Group: Highways & Network Operations

Position description

Title: Graduate Engineer

Group: Highways & Network Operations

Location: National Office or Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier, Palmerton North, Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin regional offices

Project Office and a consultant and/or contractor office.

Reports to: Projects Team Manager or Operations Manager

Line manager at a Consultant and/or Contractor and you will also have an appointed NZTA manager to liaise with.

Date: August 2011

Graduates participate in a four year programme. A graduate may move to different locations and rotate through different work streams, to support them gaining sufficient experience. This is always discussed and NZTA endeavour to be accommodating.

Organisation profile

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is a Crown entity that was established on 1 August 2008, under the amended Land Transport Management Act 2003, bringing together the functions of Land Transport NZ and Transit New Zealand to provide an integrated approach to transport planning, funding and delivery.

The purpose of the NZTA is ‘to build a better land transport system for New Zealanders’.

What we do -

-  Help New Zealanders to travel reliably and safely

-  Invest in moving people and freight to grow New Zealand’s economy

-  Meet our customers’ needs by being people-focused.

Our strategic priorities – the things we are focussing on:

-  Improve customer service and reduce compliance costs

-  Plan for and deliver roads of national significance

-  Improve the effectiveness of public transport

-  Improve the efficiency of freight movement

-  Improve the road safety system.

The NZTA employs approximately 1400 staff throughout New Zealand and is structured into six business groups. The NZTA encourages staff to work collaboratively across the organisation. It is committed to linking people together and drawing from the combined skills and knowledge held within NZTA purpose and behaviours

Our purpose

Our purpose is ’creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand.’

Whatever your role is in the NZTA, we are creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand. It’s the same whether you work in planning and investing in land transport networks, providing the State highway, or managing access to and use of the land transport system.

We are solutions-oriented, focusing on the needs of our customers.

If New Zealand is to thrive, transport is vital — for connected communities, and a growing economy.

Our behaviours

-  Sign up – Commit to where we are going and put our heart into what we do. Get engaged every day.

-  Team up – Enjoy the people we work with. Appreciate their talents. Use joined-up thinking to find solutions for our customers.

-  Front up – Be courageous. Tackle the difficult issues. Know our own value and bring it to work with confidence and good judgement.

Business Group Background - Highways & Network Operations

The Highways & Network Operations Group (Highways), one of six business groups within the NZTA, contributes to optimising the wider transport network by planning, operating, protecting, maintaining and improving the state highway network. The Group works closely with other parts of the business to ensure the strategic priorities are achieved. State highways perform a vital national, inter-regional and regional role in the transport network. State highways carry buses, trucks, cars, motorcyclists, walkers and cyclists and connect cities, towns, ports and tourist destinations. The Highways customer base is extensive and is focussed predominately on users of the SH network. The Group operates adjacent to communities and traverses sensitive and important parts of New Zealand.

The priorities for Highways are to:

·  Improve its customer service, particularly with road users but also with suppliers, neighbours and key stakeholders

·  Undertake all activities on the basis of operating and improving a national network

·  Develop staff so that decision making can be devolved low into the Highways structure and that staff are trained and competent in collegial decision making

·  Contribute to the development of the Organisational Development strategy and implement its intent over the Group/Business Unit and evidence this by measurement.

Purpose of position

The purpose of the position is to assist the appropriate manager with day-to-day activities while giving the graduate a broad based exposure to engineering and operational activities.

The Graduate Engineer will assist with the NZTA’s planning, development and management of the State Highway Network. To obtain quality experience to enable graduates to work towards all 12 elements required in IPENZ Competence Standard for Professional Engineers. To contribute to the NZTA’s vision of efficiently delivering an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable State Highway network.

Highways & Network Operations have Graduate roles within the Regions as well as National Office and Project Office’s. Some of the functions carried out in the Regions will also be required in the National and Project Office’s but they may also have some additional functions.

During the course of the 4 year graduate development programme the position will report directly to a range of managers across the Highway Network Operations group which may include managers in Regional, National and Project office’s teams. These teams are dependent on each other and charged with being recognised by the Industry and NZTA Board for premier delivery of operational and project work and contributing to NZTA’s delivery on corporate strategy.

Key accountabilities – specific (Projects and/or Project Office)

Ensure that projects are delivered in accordance with the current project programme by:

·  developing and overseeing the project tender process for professional services

·  developing project plans for each project and contribute to design solutions

·  assisting with the evaluation of feasibility, scheme and design reports, and physical works contracts

·  contributing to the division’s goal of being the centre of excellence for project management

·  contributing to the strategy and tasks within the Project Office (such as Alliance project offices) and ensuring the project office effectively interacts with the wider Highways & Networks Operations team

Key Accountabilities – specific (Network Operations and Asset Management)

Ensure the effective operation, management and maintenance of the state highway network by:

·  Operating the state highway network to achieve optimum efficiency on a daily basis by:

·  monitoring congestion, providing ‘just in time’ traveller information through the use of new systems/technologies and implementing innovative solutions to keep traffic moving

·  provide excellent customer service by understanding and responding to the varied, demanding and ever changing needs of our customers and road users to ensure NZ is kept moving

·  Managing the State Highway Network asset by:

·  understanding and participating in the application of asset management principles, and implementation of planning and strategies to ensure the effective management and maintenance of all highway assets

·  participating in the preparation, implementation and management of annual planning, funding and work programmes of the state highway network to ensure this key national asset is effectively maintained and improved

·  contributing to the improved safety of the state highway network to support a reduction in road related death and injury

·  participate in the ongoing monitoring and analysis of the state highway asset to further maximise its potential and provide a better transport system for NZ

·  Improving the State Highway Network asset by:

·  managing the research, feasibility and implementation of improvement Initiatives and projects

·  understanding and actively participating in quality assurance and auditing of the network

·  developing best practice and implementing new ideas and practices to continually improve the network

Additional key accountabilities

Support the effective operation of the Highway Network Operation by:

·  Promoting and demonstrating ongoing best practice to the business

·  Ensures compliance with all relevant legislative and statutory requirements so as to not subject NZTA to any undue or unacceptable risk

·  Carries out such other duties (technical, customer service and/or administrative support) as may be allocated from time to time

·  Continuously works within the spirit and intent of the values of NZTA and promote NZTA’s practice with colleagues and external associates and ensures all work is conducted in a manner that meets the quality systems and practice standards of NZTA.

