Technical Services Manager

Pūhanga Metarahi me te Rawa Taiao | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering

Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand

• Full-time 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE)
• Continuing (permanent) position
• Generous annual leave provisions and professional development opportunities

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki te mahi a te Technical Services Manager? Nāia te pōwhiri nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai i te tūranga nei.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do
The role of the Technical Services Manager is to provide professional management of the provision of all technical services for the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, including the management of technical staff, buildings, laboratories, equipment, finances, health and safety and compliance, risk and hazard management, that are associated with the day-to-day running of the department, and in order to meet the strategic needs of the department.

Our Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Department is ranked 8th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and this is significantly due to the work performed in our technical Laboratories. Our research has directly improved NZ standards.

You will be leading a group of more than 20 technical staff who are highly skilled in their fields and overseeing the management of more than eight laboratories and research facilities. These support the teaching, running of experiments, manufacture of devices, instruction, and work closely with academic staff, postdocs and students within the department.

The department has ~900 student EFTs (Full time equivalent students) and an annual budget of $32m. You will join this team, and our national and international collaborators, to further enhance the department's laboratories capability and impact.

With laboratory testing planned and executed smoothly and efficiently, you will ensure a balance that meets the needs of various stakeholders as effectively as possible. Overall, you will help ensure the laboratory operates smoothly due to effective, efficient, and appropriate support systems being established and developed as needed and ensure health and safety is maintained.

You will provide technical strategic advice as part of the Department Management Team and ensure that the laboratories are resourced and operate within budget.

Mōu | Who You Are
You are a strong leader with demonstrated skills in managing people and projects. You will have the ability to strategically analyse situations and work collaboratively to identity areas of improvement and implement change - both incremental and significant.

You are a people person who enjoys engaging with stakeholders (academics, technical staff, external clients, testing experts and students). In addition, you will be a successful, collaborative, problem solver with technical skills and experience.

You will also have:

• A Bachelor's Degree (NZQA Level 7) or higher-level qualification, in BEngTech or BE (Hons), or equivalent knowledge.
• Advanced knowledge (5+ years of relevant experience, or higher-level qualification) in managing and leading a team within engineering. This involves managing staff, finances, project management, facilities, health and safety, wellbeing, risk and compliance management.
• Preferable experience and understanding of engineering laboratory work.
• Demonstrated understanding of the engineering research environment and of technical experimental design.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build and sustain strong working relationships.
• Experience and understanding of the tertiary education environment desirable but not essential.
• Competence in MS suite and database programs.

Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With
The role of Pūhanga Metarahi me te Rawa Taiao | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering (CNRE) is to remain committed to shaping a diverse, inclusive and resilient society by advancing sustainable infrastructure through innovative research and world-class civil engineering education.

The successful appointee will work with a team of skilled technical, academic and professional staff with expertise in related disciplines.  The Faculty of Engineering has just completed a $163 million investment of its engineering specialist laboratory wings and main teaching spaces. Staff and students now have access to some of the best modern facilities and technologies for research and teaching in the southern hemisphere.  Every area has been designed with the principles of research collaboration and highly flexible learning. 

Civil and Natural Resources at UC is rated in the top 1 per cent of civil engineering schools in the world. A qualification from us is recognised globally and opens doors to employment on premier projects all over the world.

For more information about our Department and team, please visit us @ Civil and Natural Resources Engineering

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC
Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can, and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

We offer a range of fantastic benefits including flexible work practices, study opportunities and generous superannuation and leave provisions. For more information, please visit us: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/joinus/benefits/ . For more information about Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/

This role sits within the General Staff Collective Agreement salary range of between $116,438 and $145,528, and salary will be based on skills and experience.

The closing date for this position is: 12th January 2025 (midnight, NZ time)
Please note applications will be reviewed after the close date. We expect online pre-screening to take place shortly after this.

Please note, the University of Canterbury will be closed from the 24 December 2024 - 2 January 2025. During this period, we will be unable to respond to queries regarding this role. On our return, the recruitment process will continue.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to [email protected]

For overseas applicants, please visit Immigration New Zealand website, to review the latest health and visa requirements for visiting and working in New Zealand.