained-base capital projects (such as foreshore works, seawater pump replacement and intake gantry replacement) where capacity allows
- Sequence works to the shipping calendar and the construction programme
- Coordinate outages, isolations and construction impacts with live base operations
- Act as Antarctica New Zealand’s point of contact for enabling works delivered outside the head contract, working with the head contractor and the SBR Integration and Operational Readiness Lead
- Work with Asset Owners for technical scope and acceptance, giving capital projects a single point of delivery accountability
- Spend extended periods at Scott Base during the summer construction season supervising on-ice delivery, with medical clearance required
About you
You’re a delivery-focused project professional who thrives on tight, immovable deadlines and a complex, live environment. You build credibility quickly, take real workload off the people around you, and help grow genuine internal project delivery capability. You stay steady when priorities shift, confront issues and see them through, and make the tough calls.
Essential experience
- An engineering, construction management or project management degree, a trade or technical qualification, or demonstrably equivalent senior experience
- Experience developing and maintaining integrated, resource-loaded works or infrastructure programmes
- Significant experience managing end-to-end delivery of construction or infrastructure projects, including scope, programme, cost, risk and contractor management
- Experience delivering capital works in a remote, constrained or logistically complex environment
- Experience coordinating construction around a live or operational site, including outages, isolations and access
- Strong procurement and contract performance experience with contractors and consultants
- Excellent written and verbal communication, and effective stakeholder management across technical, operational and project disciplines
- Ability to obtain medical clearance for travel to Antarctica
Desirable
- A recognised project management qualification (e.g. PMP or PRINCE2)
- Operational experience in remote and challenging environments
Why Antarctica New Zealand?
These are career-defining opportunities to work with an organisation at a pivotal point in the 70-year history of Scott Base.
Apply now
For more information please contact Andrew Hickey or Luke Atkinson on 04 472 6558, or apply to this vacancy now.