Financial Dimensions

Manages small project allocations. Refer to the NZTA Delegations.

Committee / Steering Group / Team memberships

Business/Technical/Operational Teams – responsible for contributing to specialised teams and groups ensuring business procedures are reviewed, updated and improved as required to meet business need.

Key relationships

Internal

·  Appropriate Managers

·  Team members

·  Other NZTA managers and staff

External

·  Other Government Departments / agencies

·  Consultants and contractors

·  Members of the community

·  Territorial Authorities

·  Iwi

Person specification

Education and training

·  A four year Bachelor of Engineering (BE or equivalent) or a degree that is benchmarked to the Washington Accord is essential.

·  Be working towards the Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and professional membership of IPENZ (MIPENZ).

·  A current and valid New Zealand Driver’s Licence (or equivalent) is required for this position.

Knowledge and experience

·  Computer literate and able to use various software programmes for word processing and database purposes

·  Effective written communications and presentation skills.

Personal attributes

·  A strong client and business focus and commitment to quality service and customer satisfaction

·  Demonstrates strong influencing, negotiation and relationship building skills that enable issues to be identified and resolved early

·  Actively demonstrates, promotes and models desired organisational behaviours and values

·  Displays developing interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills

·  Experience in building and fostering relationships

·  Displays a strong customer service ethos

·  Possesses a strong achievement/delivery focus – sets high standards including accuracy and attention to detail, meets deadlines etc

·  Actively looks for opportunities to improve services and support organisational change

·  Displays strong team skills, contributing to team success

·  Takes accountability for the responsibilities of the position and own actions.

·  Displays logical problem solving skills and provides effective solutions

·  Makes sound decisions based on analysis, experience and judgement

·  Actively engages in all aspects of work

Competencies – Technical competence standards

The twelve elements of the competence standard for Professional Engineers are set out below:

Element One - Knowledge

Comprehend and apply knowledge of the accepted principles underpinning widely applied good practice in professional engineering (Washington Accord degree level)

Element Two – Local Knowledge

Comprehend and apply knowledge of the accepted principles underpinning good practice for professional engineering that is specific to the jurisdiction in which he/she practices (NZ)

Element Three – Analyse Problems

Define, investigate and analyse complex engineering problems in accordance with good practice for professional engineering

Element Four – Design or Develop Solutions

Design or develop solutions to complex engineering problems in accordance with good practice for professional engineering

Element Five – Decision Making

Be responsible for making decisions on part or all of one or more complex engineering activities

Element Six – Management

Manage part or all of one or more complex engineering activities in accordance with good engineering management practice

Element Seven – Risk Management

Identify, assess and manage engineering risk (in the context of complex engineering problems)

Element Eight – Ethical Conduct

Conduct engineering activities to an ethical standard at least equivalent to the relevant code of ethical conduct

Element Nine – Recognise Foreseeable Effects

Recognise the reasonably foreseeable social, cultural and environmental effects of professional engineering activities generally

Element Ten – Communication

Communicate clearly with other engineers and others that he or she is likely to deal with in the course of his or her professional engineering activities

Element Eleven – Maintain Currency

Maintain the currency of his or her engineering knowledge and skills

Element Twelve – Judgement

Exercise sound professional engineering judgement

Competencies – General

Team contribution

·  Participate in the annual business planning process for their team.

·  Demonstrates support for all the NZTA initiatives and organisational development activities, modelling expected behaviours to managers and other staff

·  Works in a manner that reflects a clear alignment with the values and expectations of the NZTA staff and works to understand and resolve issues that may be in conflict with these values and/or expectations

·  Actively supports an organisational culture based on high quality, innovation, responsiveness, excellent communication and continuous improvement

Customer service

·  Develops a customer service ethos that focuses on the provision of high quality, proactive and timely service, support and advice, which is aligned to the NZTA’s needs and strategies.

·  Actively manages key customer segments of road users, key stakeholders, neighbours and suppliers by:

×  encouraging and promoting dialogue and collaboration with road user groups such as Automobile Association, Road Transport Federation, bus operators, cycling interest groups so that they play a part in assisting with the setting of priorities, standards and urban design

×  developing and maintaining a working relationship with all suppliers so that they have forward visibility of our programme and can openly discuss issues with the NZTA and see the NZTA as a premier client

×  ensuring we are open, honest and available to all our neighbours so that they can advise us of issues and that they can, through engagement, assist us in finding the best solutions to our transport problems

Health and safety

·  Takes responsibility for their own health and safety

·  Ensures own actions keep self and others safe

·  Identifies, reports and assists to eliminate hazards in their own workplace

·  Participates in local workplace safety management practices.

Self development

·  Takes responsibility for personal development and continually develops own professional expertise.

Relationship Management

·  Identify and develop network of internal and external contacts. Gains their trust and respect.

Time Management

·  Uses his / her time effectively and efficiently

·  Values time

·  Concentrates his / her efforts on the more important priorities

·  Gets more done in less time than others