Scientist - Freshwater Quality & Ecology

Te Whakapakari Tahi I Tō tātau Taiao – Enhancing our environment together.

Our vision is a healthy environment and a resilient and prosperous community.

We focus on prioritising:

Te kounga o te wai, te haumarutanga me te mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi o te whakamarutanga | Water quality, safety and climate-resilient security.  

Kia koi, kia toitū hoki te whakamahinga o te whenua | Climate-smart and sustainable land use. 

Kia ora, kia āhei, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki te rerenga rauropi | Healthy, functioning and climate-resilient biodiversity. 

Kia toitū, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki ngā ratonga me ngā hanganga ā-whare | Sustainable and climate-resilient services and infrastructure. 

At Hawke’s Bay Regional Council our purpose is to work with our community to protect and manage the region’s precious taonga of rivers, lakes, soils, air, coast and biodiversity for health, wellbeing and connectivity. Our organisation is diverse and our work is varied. Our structure comprises of six key business units; Corporate Services, Integrated Catchment Management, Asset Management, Māori Partnerships, Policy & Regulation, and the Executive Advisory Group which also consists of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

About the Opportunity:

Are you passionate about Fresh Water Ecology and looking to join a forward thinking, high delivering team?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Scientist to join the Freshwater Quality and Ecology team in a role that is varied and motivating. The role would suit a freshwater ecologist who is keen to apply their skills to deliver the information needed for the Council to make good decisions for our lakes and rivers, with a particular focus on the application of the national policy statement for freshwater management.

About you:

You will have a relevant post-graduate qualification, experience applying science to solve real world problems, along with excellent analytical, oral communication and report writing skills. As part of a small team with high expectations, you will need to be highly engaged, have excellent people skills and an ability to service multiple work streams across Council.

Ideally you will also have:

• Specific knowledge regarding the interactions between hydrological and ecological processes and their relationships, including familiarity with methods of relating contaminant concentrations and river flows in order to calculate contaminant loads or flux and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments and the impact on aquatic plants.
• Additional knowledge of processes whereby nutrients, sediments and microbes are input to surface water and groundwater, as well as strategies to minimise the impact of these contaminants, will be useful.
• Ability to collate and analyse complex data and interpret the results for technical and non-expert audiences in verbal and written form.
• Knowledge of the Resource Management Act.
• Knowledge and experience with delivery of technical knowledge to inform resource management planning processes, including community and stakeholder engagement, hearings, development of implementation plans and plan effectiveness reviews.

The salary range for this role is between $85,000 to $95,000 and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Other benefits of working for our team include limited income protection and life insurance, subsidised eye tests and lenses, flu vaccinations, and other well-being initiatives.  HBRC also has a strong commitment to developing and upskilling people within a flexible and supportive working environment. To see a full list of our benefits please visit our website: https://www.hbrc.govt.nz/our-council/careers/working-with-us/

HBRC is responsible for Civil Defence emergencies and as such, all staff may be called upon to support the response.

All applicants must have existing rights to work in New Zealand.

To view the job description please click here.

If you are interested in the role please send your application to hr@hbrc.govt.nz.

Applications close 5 September however if we find the right candidates we might close the applications earlier.

17 October 2022

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