Job Description

Head of PMO

📍 New Plymouth, Tauranga or Wellington

🕐 Permanent - Full-time

We are looking for someone to establish and lead Powerco’s enterprise Programme Management Office (PMO), strengthening how we structure, govern and oversee our most important strategic programmes.

If you thrive on building strong relationships across a business, can bring clarity to complexity, and want to shape how major strategic programmes are delivered across Powerco, this is the role for you.

About the role

• Establish and lead our enterprise PMO.
• Provide oversight and governance across our strategic programmes of work to improve consistency, coordination and delivery efficiency.
• Set practical standards, frameworks, reporting and guidance that lift capability across the business.

This is a high-impact, senior leadership role reporting to the GM Corporate Services. It is responsible for shaping how we govern and deliver major strategic programmes across the business. These are large, organisation-wide initiatives that support delivery of our strategic priorities, rather than network capital works.

You’ll set the direction for the PMO, establish scalable governance and reporting frameworks, and provide a clear enterprise view of the change portfolio to support prioritisation, sequencing and resourcing decisions.

You’ll lead a small team and work closely with senior leaders to connect strategy, business planning and programme governance, ensuring strategic programmes are well-informed, well-governed and positioned for success.

To be a success in this role, you will need:

• Demonstrated experience establishing PMOs of different types in complex environments.
• Strong understanding of portfolio, programme and governance disciplines including planning, risk, benefits, and reporting.
• Ability to provide strategic oversight across multiple programmes.
• A natural ability to build relationships and gain buy-in across a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to distil complexity into clear advice and reporting to support decisions.
• A mindset that brings simplicity, structure and calm to ambiguous or fast-moving situations.
• Experience leading teams and lifting performance through others.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to maintain a “view from the balcony” across multiple programmes and interdependencies.

It would be ideal if you have:

• Experience in large-scale transformation or enterprise change environments.
• Exposure to digital, IT or enterprise change programmes.
• Experience working in Agile or hybrid delivery environments.

Benefits

• Flexibility. We embrace hybrid working.
• All the usual stuff, but better – 4% KiwiSaver, ability to buy extra leave, paid volunteer days, great parental leave entitlements, free life and medical insurance.
• Excellent opportunities for professional growth
• Work as part of a supportive, collaborative and high-performing team.

About us

Our purpose is to connect communities. It’s at the heart of everything we do as we serve our customers now and into the future. At Powerco, we’re passionate about doing mahi that keeps over 1.1 million customers connected and enables energy choices as we support Aotearoa on the journey to a low-carbon future.

Ngā Tikanga - Our Way, is what guides us to achieve our purpose and ensures we’re better together, work smarter, proud to be here, and future focused in how we work together with each other, our communities, and industry stakeholders.

📅 Applications close: Friday 26 June 2026

Our ability to get the best out of people is what sets Powerco apart. We realise that candidates – especially from underrepresented and neurodiverse backgrounds – often won’t apply for roles unless they meet ALL the criteria. We encourage anyone who shares our passion for connecting communities to apply for any role that aligns to your strengths and interests. We will provide a safe space where you can bring your whole self to work and thrive.

If you would benefit from support or adjustments in order to participate equitably in the recruitment process, please phone 0800 769372 or email kiaora@powerco.co.nz