Title:  Network Planning and Integrity Manager

Network Planning and Integrity Manager

Position Description

• Strategic influence over complex, high-risk programmes of work
• Forward-thinking leadership
• Permanent, Wellington based

He kōrero mō mātou | About us:

At KiwiRail, we connect New Zealanders sustainably, powering economic growth and ensuring vital freight and passenger services run smoothly. Our mission, "Stronger Connections, Better New Zealand," highlights our dedication to sustainability and community well-being. 

Our people make KiwiRail exceptional. By fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace, we empower everyone to contribute their best. If you’re passionate about innovation and safety, we’d love to welcome you aboard. 

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role:

This role exists to maintain the Network’s integrity and provide integrated, end-to-end planning and scheduling across horizons, while exercising strategic influence over complex, high-risk programmes of work that have material commercial, operational, and reputational impact on KiwiRail. 

The role provides forward-thinking leadership to align people, access, funding, and resources to enabling the safe, efficient, and coordinated delivery of risk-weighted programmes of work across the Wellington Metro network. In doing so, the role plays a critical part in protecting KiwiRail’s reputation with customers, funding partners, regulators, and government, and in ensuring confidence in the organisation’s ability to plan, prioritise, and deliver the right work at the right time. 

You will be required to:

• Exercise end-to-end accountability for the integrity of the Wellington Metro network, ensuring asset condition, degradation, and risk are clearly understood, actively managed, and translated into timely, evidence-based intervention decisions that support the safe operation of train services.
• Establish and maintain a single, trusted view of asset health and remaining life, integrating inspection outcomes, performance data, engineering judgement, commercial insight, and risk analysis to determine when, where, and how the network must be intervened in, with clear consideration of whole of system and reputational impacts
• Develop and own the prioritised, multi-year intervention and renewals plan, applying forward-thinking judgement to balance safety, reliability, customer impact, funding constraints, and whole-of-life value, while shaping outcomes that influence long-term investment decisions.
• Provide integrated, end-to-end planning and scheduling across all time horizons, aligning inspections, maintenance, renewals and capital interventions into a coherent, executable programme that enables the successful management of complex, interdependent work packages.
• Translate strategic intent and asset need into a deliverable work bank, ensuring scope, sequencing, access strategy, and readiness are sufficiently defined to enable effective commercial planning and safe handover to the Network Intervention team.
• Lead the network planning and integrity functions, setting clear expectations, decision rights, and governance frameworks that support accountability, disciplined decision-making, and continuous improvement across complex operational and commercial environments.
• Provide authoritative technical leadership across the Metro network, applying deep engineering and asset system knowledge to validate standards, interrogate risk assumptions, and ensure intervention strategies, degradation models, and decision frameworks support the safe and compliant operation of the railway.
• Exercise disciplined engineering judgement in the assessment of complex and emerging asset integrity issues, integrating technical standards, inspection intelligence, performance trends, and incident learnings to ensure safety risks are clearly understood, appropriately prioritised, and mitigated through robust, evidence-based decision-making.
• Provide clear, authoritative advice to senior leadership and governance, including on asset risk, intervention timing, trade-offs, and the operational, financial, and reputational consequences of deferral, acceleration, or re-scoping of work.
• Lead, develop, and sustain a high-performing planning and integrity team, building the capability required to manage varying levels of complexity, influence senior stakeholders, and operate credibly in a high-visibility, high-ris environment.

Ngā pukenga e rapu nei mātou | What (skills) you will bring:

Knowledge and experience 

• You have 15+ years’ experience in planning, scheduling or operations in a complex network (e.g. rail, ferry, transport, utilities)

• You have 10+ years’ experience in access, possession or works planning

• You have experience in Asset Management and the requirements around asset data integrity 

• You have experience in work delivery planning requirements and integrating multiple work activities into a programme

• You are confident working with planning tools, timetables and resource schedules

• You have experience balancing operations, projects and maintenance needs in one plan. 

• You understand safety, access and operating rules in a live rail/marine environment

Ways of working / Work-related qualities 

• You think ahead 

• You can balance competing demands and make fair trade-offs

• You are organised and keep on top of dates, windows and dependencies

• You communicate clearly and turn complex plans into simple messages

• You build strong relationships with operations, projects and maintenance teams

• You stay calm under pressure and problem-solve when plans change

Other Requirements 

• You can meet required medical, drug and alcohol, and background checks

• You are comfortable wearing PPE and following all site access rules 

• You have a current and valid NZ driver’s licence 

Qualifications 

• You have a relevant tertiary qualification (e.g. engineering, transport, operations, planning, business) or equivalent experience

• Training or certification in project management, scheduling or operations planning is an advantage

• You are willing to complete required rail, marine and health & safety training for the role

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you:

• Competitive salary plus 4% KiwiSaver employer contribution
• 25 annual leave days
• Access to join NZ Rail Staff Welfare Trust where you will enjoy a range of benefits including access to holiday homes across New Zealand, as well as support for optometry, physiotherapy, GP services and prescription costs
• A wide range of discounts at retailers and on scenic trains and Interislander

• Be part of a diverse and inclusive workplace dedicated to innovation, sustainability and community impact

Kua rite, kia rite | Ready to Make a Difference?

Rā aukati | Applications close:  1 April 2026